20 Life Lessons For Teenagers

Summary

The speaker shares 20 life lessons learned through personal struggles, emphasizing the importance of self-reliance, positive self-talk, and intentional living. They discuss overcoming addiction, embracing stoicism, learning from failure, and valuing mental health. The script encourages viewers to develop skills, ignore naysayers, respect themselves, prioritize health, choose friends wisely, show gratitude to family, and cherish their youth, all while maintaining a long-term perspective on success.

Takeaways

• 🧐 Embrace self-reliance: Success requires you to accept your situation and understand that you are the key to your own improvement.
• 🗣️ Watch your words: The language you use daily shapes your character and future; avoid negativity and complaints to foster a positive mindset.
• 🔄 Change your speech: A 30-day challenge to avoid complaining can significantly alter your life trajectory and boost confidence.
• 🌱 Live with intentionality: Small actions today compound over time, impacting your future for better or worse.
• 🚫 Avoid harmful habits: Substance abuse, like smoking weed, can cause long-term cognitive damage and dependency.
• 🧠 Protect your mind: Be mindful of the content you consume and the distractions that can erode your mental capabilities.
• 💪 Adopt stoicism: Accepting the world as it is and focusing on what you can control leads to happiness and peace of mind.
• 🔄 Embrace failure: Failure is a necessary step towards success; it should be welcomed and used as a learning opportunity.
• 🛠️ Develop valuable skills: Use your free time to learn and master skills that can give you a head start in life.
• 🤗 Cherish true friendship: Having a few trustworthy and like-minded friends is more valuable than being popular with many acquaintances.
• 🏡 Show gratitude to family: Honor your parents with love and respect, acknowledging the sacrifices they made to raise you.
• 🎉 Enjoy your youth: Youth is a form of wealth; make the most of it by creating memories and enjoying life's simple pleasures.
• 🔒 Prioritize health: Treat your body as a temple, understanding that neglecting it is a form of self-hatred.
• 🤝 Choose friends wisely: Surround yourself with people who share your values and aspirations for mutual growth and support.
• 🕰️ Understand the timeline of success: Success takes time; be patient and set realistic expectations for your journey.
• 🏆 Keep your promises: Self-respect is built by keeping promises to yourself and others, which is crucial for personal growth.

Q & A

What is the main message the speaker wants to convey to the audience?

The speaker emphasizes the importance of self-reliance, developing confidence, and learning from one's own experiences to achieve success without relying on others.

What challenge did the speaker's teacher give them at the age of 14, and how did it impact their life?

The teacher challenged the speaker to stop complaining for 30 days. This challenge led to a significant change in the speaker's mindset and speaking habits, ultimately contributing to their success.

How did the speaker's early negative self-talk affect their confidence and progress?

The speaker's negative self-talk, such as saying 'I can't' or 'it's too hard,' was damaging their confidence and hindering their progress. It took conscious effort to change this habit and adopt a more positive mindset.

What is the significance of the speaker's experience with smoking weed during their teenage years?

The speaker's experience with smoking weed serves as a cautionary tale about the potential long-term effects on cognitive abilities and the importance of making healthy choices to protect one's mind.

Why did the speaker decide to become a stoic, and how did it contribute to their success?

The speaker became a stoic to accept the world as it is and to focus on what is within their control. This philosophy helped them find happiness and peace of mind, which contributed to their overall success.

What is the speaker's view on failure, and how should one approach it?

The speaker views failure as a necessary part of success and encourages embracing it and learning from it. They believe that failure should be welcomed and used as a stepping stone to achieve greater success.

Why is it important to develop valuable skills during one's teenage years, according to the speaker?

The speaker believes that developing valuable skills during the teenage years provides a head start in life and is crucial for future success. These skills can be accumulated through self-learning and practice outside of formal education.

How did the speaker deal with negative feedback and bullying during their journey?

The speaker used negative feedback and bullying as fuel to prove their doubters wrong. They did not let others' opinions deter them from pursuing their goals and dreams.

