Issue 12

Teen Inspiration

By Brittney S., 8th Grade

Hi. I’m Brittney S., the new junior editor of Wanna Bet Magazine. Just the other day I was thinking about how we, as young people, could prevent our peers from “turning down the wrong path.” It’s astonishing how many of our friends and peers have turned to drugs, alcohol, and gambling to solve their problems. Then their friends and parents say to themselves, “how could I have missed the signs? What should I have done?” But what so many of us don't realize is that by simply being good friends and leaders we can actually help a great deal. I cannot tell you exactly how you should help a person in need; I haven’t learned enough to do that. But I have been fortunate enough to encounter a few of those wonderful leaders who reach out to people, and I hope they will inspire you to try to be that type of person, and reach out to people.

A few of my peers are the absolute most wonderful people I have ever met. You feel like the most important person in the world when you’re talking to them, and you feel like they really care about and listen to you. They are terrific leaders, in the sense that they listen to everyone’s opinion, respect everyone around them, and they get involved in their friends’ lives to help them when they need it.

From this I see that you don’t have to do much to help someone in need – just listen, and I mean really listen, and offer them a hand of friendship. By this I mean talk to them, try to understand them, and don’t minimize their problems. They need you, and you’ll find that helping and listening to someone else is extremely rewarding to yourself, also. You’ll feel good about yourself, and that person in return will see you as someone different. Someone who cares, and they’ll respect you for that.

So I challenge you to talk to someone today. Sit them down, and just ask them how their day is going. They might be surprised, but they’ll be thinking, “Hey, she’s interested in what I have to say!” and you’ll really make a difference in that person’s day. If they look to you for advice, by all means, go for it, but don’t push anything that they might disagree with. Pushing them to see things your way is pushing them away from you. Just listen, give some words of encouragement, and feel for them. With more people like this in the world, in the end we’ll be happier, healthier, and life in itself will be so much more satisfying.

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