LIFE LESSONS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE BY MRS. AZUKA OGUGUA BEING A PAPER PRESENTED TO TEENS AT THE TOM MEETING TAGGED 'THE AWAKENING' ORGANISED BY TOM, ABUJA AT THE HOSPITAL CHAPEL, NATIONAL HOSPITAL, ABUJA ON MONDAY, 29TH MAY 2017

What are Life Lessons? Things you need to know about life. Skills you need to succeed in life. A new perspective of doing things which they might not teach you in school. Luke 2:52 Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

Spiritual Lessons Read a chapter of the Bible everyday. It is your spiritual food. You need more than physical food to survive. Pray every morning, every night, all the time. God wants you to talk to Him. His help is just a prayer away. Fellowship with fellow Christians regularly.

Spiritual Lessons (contd) Invite the Holy Spirit to help you every day. Be a Christian for yourself. It’s your relationship with God. Work at your relationship with God. Develop it.

Academic Lessons Set high goals for yourself. If you don’t do well, take responsibility. Learn study strategies e.g. copying your notes, doing your homework, revision. Secret: If you teach others or discuss with others, you learn better.

Academic Lessons (contd) Never cheat in an exam. And never help anybody to cheat in an exam hall. Work. Be helpful. Look for how to help others succeed. As you help them succeed, you will succeed yourself.

Social Lessons Work at being friendly to everybody you meet. Be bold. Be confident. But do not be proud. Do not let anybody make you feel bad about who you are or how you look. Do not make anybody feel bad about who they are or how they look.

Lessons on your Physical Wellbeing Be neat and clean. Take care of your health. Rest well. Eat well so you will not fall sick often. Take care of your belongings and your money. Be organized.

Emotional Lessons: Be happy. Don’t let any event or anybody keep you sad. Write down your emotions. Don’t let your emotions overwhelm you.

I am your constant companion I am your constant companion? I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden. I will push you onward or drag you down to failure. I am completely at your command. I am easily managed-you must merely be firm with me. Show me exactly how you want something done and after a few lessons I will do it automatically. I am the servant of all great individuals and also, of all failures, as well. Those who are great, I have made great. Those who are failures, I have made failures. I am not a machine, though I work with all the precision of a machine plus the intelligence of a human. You can run me for a profit or run me for ruin-it makes no difference to me. Take me, train me, be firm with me, and I will place the world at your feet. Be easy with me and I will destroy you. Who am I?

Good Habits: 7 Habits of Successful Youths

The 7 Habits can help you: Get control of your life Improve your relationships with your friends Make smarter decisions. Get along with your parents. Overcome addictions (food, soft drinks, television, computer games, etc)

Define your values and what matters most to you. Get more done in less time. Increase your self-confidence. Be happy Find balance between, school, friends, and everything else.

Habit 1: Be Proactive. You are in Charge. Take responsibility for your life. Stop blaming others for your situation.

Unsuccessful Youths: Habit #1 -React Blame all of your problems on someone else. Be the victim. Take no responsibility for your life. If someone yells, yell back.

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind. Where are you going? Define your mission and goals. Then plan how to get there.

Unsuccessful Youths Habit #2 Begin With no End in Mind Don’t have a plan Avoid goals at all costs. Never think about tomorrow. Only live for the moment. Don’t think about the consequences of your actions.

Habit 3: Put First Things First. Prioritize and do the most important and difficult things first. Work first, then play.

Put First Things Last Whatever is most important in your life don’t do it until you have spent sufficient time talking on the phone, lounging around, watching TV and surfing the net. Always put off homework until the day it’s due. Make sure the things that don’t matter always come before the things that do.                                                                                                 Unsuccessful Youths Habit #3

Habit 4: Think Win-Win Stop comparisons and rivalry. Have an “everyone-can-win” attitude. The world is big enough for everyone to be a winner.

Unsuccessful Youths Habit #4 Think Win-Lose See life as a vicious competition. Your classmate is out to get you so you should get them first. Don’t let anyone else succeed at anything because if they do that means you lose. Don’t be happy if others win.

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood Listen to people sincerely. Then express yourself clearly. Communication is important. Listen before you speak

Unsuccessful Youths Habit #5 Seek First to Talk, Then Pretend to Listen You were born with a mouth, so use it. Make sure you talk a lot. Always express your side of the story first. Once you are sure everyone understands your views, then pretend to listen by nodding your head and saying “uh-huh”.

Habit 6: Synegize Cooperate to win 1=1000, 2=10,000 Work together to achieve more. Brainstorm for the best way.

Unsuccessful Youths Habit #6 Don’t Cooperate Why try to get along with other people? Teamwork is for the dogs, Since you always have the best ideas, you are better off doing everything by yourself.

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw Constantly improve yourself Take care of yourself – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

Habit #7   Wear Yourself Out Be so busy with life that you never take time to renew or improve yourself. Never study. Don’t learn anything new. Avoid exercise like the plague, and for heaven sakes stay away from good books, nature or anything else that may inspire you.

Our habits will either make us or break us Our habits will either make us or break us. We become what we repeatedly do. As writer Samuel Smiles put it:  Sow a thought, and you reap an act; Sow an act and you reap a habit; Sow a habit and you reap a character; Sow a character and you reap a destiny.

Conclusion – W.O.R.K Work at the habits. Work at the Life Lessons. Do your school Work, Class Work, Home Work, House Work. If you do them well, you will get a good WORK. Get ready to Work. And Work Well.

Thank you Questions???