Choice #1: Who will you spend your time with?
Who you choose to be friends with doesn't just affect which table you sit at during lunchtime. Good friends can make you more confident, kind, trusting, loving and much more; bad friends can lead you to do things you regret, make you feel insecure or hurt you in many ways. Sometimes, it's hard to tell who the keepers are, but the most important thing to look for in a friend is loyalty. They may not be the most fun friends, they may make mistakes and may even have a bad habit or two, but when it comes down to it, loyal friends are with you through the toughest situations and they'll put your feelings and your friendship first because you're important to them. That doesn't mean you never fight, because loyal friends are willing to fight it out rather than just run away, rant about you behind your back or let you get yourself into trouble if you're doing something that could harm you. Choose true friends and you'll have a friend you can both grow with and grow up with.
START TODAY: Notice what you have in common with your friends and think about how they influence you-do you like the girl you are when you're around them? If not, then find ways to be the kind of friend you'd like them to be so you can start influencing them to be the best kind of friend.
CHOICE #2: Who will you be?
You may already know what you want to be when you grow up but have you ever thought who you want to be? Unlike your dream job, which you could get overnight with a lot of luck or a surprise visit from a fairy godmother, your character is built one block at a time through your actions-all the little choices you make every day. Do you want to be a truth ful person? Then make the choice never to be dishonest about anything (like whether you did your homework, though you swear you'll finish it later anyway)-not even a little bit, not even if no one will ever find out Want to bekind? Then remember that sharing mean gossip about anyone-even the class bully-is something kind people don't do. Want to be loving? Choose to block out even unloving thoughts that could sneak their way into your heart and make you treat someone unkindly. You see, your character is what you are or want other people to see you as, your character will always come out in the end.
START TODAY: Write down the bad habits that are hunting your character-then flip them to discover the good habits you should practice to be the girl you want to be.
Choice #3: How do you see yourself?
People will always tell you what you're supposed to look like, what goals you should go for and what talents are worth having, and that's more than enough pressure to bring you down-unless you know the secret to accepting yourself: Believing, in your heart of hearts, that 1) there's no one else in the entire world like you, and 2) who you are is exactly who you were meant to be. Think about it: no one else has the unique combination of your looks, your experiences, your family, your friends, your talents, your achievements, your goals, your brain, your body... and all the other tiny details that make you ______ (insert your name here). Someone can be like you, but they're not you; in the same way, you can want to be like someone you admire, but you'll still be you-and that's not a bad thing! You may noy be Vanessa Hudgens, but your friends would probably rather have you and your brains around during study sessions than deal with her hectic schedule. Plus, she may have the voice, but those were your hands that helped your mom do the dishes this morning so that she could take care of your baby brother-so who's the real star?
START TODAY: Say, "I am me. There's only on me. Without me, what a boring place this world would be!" Then ask yourself, what a special part of me can I offer the world today? After all, all that fabulousness shouldn't be kept to yourself!
Choice #4: What makes you happy?
Yeah, we know you had the worst day ever, but did you know that you can still be happy in spite of it? Choosing to be joyful means you get to decide where your joy come from. Does it come from pretty things? Or compliments? Or from what your mirror tells you today? If you think only other people, more things or your ever changing looks can make you happy, you could be happy one second and devastated the next because you can't control anything outside yourself. But if happiness lives and grows inside you, in your heart and mind, and if it's safe there, then all horrifying, embarrassing, disappointing, frustrating things that can happen in the outside world can't touch it or take it away.
START TODAY: Think of one unchanging, ever-reliable thing that makes you happy (Your parents' love? Your uniqueness? Your faith in God?). Remember it whenever you feel down.
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