Starting young- Helping youth truly live up to their potential
Farhaana Ismail
February 25, 2022
Do you remember being 13 or 16 or 18 years old?
If you were like me or like hundreds of other teenagers it is a time of confusion, lack of confidence, and lack of awareness in oneself. It is also a time when you often look in the mirror and may not like what you see.
I vividly remember my awkward teen years. I went through a period of intense awkwardness and an ‘ugly duckling phenomena’ inside and as a result on the outside. A teenager who really did not have any confidence and could not live up to peer pressure.
As an educator and a life coach I quickly came to realize that I had not been alone, many teens all over the go through the same painful experience. If not handled properly, unfortunately, many adults carry those invisible scars with them. Youth nowadays more than ever are dealing with a multitude of challenges. Some key challenges the youth often deal with are expectations from the people around them whether that be school, parents, or peers. In many cases, youth do not like speaking to their parents about the issues they have which makes it all the more difficult.
With the advent of social media youth more than ever are prey to negative influences causing further chaos from within often leading to comparison, lack of confidence, and general dissatisfaction of who they are.
Later on in their youth, important decisions need to be made about possible paths. However, the brain of a teen is still maturing. David Walsh imparts, the brain is not fully mature until around the age of 25. Thus teenagers are not able to make good judgments in difficult situations. What if things had been different when you were growing up. If you had the guidance of a trustworthy confidant that was not going to share your deepest secrets with your parents or anyone else? What if you had someone in your life that taught you how to handle obstacles and setbacks; to truly understand what your values are and how to monitor growth?
I can remember wishing I had someone to talk to, to help with confidence and self-awareness. When I was choosing a career path, I was unsure and didn’t look into my values. I had no guidance and no true inkling of the path I wanted. I know that things would have been completely different if I had that sort of guidance.
This is exactly what a life coach does. We empower youth to truly live up to their potential. Nowadays teens don’t need advice; they need compassion, trust, and someone to empower them to grasp skills and talents within them to rise to their best.
With a Life coach, youth get an unbiased person to truly listen to their needs and wants without judgment or a desire to correct. A coach sees the world from the youth’s map of the world and points out a different perspective they may have not thought of previously. By holding accountability, youth learn how to set and achieve goals - a skill they can take with them throughout their life. Along with this, teens learn how to manage emotions- particularly the turbulence that is related to being adolescent and the emotions that come with managing challenges. A youth coach instills confidence and helps teens focus and shine their strengths to achieve their goals. The aim is to turn their big dreams through direction, planning, and action creating possibilities for the future. Ultimately, to build a future generation of strength, determination, and fulfilled dreams in a generation that is our hope for the future.
If you were like me or like hundreds of other teenagers it is a time of confusion, lack of confidence, and lack of awareness in oneself. It is also a time when you often look in the mirror and may not like what you see.
I vividly remember my awkward teen years. I went through a period of intense awkwardness and an ‘ugly duckling phenomena’ inside and as a result on the outside. A teenager who really did not have any confidence and could not live up to peer pressure.
As an educator and a life coach I quickly came to realize that I had not been alone, many teens all over the go through the same painful experience. If not handled properly, unfortunately, many adults carry those invisible scars with them. Youth nowadays more than ever are dealing with a multitude of challenges. Some key challenges the youth often deal with are expectations from the people around them whether that be school, parents, or peers. In many cases, youth do not like speaking to their parents about the issues they have which makes it all the more difficult.
With the advent of social media youth more than ever are prey to negative influences causing further chaos from within often leading to comparison, lack of confidence, and general dissatisfaction of who they are.
Later on in their youth, important decisions need to be made about possible paths. However, the brain of a teen is still maturing. David Walsh imparts, the brain is not fully mature until around the age of 25. Thus teenagers are not able to make good judgments in difficult situations. What if things had been different when you were growing up. If you had the guidance of a trustworthy confidant that was not going to share your deepest secrets with your parents or anyone else? What if you had someone in your life that taught you how to handle obstacles and setbacks; to truly understand what your values are and how to monitor growth?
I can remember wishing I had someone to talk to, to help with confidence and self-awareness. When I was choosing a career path, I was unsure and didn’t look into my values. I had no guidance and no true inkling of the path I wanted. I know that things would have been completely different if I had that sort of guidance.
This is exactly what a life coach does. We empower youth to truly live up to their potential. Nowadays teens don’t need advice; they need compassion, trust, and someone to empower them to grasp skills and talents within them to rise to their best.
With a Life coach, youth get an unbiased person to truly listen to their needs and wants without judgment or a desire to correct. A coach sees the world from the youth’s map of the world and points out a different perspective they may have not thought of previously. By holding accountability, youth learn how to set and achieve goals - a skill they can take with them throughout their life. Along with this, teens learn how to manage emotions- particularly the turbulence that is related to being adolescent and the emotions that come with managing challenges. A youth coach instills confidence and helps teens focus and shine their strengths to achieve their goals. The aim is to turn their big dreams through direction, planning, and action creating possibilities for the future. Ultimately, to build a future generation of strength, determination, and fulfilled dreams in a generation that is our hope for the future.
Transformative Mindset and Relationship Coach; Teen Empowerment Coach. Farhaana’s passion is to reconnect high achievers to their inner power by discovering who they are and what they truly desire. Her purpose is to re-kindle joy in life and find fulfilment, despite life’s overwhelming situations or emotions. Formerly a Teacher and Communications specialist, Farhaana endeavours to motivate youth to truly live up to their potential.
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