Page 2512 - Church of God Publications

ving to go! Your health allows you

to do wonderful things that other

people might not succeed at so eas–

ily: break athletic records, stay on

your feet through a fast dance med–

ley, study and keep a part-time job

at the same time, or just enjoy life

without the worries and handicaps

of illness.

Your Dreams

Ever see a middle-aged man or

woman talk about a dream, like sail–

ing around the world or writing a

novel or visiting the Himalayas?

You might have noticed a wistful

look in the eyes, and an " if only"

attitude. But when a teenager talks

about the same kind of dream, he or

she's not wistful- he or she's mak–

ing plans!

What's the difference? Middle–

aged people, more often than not,

have obligations. They have spouses

and chi ldren and jobs they cannot

ignore. With determination and hard

work, a dream trip is possible for one

person, but taking a whole family

can require an exceptional amount of

long-range planning and budgeting.

Also, since it is likely that nobody

depends on you for support , what

better time to plan and prepare for

what you want to do with your life?

An older person might have to take

any job he can get just to pul bread

on the table, but you' re probably still

living with your parents.

Now is your chance to get the ed–

ucation you

'11

need for the kind of

job you

' 11

enjoy.

If

you want to know

how much of a privilege that is, ask

someone who had to leave school ear–

ly to get married and support a fami–

ly.

Of course, preparing can be dif–

ficult if you have no idea what you

want that future occupation to be.

Funny, isn't it, how everybody

wants you to choose your life's

vocat ion when you have not had a

chance todo much of anything but

sit in a classroom and study?

Take advantage of all opportuni–

ties, be they school courses, higher

education or on-the-job training,

offered to you now. How? First,

think about what you already do

well and explore the occupations

that fit your abi lities.

For instance, if people like you

and trust you, you might look into

the field of sales. If you like your

8

part-time job at the library, ask the

librarían about her career in library

science.

Second, corner relatives and adult

friends and get them to talk about

their jobs-ask them what kinds of

aptitudes and training they needed

and if and why they like the work

they're in. Don't overlook your own

parents. Remember there's no law

against followi ng in Father's foot–

steps, if that is what you want to do,

and he might be able to give you the

extra help (like a summer job with

his company oras an apprentice) to

start you on your way.

Third, try to get all the hands-on

work experience you can right now.

Even if you don't intend to spend

your life frying fish or volunteering

your services for the handicapped,

you might learn useful things about

yourself: you perhaps don't like to

work too closely with a boss, you

learn difficult manual skills quick–

ly, you like (or don't like) dealing

with the public.

Any

direction you choose now,

even if it isn't one you plan to follow

indefinitely, will get you started

toward your goal in the world of

work. Who knows whether you

might meet a futu re employer while

selling popcorn in a movie theater or

caddying on the golf course? The

world really

can

be your oyster–

provided you hunt for the pearls.

Cultivating Yourself

As important as career and finan–

cia! preparations are, there's more

to life than money. The teenage

years are the perfect time to star t

discovering sorne of the excitement

and rich experience life holds.

Start by cultivating yourself.

Cultivating yourself means mak–

ing yourself more valuable and pro–

ductive. It requires wide reading,

sorne knowledge of the arts-the

finer accomplishments of humani–

ty-and social experience.

Wide reading can start in the

classroom and the library. If you're

unsure about where to start , ask

your teachers about the classic lit–

erature of your language. Don' t

neglect current events and history.

Such reading will give you a deeper

understanding of why the world is

the way it is.

While at the library, don't over–

look the record and tape callee-

tions. You probably have a keen

interest in music. Why not take

advantage of it by developing your

taste in various kinds of music?

Visit museums and be on the alert

for cultural events. A wealth of

beauty and understanding is ready

for you to explore.

Get involved in social activities

and service projects to develop your

skills in that area. As a teen you

have an advantage: You are

expected to make a few mistakes

socially. People aren't so kind when

adults commit social blunders.

Try to gain experience talking

with people of different ages. And

don't neglect the opposite sex!

If

you can learn to talk to a fellow or

girl while stringing up crepe paper

for a dance or participating in a

track meet, you '11 find yourself

much Iess self-conscious in a more

formal dating situation.

The Blggest Advantage

Finally, we come to the biggest

advantage of your teenage years.

The fact that you're reading this

magazine suggests that you are

interested in right ways of living.

That's great! Because God is

interested in you and your success

in life. He created the world with

certain laws built in, which, if fol–

lowed, will guarantee you a worth–

while, profitable life.

These laws are to keep us from

making the mistakes that cause sor–

row, suffering-every evil in the

world . Add this to your advantage:

Because you can learn about these

laws early, you can avoid the pain–

ful mistakes that have caused

others so much unhappiness.

You can learn about these sub–

jects by requesting a free publica–

tion of ours,

Youth 85.

A high–

quality, full-color magazine for

teenagers, and it is without adver–

tising. A magazine that covers a

wide variety of exciting tapies.

Written for teens about teens. No

other teen magazine is like it. No