Happiness is all about relationships – the R word that nobody uses. It’s not taught in schools but it is the way the world works. Today the Start Strong program, which I’m working for, is holding a national Day of Prevention across our 11 sites. We want YOU to tell us what you think a [...]

One of the teens I met through my program’s advisory board, Veronica Vazquez, just had one of her stories published. Teen Ink is a fabulous resource for aspiring writers and artists who wants to express themselves. A national monthly magazine by and for teenagers, Teen Ink is published by the Young Authors Foundation, a non-profit [...]

I have been trying to find a balance between discipline, which to me means doing what I should do and don’t always want to do – and listening to my true self and doing what I want to do. Discipline has gotten a bad rap, and people define it as “punishment,” yet it actually [...]

I wanted this blog to be perfectly brilliant. To be a useful resource for teens talking about things that they need to know but are uncomfortable addressing. I wanted a huge audience. Immediately. If I could just write the right thing, then they’d all flock to my site. I freaked myself out completely with my [...]

Interestingly, most of the teens’ career choices remained in the same general category over time. Our second to last survey question was: what do you think you do best?
Eight teens focused on how they relate and contribute to other people – giving advice, being warm and caring, listening, being respectful, making situations less [...]

So far, sixteen teens completed the Finding Your Passion survey! Thank you for being willing to explore and identify your natural talents and skills.
The easiest first step in finding your passion is to think about your favorite things to do. Though “eating” and “sleeping,” made the list, most teens who took this survey listed [...]

Passions are natural, healthy ways to relieve stress. This is how teens feel doing what they love:
I detach. When I read I get lost in the author’s imagination; Music helps me deal with my emotions and relieves stress; Dancing….makes me feel amazing.
When I write, I feel relieved and very refreshed. When I draw, I feel [...]

Another way to find your passion is to think back to what you loved when you were little – before there was pressure to excel at certain activities or be a certain way. I chose 7 years old as the magic age, because that is when I remember announcing to my aunt that I was [...]