If you’re 13-18 years old, please watch this video…
Summary
TLDRIn this inspiring video, Amy encourages teenagers to embrace their youth without the pressure of making it the 'best years' of their life. She shares her personal journey and four key strategies that led to her success, emphasizing the importance of making early decisions, standing out, playing sports, and developing soft skills. Amy's message is that by focusing on personal growth and authenticity during teenage years, one can build a strong foundation for a fulfilling future.
Takeaways
- 🎯 The 'good old days' are a myth; you shouldn't feel pressured to make your teenage years the best or most productive years of your life.
- 🏌️♀️ The analogy of life as a game of golf is used to illustrate the impact of small decisions made early in life, which can have significant effects later on.
- 🔑 Four key principles are shared to guide teenagers towards setting themselves up for a successful future.
- 🧩 The importance of not fitting in and valuing personal growth over peer approval is emphasized, as it can lead to greater achievements and self-confidence.
- 🏆 The speaker shares personal experiences of excelling in school and building a dream life, highlighting the payoff of hard work and resilience.
- 🤔 The idea that being 'odd' or different can be beneficial is presented, as it often leads to standing out and achieving more.
- 💪 The benefits of playing organized sports are discussed, including the development of discipline, maturity, and life skills.
- 🤝 The significance of soft skills, such as communication and empathy, is highlighted as being more impactful for overall life success than hard skills.
- 👥 The value of jobs in service industries for developing interpersonal skills and understanding the value of money is underscored.
- 📚 The speaker advises against focusing too much on self-improvement outside of school and other commitments, suggesting that teenagers are already self-improving through their daily activities.
- 🌱 The message that it's never too late to start working on oneself and that growth is a continuous process, regardless of age, is conveyed.
Q & A
What is the main message of the video about teenage years?
-The main message is that teenagers should not feel pressured to make their teenage years the most fun or the best years of their life, nor should they stress about being super productive. Instead, they should focus on making good decisions early on, which will have a greater impact on their future.
How does the golf ball analogy relate to decision-making in life?
-The golf ball analogy illustrates that small decisions made early in life, like changing the angle by just 2°, can lead to significantly different outcomes over time. It emphasizes the importance of making decisions early in life, like during teenage years, as they can have a profound impact on one's future.
Why did the speaker feel insecure during middle school?
-The speaker felt insecure during middle school because she was on the basketball and volleyball teams and felt less cool compared to other girls. She experienced pressure to conform to what others considered cool.
What strategy did the speaker use to cope with the desire to fit in?
-To cope with the desire to fit in, the speaker reframed her actions as cooler than what others were doing. She focused on her values and what was good for her future, which helped her stay confident in her choices.
How did the speaker's mindset change regarding studying and being cool?
-Initially, the speaker felt studying was uncool, but she reframed it as being cool because she was using her privilege and opportunity to excel. This mindset shift allowed her to be proud of being the only one studying and happier than her peers who saw studying as a burden.
What is the significance of the speaker's experience in AP environmental science class?
-The speaker's experience in AP environmental science class is significant because it demonstrates the payoff of her hard work and resilience. She was the only one studying while others were not, and she was also the only one who got a perfect score on the AP test.
Why is it important to stand out and work on oneself during teenage years according to the speaker?
-Standing out and working on oneself during teenage years is important because it builds human capital and gives one more options in life. It sets a foundation for future success and flexibility, as illustrated by the speaker's ability to work anywhere in the world.
What is the speaker's advice on dealing with peer pressure and fitting in?
-The speaker advises not to write off friends but to be strong about one's own beliefs internally. She suggests focusing on personal growth and values rather than conforming to peer pressure.
How does playing organized sports contribute to personal development according to the video?
-Playing organized sports contributes to personal development by instilling discipline, maturity, and life skills. It teaches commitment, teamwork, and handling pressure, which are valuable in other areas of life.
Why are soft skills more important than hard skills in certain aspects of life, as per the speaker?
-Soft skills are more important than hard skills in aspects like career opportunities, social events, and overall life improvement because they involve interpersonal abilities, empathy, and communication, which are crucial for success in various life situations.
What is the speaker's stance on self-improvement during teenage years?
-The speaker believes that teenagers are already self-improving through their daily activities and experiences. She suggests focusing on doing the best in what they are already involved in, rather than seeking out additional self-improvement activities.
