How to Be A Successful Teenager – The Ultimate Guide

how to be a successful teenager

Want to know how to be a successful teenager? This guide will show you the necessary steps to take in order to have a successful teenage life.

Are you trying to figure out if you’re a successful teen? Or maybe you want to know how you can improve. Either way use these tips as a guideline to strive towards success, but don’t just rely on these to define who you are.

Everybody has a different way of looking at things, so take the information in this post and turn it into your ideal habits.

Being a teenager isn’t easy, but there is a way to work towards getting what you want. Ultimately, you can be successful with a few basic tips and self awareness.

But first, let’s discuss what actually defines success as a teenager…

What Defines a Successful Teen?

Well, that really depends. Everyone, teenager or not, has their own definition for success.

What I want you to do right know is think about what success means to you. Is it about making a certain amount of money? Or perhaps being able to work your dream job?

I think all of these definitions (one way or another) lead to the ultimate answer… happiness.

If we’re not trying to be happy on this world then what else are we doing? Take a good minute to really think about everything you’re trying to do well in and keep asking yourself “why” until you get to the end.

Most likely you’re going to say that ultimately those things make you happy. I’ll give you an example:

I want to do well in school… why? To get into a good college… why? So I can get a good job… why? To care for myself and my family…why? Because that will make me happy.

Why Do I Need to Know How to Be A Successful Teenager?

Chances are, if you came to this post by yourself, you already know why? The truth is, I might not even know why you’re here.

Only you know why you need to be a successful teenager. But if you’re still figuring that out, here are some possible reasons:

  • You are trying to prove something of yourself
  • Laziness has brought you down, and you’re trying to get back up
  • You’re trying to be the best version of yourself possible
  • You have a passion for learning new things everyday
  • You want to be treated with respect and feel like you can’t be yet as a teenager

Whether it’s a combination of a few of these reasons or just one, you’ll know deep down inside of you why you’re trying to be successful.

Now that we’ve covered that, let’s get into how to be a successful teenager

Have a Daily Routine

Having a daily routine is essential to be at the top of your game. It will help you stay organized, focused, and help manage your time better.

Plus, developing a routine that works for you has been proven to reduce stress, which we all struggle with, especially in school.

Your routine should be split up into at least 3 parts:

  1. Morning
  2. Middle of the Day
  3. Night

Each category will serve its own purpose during your day. By completing your tasks and following a routine, you’ll notice how much more productive you are.

Ultimately, this leads to getting more things done and that’s the first step towards working on your success.

Keep Educating Yourself

Just because you finish learning in class, doesn’t mean it has to stop there! Learn about new topics when you are home, or join clubs that teach you new skills.

I bet you have noticed that there are topics you’re interested in that have never been taught in school. A successful teenager will take their free time and put it towards expanding their mind.

You should always make it a goal to learn something new everyday, no matter how old you are. Make better use of your time and continue to grow even outside of the classroom.

Stay Away From Danger

As teenagers, you are naturally experimental, and that’s okay! Try new things and experiment because that’s the point of life. How else would you know what you like and don’t like?

However, it’s very easy to keep bad habits after trying things. Try to stay away from the following things or doing them in excess:

  • Alcohol
  • Drugs
  • Toxic friends
  • Peer pressure
  • Texting and driving

If you stay away from these things now, you’ll thank yourself in the future. After being out of high school, I’ve noticed so many old friends are in a bad place now because of the habits they created in the past.

Learn Proper Social Skills

It’s hard to be taken seriously as a teenager sometimes. However, your social skills can dramatically improve the way you’re perceived by older people.

Gaining that level of respect that most teens won’t get feels amazing. Practice these basic social skills that are often forgotten, even by adults:

  • Saying please and thank you
  • Holding a door open for strangers
  • Looking at people when they talk to you
  • Trying to understand the other person’s side
  • Being confident during a conversation
  • Speaking with maturity and kindness

All of these things may be hard to implement, but it makes all the difference in the world.