What is the significance of the speaker's advice on not comparing oneself to others?

The speaker advises against comparing oneself to others because it can lead to feelings of inadequacy and disappointment. Instead, they encourage focusing on personal growth and progress relative to one's own past.

Why does the speaker stress the importance of keeping promises, especially to oneself?

The speaker stresses that keeping promises, particularly to oneself, is crucial for building self-respect. Failing to keep personal commitments can erode self-respect over time, impacting one's ability to achieve goals.

What is the speaker's perspective on the value of youth and how should it be spent?

The speaker views youth as the ultimate wealth and encourages making the most of it by enjoying life, taking risks, and creating memories, as it is a fleeting and valuable time in one's life.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Self-Reliance and the Power of Positive Speech

The speaker emphasizes the importance of self-reliance and the journey to success without relying on others. They share personal experiences of struggling alone and learning life's lessons the hard way. A pivotal moment was a challenge to stop complaining for 30 days, which led to a significant improvement in their mindset and the beginning of their online success. The speaker encourages the audience to be mindful of their words, as they shape the person they will become, and to avoid negativity as a path to building confidence and achieving goals.

05:02

💡 The Impact of Stoicism and Embracing Failure

The speaker discusses the transformative power of adopting a stoic philosophy, which involves accepting the world as it is and focusing on what is within one's control. They explain how this mindset contributes to their happiness and peace of mind. The speaker also stresses the importance of embracing failure as a necessary step towards success, challenging the conventional view of failure as something negative. They share their own experiences of business failures and how they ultimately led to their first million dollars, highlighting the value of learning through trial and error.

10:04

🌟 Pursuing Dreams Despite Doubts and the Importance of Self-Respect

The speaker recounts their personal journey of pursuing dreams in the face of doubt and ridicule, including the story of deleting their YouTube channel due to bullying. They emphasize the importance of not letting others' opinions affect one's goals and the need for self-belief. The speaker also talks about the long-term nature of achieving success, sharing their own timeline from the first video to becoming a millionaire, and advises against comparing oneself to others. They stress the importance of self-respect, keeping promises, and prioritizing health as a form of self-love.

15:05

🏀 The Value of Friendship, Family, and Enjoying Youth

The speaker shares the importance of choosing friends wisely and the value of having a few close, trustworthy friends over being popular with many acquaintances. They recommend engaging in activities like sports and music to meet like-minded people and build meaningful relationships. The speaker also urges the audience to show gratitude to their parents and to enjoy their youth, as it is a fleeting and valuable time. They conclude with the humorous but important reminder to subscribe for more content.

Keywords

💡Self-reliance

Self-reliance refers to the ability of an individual to rely on themselves, independent of external support or aid. In the video's theme, it is crucial for achieving success, as the speaker emphasizes that no one else will save you; you must take charge of your own life. The speaker's journey of building a YouTube channel and making money online exemplifies self-reliance, as he had to figure things out on his own without a mentor.

💡Confidence

Confidence is the belief in one's own abilities and judgments. The video discusses how developing confidence is key to pursuing goals independently. The speaker's transformation began when he stopped seeking approval from others and started believing in his own capabilities, which is a central message in the video.

💡Stoicism

Stoicism is a philosophy that teaches the development of self-control and fortitude to overcome destructive emotions. The speaker attributes much of his success to adopting a stoic mindset, which involves accepting the world as it is and focusing on what is within one's control. This concept is deeply intertwined with the video's theme of personal development and overcoming adversity.

💡Failure

Failure, in the context of the video, is presented as an essential part of success. The speaker encourages embracing failure as a learning opportunity, rather than fearing it. His own experiences with multiple business failures before achieving financial success highlight the importance of persistence and learning from mistakes.

💡Intentionality

Intentionality is the quality of being deliberate and purposeful in one's actions. The video emphasizes living with intentionality, suggesting that every action and word has consequences and can compound over time. The speaker's advice to avoid negative speech and focus on improvement exemplifies intentional living.