Outlines
🚀 Embracing Teenage Years for Long-Term Success
The speaker, Amy, challenges the notion that teenage years must be the best or most productive years of one's life. She emphasizes that it's not necessary to feel pressured to be super productive during these years. Amy shares her personal experience and that of her successful friends, stating that playing the right 'cards' during adolescence can lead to a fulfilling life ahead. She introduces a golf analogy to illustrate the impact of early decisions on one's future trajectory, highlighting the importance of making decisions as early as possible for a greater long-term effect.
🏀 Standing Out by Embracing Individuality
Amy discusses the struggle with fitting in during her school years and the realization that adhering to her values, such as focusing on studies and math competitions, was more important than conforming to what was considered 'cool'. She reframed her mindset to view her actions as cooler than those of her peers. This approach led to her achieving high grades and developing a strong sense of self, which she believes was more rewarding than fitting in. Amy encourages embracing individuality and using it to one's advantage, as it can lead to personal growth and future success.
🏆 The Power of Discipline and Commitment Through Sports
The speaker shares the benefits of participating in organized sports, which she believes accelerate life skills and discipline. She explains that the commitment required in sports, such as early morning practices and team cooperation, instills maturity and discipline. Amy argues that even without natural talent, the experience of being part of a team and the lessons learned from it can significantly contribute to personal development. She extends this advice to other organized activities that require commitment and cooperation, such as robotics.
🤝 Developing Soft Skills Through Service and Empathy
Amy highlights the importance of soft skills over hard skills in various aspects of life, including career opportunities and social interactions. She shares her experiences in tutoring and volunteering, which helped her develop empathy, adaptability, and persuasive communication. The speaker suggests that working in service roles can greatly improve one's ability to handle different types of people and situations, emphasizing that these experiences are invaluable for personal growth and future success.
🌱 Self-Improvement Through Life Experiences, Not Just Books
In this paragraph, Amy advises teenagers not to focus too much on extra self-improvement activities outside of their regular commitments. She believes that being a teenager itself is a period of significant character and skill development. Amy shares that she did not seek out self-improvement books or activities as a teenager but found that when she read her first self-development book in college, she had already developed many of the recommended skills through her life experiences. She encourages teenagers to focus on doing their best in their current activities and reflecting on how to improve, rather than adding extra self-improvement tasks.
🎯 Authenticity and Growth Mindset for Future Opportunities
Amy concludes by sharing her current personal experiences with applying to a program, emphasizing the importance of authenticity in applications and the relief she felt when she decided to be true to herself. She also discusses the value of reaching out to people for advice and assistance, such as requesting letters of recommendation. The speaker hints at revealing the program she is applying to in an upcoming video and encourages viewers to subscribe and engage with the community for support and growth.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Teenage Years
💡Productivity
💡Golf Ball Analogy
💡Fitting In
💡Values
💡Self-Improvement
💡Soft Skills
💡Hard Skills
💡Commitment
💡Authenticity
💡Mindset
Highlights
The 'good old days' concept is debunked, emphasizing that teenage years don't have to be the best to set up future success.
Teenagers are encouraged not to stress about being super productive for future success, but to live their best life now.
The video is described as crucial for every teenager, with a golf analogy used to illustrate the impact of early decisions.
Amy shares her personal experience of balancing academic success with social life and the importance of making early choices.
The importance of not fitting in and staying true to one's values is highlighted as a key to personal growth.
Reframing activities as 'cooler' than the norm can lead to increased confidence and better decision-making.
The benefits of standing out and focusing on self-improvement rather than fitting in are discussed.
The speaker emphasizes the long-term payoff of hard work and resilience during teenage years.
The role of organized sports in developing discipline, maturity, and life skills is underscored.
Playing sports, even without natural talent, can significantly contribute to personal development.
The significance of soft skills over hard skills in various life aspects is pointed out.
Jobs that involve helping others can greatly improve soft skills such as empathy and communication.
Service jobs are recommended for their ability to teach people skills valuable in all walks of life.
The notion that teenagers should not overly focus on self-improvement outside of their regular activities is presented.
The idea that self-improvement happens naturally through life experiences and reflection is introduced.
The transcript concludes with the message that it's never too late to start making positive changes.
The importance of authenticity in applications and recommendations for college admissions is discussed.
The speaker shares personal strategies for managing the college application process, including preparing documents for recommenders.
An upcoming reveal of the college program the speaker is applying to is teased for the next video.
