Title: SUCCESS for Teens: Real Teens Talk about Using
the Slight Edge
Author: Editors of the SUCCESS Foundation
Publisher: SUCCESS Books: Lake Dallas, TX, 2008
You can purchase the book or download it free as a PDF by clicking here.
Every young person has dreams for the future: attending college, pursuing a career, becoming a professional athlete, inventing something that will impact people’s lives. The ambitions are worthwhile, yet where to start? How do you get from here to there? Sometimes teenagers need help clarifying how to turn their hopes into reality.
That’s where the book SUCCESS for Teens comes in. It advises readers how to maneuver through all kinds of everyday experiences and take steps to fulfill future ambitions. To do this, the authors talk about the simple, yet powerful principles of “the slight edge.” These life skills are explained in the book, The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson, and applied here to situations teens face.
John Fleming, executive director of The SUCCESS Foundation, explains, “You can create any life you want, no matter how difficult it may seem, by understanding how small, positive steps make a difference over time. It’s the things you do every day that don’t even seem to matter…that do matter most.”
The book includes numerous examples of how teens overcame circumstances, in their own words. Some of topics include:
· asking a girl out
· applying for a job
· handling disappointment
· overcoming a perceived stigma of foster care
· applying for college scholarships
· managing a bank account
· developing a community outreach
· forming good habits
· establishing strong goals and a game plan to reach them
· acting (moving forward) vs. reacting (blaming, staying angry, giving up)
The authors point out that you respond to situations based on your view of things (your life philosophy). This viewpoint drives your attitude and subsequent actions, which lead to either success or defeat. Your thoughts also contribute to the mix. “It’s the way you think about those circumstances that will determine how you respond to them,” the authors state.
“No one has more influence over you than you do,” they explain. “Nobody gets into your head more than you do, and there are no messages more powerful than the ones you tell yourself.”
Small sections called Action Steps pepper each chapter. These sections involve two or three questions to help readers reflect on what they read. Each chapter ends with a list of questions and blank spaces for writing answers. The questions help readers sort out their thoughts, apply the new skills to their own specific situations, and take steps toward accomplishing their dreams.
The book is easy to read and covers foundational truths necessary for success. The variety of real-life examples make the book easy to relate to. It does an excellent job at inspiring readers to realize, “Yes, I can!”
Comments