School's Out! Summer's a Great Time for Teens to Define Their Purpose!

Hello, Brentwood parents of teens!

School’s out! Woohoo! It’s time for summer vacation, summer camps, pool parties, and sleeping in! Yes, these are all essential ingredients for summer, but it’s also a great opportunity for teens and undergrads to reflect on the past year, define their purpose and values, and gradually make a well-designed action plan to ensure that the next academic school year is the best one yet! It’s fun, really!

 There are many types of motivation styles. In Academic Life Coaching, we like to call two of them Motivation Away From Bad Stuff and Motivation Towards Good Stuff. Most teenagers operate under the first model where they tend to coast along until something bad happens…like their grades begin to slip or their lack of organization gets so out of control that they lose an important document.  When these “bad things” happen, they panic and get a sudden burst of motivation. They may think, “Yikes! I better study harder on this one test or I will fail the class!” or “Sheesh, I better clean my desk and find this paper or Mom is going to KILL me!” Things may improve for a short while, but then they fall back into their old habits again and the vicious cycle continues.

Conversely, Motivation Towards Good Stuff involves continually making Well-Designed Action Plans that are doable, sustainable, in a student’s control, and consistently working towards where the student wants to go. This type of motivation involves a shift in perspective and an evaluation of the student’s values and purpose in life. Instead of turning up the heat only when the prospect of doom is near, the student consciously makes better decisions in order to honor their values and contribute to the “big picture” of who they are and where they want to go. For example, for a student who has identified their “Feeling of Accomplishment” value, he may have a Well-Designed Action that goes, “Okay, before every test, I will make sure to finish the study guide at least one day before the test, and use the last day to ask my teachers any questions that came up during my studying.”

Motivation Towards Good Stuff definitely takes more work and patience than the first model, but it is more sustainable, and the rewards are SO worth it! Stress is decreased, grades improve, self-confidence rises, and communication with others becomes more effective.

Which Motivation Style does your student practice more often? Motivation Away From Bad Stuff or Motivation Towards Good Stuff? What about you?

If you’re a student, a parent of a student, or knows a teen/young adult who may benefit from shifting away from old habits to creating a new and improved system of Motivation Towards Good Stuff, you can contact me here. Make sure to ask me about the free Initial Session and the Summer Special! 

Have a great summer!

Hayden Lee, ALC