Wouldn’t it be great to change our life a step at a time?
John was a pretty normal guy during his teenage years. He had a nice life overall, except for all the “buts” that kept getting in the way …
- He wanted a good life, but he wasn’t doing much to prepare for the future.
- John acted confident, as much as he could, but he was insecure in some areas.
- He had a good family and friends, but he was acting a part versus being himself.
- John mostly tried to do the right things, but he made a lot of bad choices as well.
- He wanted tomorrow to be better, but he wasn’t taking steps for that to happen.
John is older now. Life isn’t perfect, and neither is he. Sometimes, bad stuff happens, and he does dumb things. Because that’s what real life is like, and everyone makes mistakes. But John feels more purpose, excitement, and contentment than ever, and he’s deeply grateful.
It took John decades to figure out a lot about how real life works. He had screw-ups and sometimes bad things just happened, and his life got dark at times. But it didn’t stay that way, and God used those tough times to do some of his best work in John.
He occasionally wishes he’d done things differently, but he understands stuff often happens for a reason. Now, he hopes people can learn from his mistakes. Because any teenager (or kid or adult) can live life better if they’re willing to learn and take the next right steps.
If you read the first article in this five-part series you already know John is a real person: me.
You may also remember that, looking back, I can now see that I hadn’t been prepared for the teenage years. I wasn’t self-aware, and I misunderstood the importance of how I connected with others. There were things about real life I needed education on, and I wasn’t sure what steps to take along the way. But neither were most of my friends, and that’s pretty normal for teenagers.
Our nonprofit ministry, STEPS, offers resources to help people live life better. These articles are new material to help teenagers live on purpose and fulfill their potential. They’re the start (do teenagers read long articles?), and we’ll create short videos and an “online toolkit” for teens soon. We’ll be talking to teenagers along the way because we want this to help young people with things they care about in life.
If you’re a teenager, this material is to help you become more prepared, aware, connected, and educated about how real life works so you can take steps to make life better. We hope it’s helpful and encouraging to you, and it is intended to give you optimism and hope!
These days, I am very grateful for many things including God, my family, friends, STEPS Ministries, and the many blessings I notice more than I used to. I hope the 3 items below help you build big dreams, take next right steps, and have a realistic assurance of a positive future.
Dream big and build a plan
If you don’t have dreams for the future, now is a great time to create some! Do you want to cope with situations better, feel less anxiety, find joy in your faith, make friends, and stay healthy and safe in your teen years? The rest of your life? Have fun writing down your dreams.
- Have dreams for the future – What are your dreams? There are things you are meant to accomplish, so create big dreams! Think about what’s important to you but include parts of your life you can impact such as emotional, mental, spiritual, social, and physical areas.
- Choose goals to help focus – Don’t obsess on goals but set a few for this month and year. Consider the idea of “SMART” goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound), but it’s fine to have goals like, “Learn to play tennis” or, “Work on letting go of anxiety.”
- Create plans to get there – Write down small steps you can take today and this week to move toward your goals. One of the most powerful ways to improve your life is to keep taking steps in the right direction. Use your dreams and goals to help you pick the steps.
Keep taking next right steps
A simple but powerful way to live effectively is to keep taking “next right steps.” If you do that one thing every day, you’ll feel better, make more progress, and get where you want to go sooner. Then, relax and enjoy life, feel good about yourself, and sleep better at night.
- Focus on what to do NEXT – The word “next” helps you focus on one thing at a time. Think of tasks that are important versus smaller things just because they seem urgent. Let go of anxiety by picking one thing at a time and setting aside everything else for a while.
- Choose what seems RIGHT – The word “right” reminds you to make thoughtful choices. Your life is the sum of the choices you make. Aim for progress, not perfection, and enjoy the journey. Give it your best shot and then feel good about your progress along the way.
- Get going and take STEPS – We all procrastinate at times. Change is scary, and we get comfortable or lazy. But then it’s harder to get into action, and you can get stuck. Life is better when you focus on action so keep taking small “steps” and learning along the way.
Have assurance for the future
You have a realistic assurance of a positive future! Life can get better no matter what you’re facing or however sad, anxious, or lonely you feel. You don’t have to be perfect—no one is—but if you have faith and keep taking steps in the right direction, life will be better.
- Have a positive perspective – Many people, perhaps millions and lots of teenagers, have been in circumstances like yours and gone on to a good life. Be encouraged that you can do the same thing, but you need to hang in there. Their life got better, and yours can too.
- Keep taking steps forward – If you make good choices and take positive steps, your life will be better than it would be otherwise. All your problems and negative circumstances may not disappear, but your life WILL be better than it would be otherwise. Guaranteed!
- Declare your faith in God – God is good, and he loves you. But there is a choice you will make—or not—that changes everything! A step of faith is a choice, not a feeling or emotion. That one choice changes your past and future and makes life better in the present. It relieves you of guilt, guarantees your future in heaven, and brings God’s love and help into your daily life. It’s the best choice you’ll ever make!
Next Right Steps: Read the series for teenagers starting with this article. Then look out for the short videos and online toolkit to come.
