8 Unit 1 Reaching Your Potential
Growing to Maturity
Knowing your personal identity also allows
you to make choices that will help you grow to
maturity. When you know and accept yourself as
you are, you recognize your good and bad points.
You can use your strengths to make choices that
help you reach personal goals. You can also make
choices to improve the areas in which you are weak.
It is important to grow to maturity in all
areas: physical, intellectual, social, and emotional.
Maturity in these areas will help you adjust to
life changes, develop positive relationships, and
increase your quality of life.
Developing Mature Relationships
During the teen years, your position in the
family changes. Your relationship with your par-
ents becomes one of decreasing dependence and
increasing independence. You gain a new respect
for your parents as you mature. They develop more
trust and confi dence in your judgment as you
show you can act responsibly.
Friendships also change and mature. True
friendships, which involve care and concern for a
friend’s well-being, become important.
In addition, many teens develop relationships
with people at work. As you get your fi rst job and
gain work experience, you learn to become a con-
tributing member of a work team. You may also
learn skills for communicating well with customers.
Learning to work well with everyone you meet
at work makes you a valuable employee and will
help you enjoy success in your future work life.
Preparing for a Career
Adolescence is a time to prepare for the future
and look ahead to living on your own. Of course,
living independently requires having a job that
provides a good income. Many people want more
than just an income—they want a career that
provides enjoyment, interesting tasks, meaningful
work, and advancement opportunities. A very
important task of the teen years, therefore, is to
prepare for a career that will use your strengths
and interests while meeting your personal and
fi nancial goals.
Preparing for Independence
Many responsibilities and adjustments are asso-
ciated with living as an independent adult. Living on
your own requires planning and preparation. Pay-
ing for rent, heat and electricity, water, phone and
Internet access, clothing, food, and transportation
requires more than having enough income. You also
need to gain the skills for managing that income. You
may have a part-time job that provides some income
now. As you learn to manage your money now, you
are increasing your skills for successfully living on
your own. Also, learning to care for your own food,
clothing, and transportation needs will help you pre-
pare for living independently.
Preparing for Marriage and Family
Living
Adolescence is also a time to develop skills
that help you get along with others. When you
work on group projects or solve problems with
a partner, you learn to share ideas, listen to each
other, consider another person’s point of view,
and collaborate. These are skills that can help you
develop long-lasting relationships.
During the teen years, you can also learn how to
help others grow and develop. What is needed to help
someone grow to maturity? How can you help others
reach their potential? Developing these skills will
help you prepare for marriage and family living.
Preparing for Change
Change is a normal part of life. Many people
fear change, though, because it brings unknowns.
People prefer individuals and experiences they
know because they feel more comfortable. When
change comes, it brings new experiences that can
make a person feel uncomfortable or afraid. You
How could having a job help you achieve
developmental tasks of the teen years? How
could being in a school sport or club help you
with these tasks?
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