During my early teenage years, I used to see kindness as a weakness. Boy was I wrong! People will really start to respect you and your life will change for the better.

Accomplish Your Goals

No matter what your goals are, you should always strive to achieve them. Every goal checked off is a win, so celebrate it. That doesn’t mean however, that not hitting your goal should be punished.

If you don’t have any goals, this should be a priority for you. Write down everything that comes to your head, even if they’re the smallest or craziest of goals.

Getting into a good college, making $100 in a week, or getting your drivers license are all great examples to give you a head start.

You came here to know how to be a successful teenager. Well, you can’t define your path to success if you don’t have any goals in the first place. Make some!

Stay Active

Exercise needs to be part of your routine. Keeping up with an active lifestyle is crucial for getting the energy to crush your goals and developing good habits.

The sooner you can get this down, the faster it’ll become like second nature to you. Like #5 above, you should set goals even for your health and fitness.

Plus, you don’t have to go to the gym. There are plenty of other ways to stay active such as sports, dancing, running, boxing, yoga, stretching, and more!

Here are some tips to get started in fitness if you don’t know where to start.

Using Technology to Your Advantage

Without technology, you wouldn’t even be able to read this. I started this blog at 18 years old and that’s because there is so much opportunity in the world of technology and social media.

Take advantage of what you have. Here are a few things that technology can help you achieve:

  • Grow your followers on social media
  • Have access to billions of articles and books
  • Reach out to brands you care about
  • Have a voice
  • Find more job opportunities
  • Meet new people (safely)

So instead of scrolling through your Instagram feed, try DM-ing companies that you may want to work for in the near future.

There are tons of useful websites for students to help them succeed as well. Learn new things and grow your presence through social media. You’ll thank yourself later for it.

Learn the Basics of Finance

Whether we like it or not, money makes the world go round. If you want to be a successful teenager, money will definitely have to come into play eventually.

Learning the basics of finance such as credit, investing, saving, or even getting free stuff as a student can all help you achieve your success sooner.

Here are a few resources to help you get started:

I know it may not seem super important right now, but it really is! Money will start to creep on you really quickly throughout your teen years. If you don’t know how to utilize it, you will risk being behind.

Surround Yourself with Good People

If there’s one quote that has defined teenagers to the max its this… “Tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are”.

What this means is that, you are a sum of the people you surround yourself with most. If you’re hanging around negative people, chances are you’ll become a negative person.

But, if you surround yourself with other hard working individuals, then you’re on a path to success. If you don’t have these types of friends yet, make them! Easier said than done, but keep in mind why you’re doing it and you’ll find it’s not as bad as you think

Another great way to advance in your interests is by finding a mentor. Maybe you have a family friend who works in your field of interest, or a teacher that can give you insider tips. Sometimes adult friends can be better than teen friends when you’re trying to learn new things.

Don’t forget to practice independence as well. The rest of your life is coming faster than you think and being able to take care of yourself is a trait that only you can learn by yourself.

Strive Towards Happiness

In the back of your head, make happiness the reason for being successful. If you define success solely based on money, or popularity, you’ll come to realize that it won’t always add up.

There are plenty of people who are poor and happy, rich and depressed, and every other combination you can think of.

The point is, take a second to define what success really really means to you. This answer can always change, but one thing will always remain true. Happiness is the key to everything.

After all, happiness is what shows us how to be a good teenager. And that alone, is a perfect start to your success.

 

There you have it! I hope these 10 tips have showed you how to be a successful teenager. If you’re already doing some of these, congrats! You’re already on the right track.

If you haven’t started any of these that’s okay! This is your push to finally get started. Besides, you’re so young that you have plenty of time and I mean that.

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions leave them down below. Thanks for reading!

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13 comments
  1. Great article
    Keep it up
    Suggestion
    Make small YouTube videos on subtopic’s
    Will be very useful for teenagers to be on track and live more meaningful life

  2. Thank you, i used to think that o have already failed, but I just need to get back up and start all over, Thanks for this inspiration
    I will do my best

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