💡Cognitive Ability

Cognitive ability refers to the mental capacity to process information, reason, and remember. The speaker warns against behaviors that can damage cognitive ability, such as drug use, particularly during the teenage years when the brain is still developing. This connects to the video's overarching message of self-care and self-improvement.

💡Addiction

Addiction is a condition in which a person engages in rewarding stimuli despite adverse consequences. The script describes the speaker's personal struggle with addiction to smoking, illustrating the negative impact on his life and the transformative effect of overcoming it. This narrative serves as a cautionary tale within the video.

💡Mental Clarity

Mental clarity is the state of having a clear, sharp, and focused mind. After quitting smoking, the speaker experienced a newfound mental clarity that significantly improved his life. This concept is used to illustrate the benefits of overcoming addiction and taking care of one's mental health.

💡Gratitude

Gratitude is the quality of being thankful or showing appreciation. The video stresses the importance of showing gratitude to one's parents and recognizing their sacrifices. The speaker regrets not showing gratitude sooner and urges viewers to express love and appreciation to their parents while they still can.

💡Optimism

Optimism is a positive attitude reflecting hope and belief in a favorable outcome. The speaker's story is one of 'delusionally optimistic' thinking, which he credits for his ambition and eventual success. This mindset is portrayed as a driving force in the pursuit of one's goals.

💡Respect

Respect is a feeling of deep admiration for someone elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements. The video discusses self-respect and the importance of keeping promises to oneself as a means to build it. The speaker also emphasizes respecting others, particularly in the context of choosing friends and valuing family.

Highlights

The importance of self-reliance and accepting personal responsibility for success.

The journey of making money online and growing a YouTube channel through self-teaching and perseverance.

The transformative effect of avoiding negative self-talk and complaining on personal growth and success.

The 30-day challenge to stop complaining and its profound impact on life trajectory.

The significance of intentional living and the compound effect of daily actions on long-term outcomes.

The dangers of smoking weed during teenage years and its potential long-term cognitive effects.

The benefits of embracing stoicism for internal peace and happiness despite life's adversities.

The value of viewing life's challenges as opportunities rather than setbacks.

The necessity of embracing and learning from failure as a prerequisite for success.

The advantage of developing valuable skills during teenage years as a foundation for future success.

The impact of peer judgment and the importance of staying true to one's goals despite negativity.

The power of delusional optimism and ambition in achieving one's dreams.

The reality that success takes time and the importance of setting realistic expectations.

The detrimental effects of comparing oneself to others and the need for self-respect.

The principle of keeping promises to oneself as a cornerstone of self-respect and personal growth.

The imperative of prioritizing health and treating the body as a temple of respect for oneself.

The benefits of engaging in sports and music for social connections and personal development.

The significance of choosing quality friendships over popularity for mutual growth and support.

The importance of showing gratitude and love to parents for the gift of life and their sacrifices.

The value of cherishing youth and making the most of the present moment.

The final lesson on the importance of subscribing for further insights and guidance.

