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myself.” It’s another thing to know how to do that. I have a few suggestions.
    Don’t be obsessed with yourself; take responsibility for yourself. I’m kind of shocked sometimes when I see how obsessed people can be with themselves—for example, that girl who was sitting next to my dad on the airplane. She’s not alone, though. Lots of people think about themselves more than they think about others. Some are so focused on how great they are or are so worried about what others are thinking of them that they forget other people are great too, and they forget to put others first. Being obsessed with ourselves is not the same as taking responsibility for ourselves.
    When we decide to take responsibility for ourselves, we can definitely acknowledge our good points, but we also have to lookat areas where we need to grow and improve. Then we have to do something about those things. For example, do you have trouble being on time? That’s really disrespectful toward others, so maybe you can work on not being late anymore. Or do you sometimes tell little lies in order to keep from getting in trouble? That’s compromising your integrity, so you could decide today that you are going to tell the truth, even if you have to go through some consequences.
    The whole idea of personal responsibility is not always popular, but as I said earlier, it’s one of the best ways we can grow and become mature. Think of it like a workout for what’s inside of you. Taking responsibility may feel heavy or hard—like lifting weights sometimes does—but it makes the muscles of who you are and makes your character strong.
    Get great friends. If you are anything like I am, your friends are really important to you. I have a great group of close friends. Some of them are in my grade at school, others are a year or two older. So obviously, what makes us friends is not that we are the same age, but that we share the same values. All of us love God, and we want to live our lives the way He teaches us in His Word. This makes everything about being a teenager so much easier for me.
    No one can choose their family, but all of us can choose our friends. Whether you have a great family or a family you think is not so great, you can still choose awesome friends. They may not be the most popular group, but if they are people who love God, live by His Word, and have strong character, you can’t go wrong.
    Smart adults will tell you that you become like the people you hang around. One of the facts of life is that the people we arearound have a major influence on us. So spend your time with great friends, and they will help you become great too.
    Find a wise grown-up. I hope you have smart, wise grown-ups you can trust in your life, but I realize that not everyone does. I do have great parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles, but sometimes I meet people or get messages from people who say they cannot count on the adults in their family to help them grow up strong and godly. My best advice is to find a teacher, a coach, a neighbor, or even a friend’s family member who will help you learn to take responsibility for yourself and to make good choices.
    Sometimes teenagers feel that all grown-ups do is correct us or that all they want to do is keep us from having fun. That’s not usually true. Some grown-ups have already done the things we think would be “fun” and found out that those things are not fun at all. Sometimes those things got them in big trouble! Usually, when grown-ups try to correct us or tell us what to do, they are trying to keep us from making the same mistakes they made because they want us to have an easier journey through life than they did.
    So if you do not have a parent or grandparent to help guide you, find someone else. Look for someone who has had a lot of experience in life, because that’s how people become wise. Look for someone who is kind and patient and someone you think can help you get where you need to go in life. I’m