Transcripts
you want to hear something crazy the
good old days are a lie you don't need
to feel pressure to make your teenage
years the most fun best years of your
life because they won't be and guess
what you also don't need to stress about
being super productive to set your
future self up for Success if you're
between the ages of 13 through 18 and
you play your cards right you will be
living your best life for decades and
still get to enjoy being a teenager now
you know how I know because that's
exactly my experience and those of my
friends who are killing it at life I
spent months creating this video because
it's one of the most important ones I've
ever made and every teenager should
listen to these messages so buckle up
buckle up imagine your life as playing a
game of golf you have your golf ball in
front of you and you have a club to hit
it with so with each hit your goal is to
get the golf ball as close to your
destination as possible imagine you hit
it in One Direction angle a now what if
you change your angle just 2° so now you
hit the ball at angle B well it seems
like those 2° is so minimal right maybe
you can't even see the difference but
the farther the ball gets hit you will
see that those two de made a larger and
larger difference that represents each
of the decisions you make in your life
they may seem like small decisions now
but the earlier you make them like in
your teenage years the greater impact
will materialize farther and farther
down the line eventually when golf ball
a and golf ball B land you wouldn't even
know that they came from the same spot
that's the power in your decisions now
as early as possible when you're older
and you're in your 20s only then trying
to make good decisions that will make
far less impact than if you had started
earlier so that's why it's so incredibly
critical to take care of your teenage
years I'm sharing with you today how to
hit that golf ball right so you're on
the winning traj Factory hm but you
might be wondering who the heck am I to
tell you how to spend your precious
teenage years well I'm Amy I got into a
top 10 University while sleeping an
average of 8 hours a night and having a
social life now I'm currently living my
best life in the playground of New York
City yeah in New
York my work barely feels like work and
I get to share amazing experiences with
the best people but how did I get here
and how can you get to your best life as
well just like I explained in my golf
ball analogy what I did in the past
significantly paid off later to get me
to my dream life today as a teenager I
didn't know it at the time but it wasn't
good grades and awards that got me to
where I am but it was these four keys
that you will learn today remember the
first way to get your golf ball on the
winning trajectory is to set this video
on full screen and lock in so you're
already above average let's go how much
do you care about fitting in in when I
was in Middle School I was super
insecure and felt like the least cool
person especially because I was on the
basketball and volleyball teams and the
other girls made me feel way less than
them I felt so much pressure to follow
what other people were doing I had this
friend who had very strong opinions and
she was considered cool for example at
dinner she would say ew this dish is so
gross and even though I really liked it
I would follow and be like yeah ew
that's so gross even going into high
school I didn't know know how to do
makeup like the other girls I was never
invited to parties and I was always the
one who never got asked out to a single
school dance I struggled with this
desire of fitting in with a cool crowd
but I also knew my values I valued to do
what was good for me and for my future
that includes studying doing math
competitions but that also conflicted
with what people thought was cool
therefore to stick with my values and to
cope I ref framed what I was doing as
cooler than what other people were doing
this habit of thinking also makes you
more confident in your choices and
opinions now instead of just agreeing
with my friend that something is gross I
can happily say hey I'm not going to go
to that football game today because I
need to study for my math test that was
the best way to happily and sustainably
develop my best self I stopped wanting
to fit in I heard inspirational stories
of people who stood out instead of
fitting in in and thought I want to be
like them I'm meant for more and I'm
special I don't want to be like the
other kids at my school thinking this
way and then acting in accordance with
this mindset paid off in AP
environmental science class I was the
only one who was in the back of the
classroom studying on the black lab
tables while my classmates were fooling
around and chatting but guess what I was
also the only one who got a five on that
AP test and I was the only one there who
got a five on the AP Physics test
achieving things like that through my
hard work and resilience made me proud
to be the only one even better I was
actually happier than many of my peers
who also wanted straight A because they
saw studying as uncool and as a burden
but with my reframing I saw studying as
being cool because I'm using my
privilege and this opportunity if I
tried hard I don't know what I will get
exactly but I know it will pay off and I
will be cooler than all of these peers
in the future after volleyball practice
when the girls are grouped together
gossiping obviously leaving me out
because they can't relate to me doing
math competitions or me studying so much
I thought hey that's okay you do you I'm
going to do me and I know this will pay
off because I'm okay with being the only
one I feel like some people might take
this the wrong way and think it's
vengeful but I'm just trying to say that
you want to take everything to your
