Asset #39 - Sense of Purpose - Young person reports that "my life has a purpose."

Point Out the Long View-and Take It, Too

The rare young person seems like an "old soul," an individual with a wisdom, intuition, and foresight beyond his years. But most are living right here and now, feeling each moment of the day intensely and struggling to make sense of a life that's just beginning to be lived.

Try to be patient if your young friends aren't yet connecting what they do today with what they can or can't do tomorrow. As obvious as it is to you, they might not yet grasp how a good grade on tomorrow's test will add to their overall grade point average in three weeks, raise their class rank at the end of the year, and help them go to college. Most teens will make the leap in judgment at some point-and you can help by taking the long view yourself.

If you remember when the light went on for you about consequences and the connection between today and tomorrow, by all means share that story. If your friend can see how you made it and how you learned to take the longer view, he or she just might be able to make the connection sooner.

In the meantime, if he messes up on a test because he didn't study, point him to his next chance. If she stays out too late one night, oversleeps, and misses her job interview, encourage her to call and reschedule. Keep your own irritation in check as long as possible and keep steering each young person forward-toward the long view.

Excerpt from Tag, You're IT!, p. 62, Search Institute, Kathleen Kimball - Baker