I'm changing. I need advice.?

Question

It's odd that I'd ask this. But... I've always considered myself independent. Very independent. And loud. And out-there. And recently... I've noticed a shift. It's all been with my recent re-interest in religion as well. I'm become more aware of everything. I feel like I'm trapped in my own fish bowl - all of a sudden I see how SMALL things are, or have been. All my old challenges, my old ADVENTURES (i CRAVE adventure) seem so miniscule. It's like i'm to reset to square one. I want to meet peoples of other cultures - I want to get involved in the community. But how? HOW? Apparently I need a blue-card to do anything. Hello I'm 16 and I dont want to rape the kids with cancer!
But I think it's time for a TOTAL change. Any one who's been through this got advice? I need CREATIVITY. Wisdom.
Inspire me and be bold bold - I never want to lost the zest for life.

Answer 1

Alright big boy. Here's some suggestions.

Spring is coming up soon and if there's a gym or camp close to your home, you should start excelling at swimming so you can lifeguard. Lifeguards can get paid very well and they carry a lot of respect as well as responsibility.

Racquetball or fencing are some other cool sports you can try out at a local gym. They aren't sports that you can easily be embarrassed in since they aren't exactly as popular as basketball or football.

Playing sports and getting a workout though aren't ends to themselves. When I was back home and went to the gym, there were tons of stories and tons of connections to be made through the people I got to know.

If you really are interested in religion, join the local teen or youth group in any of the local ministries or parishes. Even if it isn't the same denomination as yours, sometimes they let you join just so you can get active in the neighborhood.

Joining a local volunteer fire squad is another active way to get involved. You get to learn what it's like to really live and hang out with guys and you get to help out with all the community events they set up (firemen don't fight fires all the time).

Habitat for Humanity, United Way, and 4H are other organizations who organize and manage events and efforts to get active and make a difference. These guys show how it doesn't matter whether or not charity is religious or secular. Charity is charity is charity and making a difference has the background benefit of living in a better community and a better world.

I'm also suggesting these small-town venues instead of bigger efforts because before you can participate in the prestigious upscale make a difference foundations, you have to learn GENUINELY what they are all about. You need to learn the lingo, the behavior, and the background of what all of the other guys went through before you can get in there as well. Otherwise, you're just going to make a fool of yourself and look like a weirdo.

I know this all sounds like I'm saying you need to develop a sense of discipline or make a commitment or take an initiative, but that's really not what I'm saying. Speak up, get out, and don't be afraid to stumble in your first few steps into the real world. You don't need to depend upon your parents and your teachers aren't the only superiors out there who are more specialized in their fields of knowledge. Find out who else is important in your community, sit down and talk with them, and get to know what they're really like.

Also, jeez I'm gunna sound like my mudda and fadda here, get your drivers license ASAP and get a job over the summer. These two things satisfy this urge you're feeling right now and give you some confidence and composure in your own potential and will.

I have this hunching feeling in the back of my head that this all arose because of either some momentary revelation that all teenagers go through. Maybe it was because you finally decided to have good study habits, maybe it was because you understood what it takes to write a good book, maybe you had a reflection of what it was like being a master at a musical instrument, or maybe you researched something you found in a video game, realizing where the industry is behind the purpose of entertainment.

Regardless, you have a grasp on life you've never felt before. DON'T LET GO!! You can do so much if you pull yourself up and over instead of not even starting to climb. To me, life is like a bunch of rope ladders or mountain faces and every so often, you reach a cliff or a peak. These cliffs are your benchmarks for your foundation and are what make up your experiences and credibility. As we get older, the climbs get tougher and tougher and the cliffs get higher and higher to the point where we can go years without actually seeing how high we have to climb before we make it. Eventually though, we realize that it's our ability to climb which is more valuable than actually completing the climb (this is what we call character, the core of leadership and success). BUT IF YOU NEVER FINISH IT DOESN'T MATTER!

AND IF YOU NEVER START, YOU CAN NEVER FINISH!!!!
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*10 minutes later after I settled my breathing* lolz, jk.

I really can't give you any more creativity and wisdom than this (there's only so much emphasis and explanation that can be packed into a web discussion). My only direct word of advice is this:

DON'T GET ADDICTED TO Y/A

Just like any other drug, Y/A is addicting. I'm at college and there are these kids who have never ever been a gamer or a computer geek in their lives and they get addicted to facebook (myspace for college students) claiming that they don't spend all their time on it and that it's nothing like their experiences on AIM or Yahoo messenger or MSN messenger.

I was one of those kids who grew up on games (since 3 I played nintendo and I love wargames and RPGs on computer), but one day I had to stop taking piano lessons since I missed one while playing. I took all my CDs and smashed them with a hammer crying my eyes out and became unaddicted. I started having a life, accomplishing things like everyone else and became someone others could believe in.

Today, I just answer a few or a couple of questions the days when I go online that I think actually have some meaning behind them. I don't answer stupid questions and I don't game the system. I just answer things I know about.

All I can really say to you is stop waiting and start going. You've got all this potential and so much life ahead of you it isn't even funny. Idc how much you've messed up. You're a good guy and you'll do great things, just make a decision, plan it out (no more than 20 minutes otherwise you'll get into a strategizing mess)....

AND DO IT!