Our country is known for being one of the youngest in the world with about half of its population under the age of 25. This has its positive impacts and drawbacks. A country with this much youth is likely to be energetic and fast-paced just like its people. On the other hand it is plagued by problems like over-population and unemployment.
“You cannot change the world, you can only change yourself”. Thus, if the youth have dreams of making an impact, they should start with a change in their own attitude. Here are some words of advice to make the whole process of growing up easier.
Focus on your studies
India unfortunately doesn’t have the resources (human or economic) to give its youth the education it deserves. Only a small percentage of us can manage beating competition to get into decent colleges that are far from world-class. It is for this precise reason that each one of us must go the extra mile to learn skills to become successful well-rounded adults.
Complaining about an unsatisfactory education or calling others nerds has become too mainstream. Focus on your studies, make yourself employable (preferably in more than one field), and only then harbour dreams of being the badass college dropout who makes it big. Personally, one of my greatest regrets from my school life is not that I didn’t have enough fun, but that I didn’t study more.
Remember you are unique, just like everyone else
We all commit the mistake of believing it is us and only us who are extraordinary and meant for greater things in life. We consider success and wealth a guarantee and feel we shouldn’t be putting in the effort to achieve it. How would we be any different from the rest our prosperity was a result of hard work? We wouldn’t even have an interesting tale that is autobiography worthy.
You are special? So is everybody. You are very good with numbers but can’t mug up? There are millions within our country who live in that illusion. You can do things others find challenging without breaking a sweat? You are most likely a big fish in a small pond. Don’t live in an illusion, get realistic.
It’s not that bad
Life is challenging for everyone. Our preceding generations had a different set of hardships and so will our successors. Everyone’s life is a tale of big and small triumphs. We all emerge glorious (in our own way) at the end of it.
You might think it is only the current generation that is finding difficulty securing their future, that it is only our broad-minded generation that has to rebel against our regressive ancestors, but these are issues common to all. In the long run we all overcome them (at our own pace) and may even see ourselves on the other side of the same issues.
Stay grounded
It is cool to hate family and be annoyed by anyone over 30 who seems to talk sense, but remember to give every advice a chance. It’s coming from a place of concern. Don’t get carried away by the little momentary success you may achieve from time to time, don’t go into depression over something that didn’t go how you expected.
Learn to give love. Keep a mentor handy for when the going gets tough. It is always better to learn from others’ mistakes and our parents and uncles and aunts have committed their fair share of errors, however perfect and boring they appear.
Being complacent is not cool
Sure we may impress a couple of peers by showing how laid back we are but having a don’t-care attitude is just asking for last minute tension. The entire system is designed keeping in mind every person’s attitudes. The system will ensure you work anyhow. It’s better to be dedicated from the beginning to keep things orderly and calm later on.
In Conclusion
Being a teenager or a young adult isn’t that hard a period of your life in hindsight. It is up to you to make these years a good learning experience that you carry on to your adulthood or just mindlessly chase a “fun” Instagram-worthy life. Make sure to prioritize the right things and take things as they come.