Section 1:1 Your Life Path
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Developing Skills to Adjust
Developing skills that help you adjust is the
second step in preparing for change. A new job
may require skills for managing time. You may
need new skills for communicating your thoughts
or ideas to others. In a relationship, you may need
to develop skills for sharing your inner feelings.
With patience and practice, these and many other
skills can be learned.
Managing the Change
The third step is to develop a plan to manage
change. This step can help make the experience
a positive one. For example, what changes might
occur when you get your first full-time job? Will
your family expect you to buy all your own
clothes? If so, you will need to budget so you
have money to purchase them.
How would your personal schedule change
with a full-time job? You could plan a schedule
that includes time to work, relax, and see friends
and family. Planning can help you manage the
increased demands on your time.
The completion of high school will be a
time of change for you. How will you prepare
for these changes? What information will you
gather to help you grow in a positive way? Will
it be information related to college or technical
training, getting a job, or living on your own?
What skills will you need to be successful in
achieving your goals? What plan will you have
for managing all these choices?
The more you know about the changes you
will experience, the more confident you will be
to face them. Planning for change will make you
less likely to fear it.
Identify a change you will be facing in the
near future. What questions would you like
answered before this change takes place?
Use What You Learn
Review Section 1:1
1. List three benefits of knowing your identity.
2. List the five developmental tasks of the teen
years.
3. List three ways a person can prepare for an
expected change.