Transcripts

I had no father or mentor to teach me

how to be successful I had to do it the

hard way through years of struggling and

figuring it out on my own so that's why

I'm going to share with you 20 lessons I

wish someone told me when I was your age

so you can skip the painful process I

went through and get a head start on

everyone first you need to understand

that no one is coming to save you not

your parents not your teachers and sadly

not even your best friends so to truly

be successful in this life you need to

become self-reliant this means that you

have to fully accept your situation no

matter how bad it is and understand that

you're the only one in this world that

can make you better look on my journey

of making money online and growing my

YouTube channel it's mostly just been me

in my room working trying to figure

everything out it was after I stopped

seeking approval and support from

everyone around me and built up the

confidence to go out and pursue my goals

on my own that I finally started to make

progress on my journey now to develop

this confidence you need to learn to

watch your words because what we say and

think on a daily basis dictates the

person we become in the future you know

when I'm with truly successful people I

never hear them do two things complain

or speak negatively about themselves or

others but but as a teenager I used to

do both all the time and I didn't think

anything of it I always wanted to make

money from the internet when I was a kid

but I would constantly say things like I

can't I'm not good enough or it's too

hard I thought it was harmless back then

but looking back on it this was

single-handedly destroying my confidence

to get started but one day I had a

massive breakthrough back when I was 14

I had a teacher that gave me a challenge

that stuck with me till this day she

said try not to complain for the next 30

days and Watch What Happens such a

simple challenge I thought but then as

the days went by I noticed how often I

did this so day after day I changed the

way I spoke and I made a conscious

effort to never complain even about the

little things like waiting in line

instead of saying I suck at this I would

say how can I get better you know what

by the end of the month this little

change completely pivoted the trajectory

of my life life and it was shortly after

that that I made my first dollar online

editing videos for people and this is a

principle I still follow to this day

very rarely will you ever hear me

complain about anything or speak

negatively about myself so I challenge

you to do the same and avoid speaking

negatively for the next 30 days and

watch how your life will change because

every word you speak and action you take

has a consequence the actions that seem

meaningless today will compound

massively over time for good or bad and

that's why you need to live with

intentionality and be responsible with

the actions that you take those three

hours a day on Tick Tock or 2K might

seem harmless now what you don't see is

how it's slowly destroying your dopamine

and ability to focus on anything

important over time alternatively

reading for 10 minutes a day is boring

and feels like a waste of time but over

just one year you would have accumulated

years of knowledge improve your focus

and became a better man understand this

God sees is everything you do so live as

if someone is always watching your every

move because the little things that you

do today dictate who you become tomorrow

and one of the things I wish I never did

as a teenager was start smoking weed

don't do it because this is one of the

worst decisions I made and I recommend

you avoid it at all cost while you're

still young for 17 years I had never

tried any alcohol or drugs but in my

last year of high school I caved into

peer pressure one night with some

friends and I smoked a joint for the

first time I actually liked it so much

that it became an addiction something I

did almost every single day on and off

for the next six years of my life now

did it completely ruin everything not

really I still stayed in good health I

had friends and I even built my first

successful business while smoking every

single day but I became dependent on it

for helping me enjoy every little thing

in my life I didn't really want to do

anything without it being involved for

years going to the gym yup eating dinner

of course going to sleep obviously and

the worst part is it did permanent

damage to my brain that I still deal

with to this day smoking as a teenager

does long-term damage to your memory and

cognitive ability because in these early

years your brain is still developing I

didn't know that back then and I wish I

did because I could still feel the

effects today not to mention it's super

addictive if someone ever told you it

wasn't they were probably addicted

themselves and I only realized this

after I tried to quit because for three

weeks I hated the world I couldn't sleep

I was sweating all night and I barely

wanted to eat it was a real challenge

like my body craved it so badly but then

I had a breakthrough I unlocked a new

level of mental Clarity that I haven't

had before and I finally felt like

myself again it was truly one of the

biggest Transformations I've ever had in

my life and now I haven't smoked in over

a year and unsurprisingly it's been the

most successful year I've ever had so if

I can go back probably would have told

myself just to skip that one for now

because you need to protect your mind it

is the greatest weapon that you have you

only get one brain and nowadays it's

easier than ever to wreck it with all

the technology and distractions in our

