Redominatelife

Advice to My Teenage Self: Stay Consistent and Own Your Life

If I could sit down with my teenage self, I’d have a lot to say. But if I had to focus on just two things, they would be staying consistent and taking more responsibility for my life. These two habits could have made a world of difference back then, and they’re still valuable now.

1. Staying Consistent: Small Steps, Big Results

Teenage me, I know you get excited about new ideas. You start strong, but then you fall off when the excitement fades. You wait to feel “motivated” again, but that feeling comes and goes. Here’s the truth: Motivation is temporary; consistency is what brings results.

Imagine if you stuck with one thing—whether it was writing, basketball, or studying—every single day. Even just 30 minutes daily would stack up over months and years. Success isn’t about big bursts of effort but about steady progress.

How to Stay Consistent:

Commit to a schedule: Make it easy. Don’t try to do too much at once. Start small and build up.

Track progress: Seeing improvement, even in small ways, keeps you going.

Expect boredom: The work won’t always be exciting, but discipline means showing up anyway.

Find accountability: If no one is watching, hold yourself accountable. Write things down, set reminders—whatever works.


2. Taking Responsibility: It’s All on You

Teenage me, I know sometimes you want to blame circumstances. You might think life is unfair or that someone else should fix things for you. But here’s the hard truth: No one is coming to save you. Your life is in your hands.

If you don’t like something, change it. If something goes wrong, own it. It’s easy to make excuses, but excuses don’t build the future you want. Taking responsibility doesn’t mean blaming yourself for everything—it means understanding that you have the power to respond to anything.

How to Take More Responsibility:

Stop waiting for permission: If you want something, go after it. No one will hand it to you.

Own your mistakes: Mess up? Learn from it. Don’t waste time making excuses.

Control what you can: You can’t control everything, but you can control your effort, attitude, and habits.

Be honest with yourself: If you’re not where you want to be, ask yourself why. What’s in your control to change?


Final Thoughts

Teenage me, I won’t lie—life gets harder before it gets easier. But if you learn to stay consistent and take full responsibility for your life, you’ll move forward, no matter what. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about showing up every day and owning your choices. No one can do it for you. But trust me, you’ve got this.

Until next time…