As we go from child to teenager to adult we often start to compare ourselves to others. We worry that others are better than us, who work faster than us, who get more likes than us.

We are gullible to our excuses.
What’s the point of creating yet more stuff in this noisy world that is already full of amazing work from incredible talent?
What if nobody likes what I’ll spend ages on?
What if people say mean things, and then my friends and family see those criticisms and worry about me?
Heck, even worse, what if nobody cares at all?
Better not start, am I right?

And yet part of you is screaming for you to do it anyway. Sadly you're too busy listening to the opinion of others to even care what YOU want. 

                    . . .

This is where positive thinking starts to come into play. 

If you forget what everyone else is telling you, what that tiny voice is telling you. 
you can't do it
what will everyone think 
you will start to feel that little bit more confident in yourself.

Once you finish that school project that you have been spending weeks preparing for, you will feel a sense of pride in knowing a) how hard you worked and b) how good it turned out. 

Like I said before, we all spend too long thinking about what other people are thinking about. When in actual fact, we have no idea. 

You might look across the room and find someone looking at you. You might be thinking is there something wrong with me?! Why are they looking at me like that?
When actually, they're thinking about how much they'd like to go back to bed right now and you happen to be in line of sight.

We have all become too paranoid and we need to realise, it doesn't matter what other people think. All that matters is what makes you happy. 

You will hear that so many times in your life
                           "all that matters is what makes you happy" 
and the reason why so many people say it so often is because it is so unbelievably true. 

At the end of the day, it is your life and you have control over what happens. 

 

The summer is coming to a close and school is at the front of your mind. 

Homework, friends, teachers, stress... you can't help but dread it. Here at TeenLine we want to keep your mind as clear as possible and help you in any way we can.

That's why we have come up with 1o ways to start your school year right! 

1. ORGANISATION IS KEY! 
   ​
   Nothing will get done if its scattered all around your bedroom floor waiting to be discovered in 3 months time. Some of the most successful people are organised in their work.
   
   If you take the time to clear your study space, buy your favourite stationary or even colour code your workbooks you will find it a lot easier to concentrate. That way you will be done quicker and have more time to relax. 
   
   
2. DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS
   ​
   This one seems almost obvious to some. However, you would be surprised the amount of people out there who don't raise their hand in class through fear of embarrassment.
   
   FEAR NOT!
   
   The more questions you ask, the more you will understand and the higher grades you will receive in the end. If you don't want to ask a question in front of the entire class, write it down and wait until the lesson is over to have a private conversation with your teacher. 
   
   
3. MAKE A HOMEWORK SCHEDULE
   If you make a schedule that you are sure you can stick to, you will fly through the year without a second thought.
   
   The best time to do homework is as soon as you are through the door from school. You are still in the right mind-frame and once its done you don't have to worry about it anymore
   
   
4. SET GOALS
   What do you want to achieve from this school year? Do you want to get high grades or prove to yourself you can achieve better? Whatever it is you need to make sure you have an idea of where you are going. 
   
   Setting smaller goals throughout the year often motivate you to keep going, to keep striving for that end goal. 
   
   As you pass each of the smaller goals you can reward yourself: get that new game you were wanting; get a new eye shadow palette; or go and watch a new movie at the cinema with some friends. 
   
   
5. PAUSE. BREATHE.
   If you don't let yourself stop every once in a while your brain will eventually overload. Don't be afraid to let yourself take a break. 
   
   We all know that school can be extremely stressful so giving yourself a little breather every now and then will really help you go the extra mile. 
   So stop. Have a cup of tea and chill. Your mind will thank you for it. 
   
   
6. CLIMB THE LADDER
   There will always be people who are better than you. But most of them have worked for it. They have started from square one and worked their way up. So if you are wanting to go above and beyond by getting high grades you are going to have to work for it. You can't do the bare minimum and expect amazing results.
   
   The best way to do this is to do further research on a certain topic you might not understand, or revise for an extra 10 minutes, don't allow yourself to take a break until you have completed a certain task, etc.
   
   
7. BE NICE TO PEOPLE
   You might be wondering 'how will this help me do well at school?' well... secondary school sucks when it comes to peer pressure, bullying, puberty and so much more. If you take the effort to simply be nice to people and make them feel good about themselves you have a bigger chance of coming out of school with an enormous smile on your face.
   
   Nice people will be remembered and as a result of being nice someone might do you a favour of helping you with homework or give you a shoulder to cry on when things get tough. 
   
   
8. EAT WELL. DRINK MORE. 
   You would be amazed how far a healthy diet can get you. Foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar will often drain your energy quicker and you will begin to feel yourself loosing concentration. 
   
   On the other hand, if you have a balanced diet and drink plenty of water you will be able to focus for longer and suck in all that juicy knowledge.​


9. DON'T BE BIG HEADED
   Like I said before, there will always be someone better than you. Even Steve Jobs had his work cut out for him. So when you might seem to be the best in your history class don't start slacking because you're at the top.
   
   There are plenty of other people wanting to take your place and if you start to slow down they're going to overtake you.
   
   Competition is everywhere, remember that. 
   
   
10. HAVE FUN
    You have one chance to live this year, do it right! Don't spend the year stressing over deadlines, isolating yourself in a textbook or not listening in class.
    
    Prioritize the important stuff but don't let that dominate your life. Enjoy being young and free!