world today they're literally designed

to Rob your attention and melt your

brain therefore you need to be careful

about what content you consume on a

daily basis and focus primarily on the

actions that nurture your mind before

it's too late now to build a strong mind

the most powerful thing I ever did was

become a stoic if you don't know

stoicism changed my life and is one of

the main things I contribute to my

success today to be a stoic means to

accept the world as it is and not try to

change what's out of our control this

right here is the key to my happiness

and internal peace of mind understand

we're all dealt with a different hand in

life you had no control what country you

were born in who your parents were if

you're black white well you do have

control over is your person exception of

these things do you label them as good

or bad a stoic simply sees the world for

what it is without adding labels on

everything I mean Shakespeare said it

best there is nothing either good or bad

but are thinking that makes it so even

the worst things that happen to us are

only as bad as we make them out to be in

fact some of the worst events of my

entire life ended up being the greatest

blessings of them all you know when I

was a kid and I had to leave my mom to

move to another city because our house

went into foreclosure it was one of the

saddest moments of my life but it's

removing and living with my stepdad that

I got my first camera and laptop which

is what ignited my passion for making

videos and if this event never happened

guess what I probably wouldn't be here

talking to you today so therefore you

must live your life with a stoic

philosophy if you ever want to win and

you also need to fail more because

failure is the prerequisite for any

great success so you need to welcome it

and do it more often sadly our school

school system has conditioned us for

years to label failure as a bad thing

what a shame if you show me any man of

great success I can guarantee you he's

failed thousands of times because trial

and error is the only way to master

anything in life this is the process and

you must learn to respect the process

listen this is actually the best time in

your life to embark on this process

because even if everything goes wrong

it's really not that bad I failed with

seven different businesses over five

years before I made my first million

dollars but since I was still in high

school every time I went back to zero I

was still in my bedroom I still had food

on my plate every single day and my

parents were still there as you become

an adult you have less and less room to

make big mistakes so this is your time

to fail as much as possible so you can

develop skills and developing a valuable

skill as a team is one of the most

important things to focus on at this

stage of your life I need you to

understand one thing you have the

opportunity to get a head start on the

world like none other most people

graduate high school with literally

nothing to show for it but when I

graduated high school I knew how to make

websites I know how to edit and produce

videos and I even learned about

marketing from trying to sell all kinds

of stuff this was the sole reason that I

was able to make my first million online

at 19 years old it wasn't as if I just

magically cracked the code it was the

accumulation of all the skills I

developed in my free time outside of

class it was the Head Start that I had

and if you're in your teens you have

this too so you better use it wisely but

beware because people will judge you on

this journey I promise you as a kid I

got bullied countless times for the

videos I posted on the internet I mean I

couldn't even go a single day in middle

school without someone clowning on me or

making me feel dumb for pursuing this

dream of mine to become a YouTuber and

at one point it got so bad that ended up

deleting my Channel with over a hundred

videos 100 videos that I spent hours on

scripting filming and editing all by

myself and deleting that channel is one

of the only regrets I have in my life

and if I could go back to myself at 13 I

would have told him [ __ ] what people

think about you because it is completely

irrelevant to your goals I remember when

I started making good money online when

I was in college so I decided I wanted

to drop out and when I told this to

someone in my family I was expecting him

to be excited for me but instead I was

greeted with straight negativity and

doubt you'll regret this for the rest of

your life that little business is not

going to last forever and at the time I

could have let those words stop me from

moving forward but instead they were the

fuel to my fire that pushed me to prove

everyone wrong and show them what I was

capable of this showed me that people

are literally just projecting their own

fears and limitations onto you if they

don't think they can do it they

definitely don't think you can do it and

you know sometimes I ask myself what if

instead of following my heart and going

after my goals I decided to listen to

all these people who doubted me and said

it was impossible well I guess we'll

never know since I was 16 I've been

delusionally optimistic and ambitious

you need to be too I always knew I would

get rich I always knew I would be a

YouTuber I just didn't know when and yes

just like anyone else I've had my doubts

and I still do from time to time but I

never let go of these insanely Big

Dreams for myself even when I was at my

lowest if you're watching this video

today I know you have a feeling inside

of you that you're destined for more out

of life and I need you to hold on to

that feeling and never let go of it

never let anyone take this away from you

and I promise you'll achieve more than

you ever imagined at least that's been

my experience but it didn't happen as

fast as I expected it to that's why you

need to understand that success will

take much longer than you think in fact

let's run up the numbers real quick if

you really added up it took me 13 years

since I posted my first video until I

hit a million subscribers it took me 10

years since I made my first dollar on

PayPal until I actually became a

millionaire do you understand you should

not try to become a millionaire in one

year like these fake people you see on

the internet because you will be

disappointed you must give yourself a

five to ten year time window and the

journey will be so much more enjoyable

and for the love of God stop comparing

yourself to everyone except for who you

were yesterday because you're not me

you're not Iman Ghazi and you're not

Hamza so do not compare your life to

ours just because we found success at a

relatively young age doesn't mean you

should beat yourself up because you

haven't you need to extend your time

Horizon for Success it's gonna take you

a long time now to be honest even I

still compare myself to others sometimes

but it makes me feel bad every single

time and I know this is hard especially

if you're watching videos like this all

the time but try not to do it and the

only way to avoid comparison is to gain

respect for yourself now to do this you

need to always keep your promises

especially the ones to yourself look at

it this way if once a week you invited

your friends to dinner but you never

showed up do you think they would

respect you

it's no different with the promises we

tell ourselves if you say I'm going to

wake up at 7 A.M but you hit the snooze

button at 10 A.M every single day your

self-respect goes down a notch and over

time it compounds to near zero this is a

simple principle that I promise will

change your life forever always keep

your promises to others and most

importantly to yourself and if you

really respect yourself you should

prioritize your health Above All Else

neglecting your body with junk food and

inactivity in my opinion is the truest

form of self-hatred if you truly loved

and respected yourself you would treat

your body as a temple you only get one

in this lifetime and it's a lot more

fragile than you think don't wait until

you're old to finally start becoming

Healthy Start now and the best way to do

this is surround yourself with people

who feel the exact same way back when I

was in school the way I met people like

this was from playing sports and playing

music and I recommend you pursue at

least one of these because they both

have massive benefits they both teach

you how to learn hard things through

practice they show you how to work with

a team to achieve a goal and they

immerse you in a Social Circle of

like-minded people all throughout school

I was in the band playing drums and I

played basketball and even though I was

kind of trash these are some of my

favorite memories as a kid and they made

me a better man and this was actually

how I met some of my closest friends in

my life in high school I knew a lot of

people but I didn't have many close

friends in fact I really just had two

and we were all on the same Mission we

wanted to win in life so I always try to

choose my friends wisely and I think you

need to do the exact same thing one of

the most impactful lessons I've ever

learned is that one great friend that is

trustworthy and shares the same core

values as you is way more valuable than

being popular and having a hundred

friends so if you want to go fast go

alone but if you want to go far go

together with the right people and all

you have is your true friends and most

importantly your family which is why you

need to show gratitude to your parents

before it's too late listen up if you're

blessed enough to have your parents in

your life you must honor them with love

and respect because they gave you the

Ultimate Gift life and if you're a

teenager watching this well they

probably give you a phone a house an

internet as well which I know you take

for granted every single day I don't

care what they did to you as a kid it's

your duty to become a strong enough

person to forgive them and show them

love while you still can you must

consider the sacrifice they had to go

through to raise you and make you a man

and never for a second let that be

forgotten unfortunately I waited too

long to forgive my father and show him

respect and gratitude I waited 23 years

23 years of feeling anger and resentment

towards him for not being in my life as

a kid and when we finally started to

build a relationship he passed away

unexpectedly one year later so don't

wait tell your parents you love them

every day while you still can and look

above all else enjoy being a kid at this

moment you're one of the wealthiest

people alive because you have your youth

this is the ultimate wealth there are

billionaires that will literally trade

places with you and it'll fly by right

before you know it and you'll wonder

where did all the time go when you get

older things will be different life

won't be as carefree as it is now so bro

stay up till 4am sometimes and play the

game with your friends all night ask

that girl out there you're so scared to

talk to and laugh with your boys for

hours about stupid [ __ ] be free and just

have fun because in the end they'll all

be memories anyways so make them count

and the last lesson that's more

important than anything I've told you in

today's videos the most important one of

them all make sure to subscribe I'll see

you next time