advantage if you're left out think huh
maybe I'm being left out as a good thing
if 99% of people are going to that party
hey I'm the 1% and maybe me being that
1% that stays back to study will
actually make me the top 1% in the
future I got to excel in school while
being more content while building my
human capital these skills ended up
being invaluable to me by the time I
went to apply for college make new
friends and search for my first job when
you choose to stand out and work on
yourself you give yourself options
because now I have the option of working
anywhere I want in the world but I could
not have this flexibility right now if I
didn't build my human capital to do so
the people who limit themselves by
fitting into boxes now will be limiting
themselves far more in the future now
this doesn't mean you write off all your
friends and outwardly become this
strange Lone Wolf I still had friends
this just means that you have to be
super strong about your own beliefs on
the inside I know it can be really hard
with peer pressure and if you don't have
anyone to do this with you so you can
strengthen your mindset with my podcast
your A+ life just like on this channel I
hope that by sharing my experiences
excelling in school sustainably and
building my dream life can help you do
the same for example in this episode I
talked about how I made myself lucky
even though I was technically unlucky by
having a disability of migraines don't
forget that you can't be number one one
without being
odd I discovered this really helpful
piece of advice that I haven't seen
anyone else talk about in my
interactions with others whether it was
in high school college and Caltech or
work there are some people who tend to
be more efficient diligent proactive
resilient these are the people who are
disciplined enough to pull themselves
away from a conversation late at night
and say they have to go to sleep these
are also the people who I found are much
more passionate about living a fun and
exciting life instead of being on their
phones all the time I realized that
there was something in common with most
of these people can you guess what it is
before I share playing sports I talked
about this with my sister and she agreed
and said she realized the exact same
thing playing organized Sports where you
might have to wake up at 4:00 a.m. you
have to practice for 3 hours a day no
matter what you have to show up to
practice 15 minutes early and stretch
and run laps and then you have to play
games where you're under tons of
pressure you have to be on a team and
cheer each other on you have to pick
yourself up even when you feel down for
the well-being of the whole group these
experiences give you years upon years of
maturity you accelerate your life skills
you get so much discipline because you
have to push yourself even when you feel
like you can't go any longer when I was
at Caltech and on the basketball team
teams I felt like I was going to
collapse half the time but I had to
still run sprints and make my free
throws when you have commitments and
practices that you can't just shrug off
you have to learn how to be efficient
and manage almost like a part-time job
of playing sports in addition to school
and homework and other activities for
this tip I was contemplating saying oh
you can just do some activity that has
competitions but no Sports Just Hits
different okay to say that least if you
can't do Sports then at least be on some
organized team like robotics that
requires commitment cooperation and
growth in fact you could suck at that
activity you could suck at that sport
but it doesn't matter your experience
will set you eons ahead of other people
who don't have exposure to that kind of
environment and commitment I had no
natural Talent at basketball and
volleyball and I was a benchwarmer at
Caltech but did I still gain a ton from
them yes and so will you and the cool
thing is that because everything is
holistic these skills will carry into
other areas of your life such that you
will become a better student friend and
everything else you want to be more
easily what do you think is more
important hard skills or soft skills
hard skills are technical abilities like
being able to code do math chemistry
while soft skills are ability to present
something to speak with others to
empathize and to write ding ding ding it
is the soft skills part and this is very
interesting because I really really
worked on my hard skills hence being
able to get into Caltech which is one of
the hardest stem universities in the
world but when it came to career
opportunities fun events with friends
and just making life better overall it
was my soft skills that I realized paid
off so much but how did I get those soft
skills if I was doing a lot of math and
Technical work well that came from
having jobs that help people ever since
high school I've been privately tutoring
students it's been amazing for me to
adapt to different students learning
styles their backgrounds and experiences
I have a more open mind and can
empathize with people who think
differently from me and I learned how to
work with people who are different from
me and how to be persuasive and get the
result I want even when someone is
difficult this isn't a job where I earn
money per se but I also volunteered at
the hospital I worked at the front desk
so often patients and really stressed
moms about to give birth would come up
and ask me for help and I had to be able
to calm them down and handle people
relationships Under Pressure working a
job in Services is highly underrated
every single person should have the
experience of serving other people like
being a waitress at a restaurant that
experience just makes you a better
person honestly because then you also
know to respect other service workers
and you will become a superstar at
dealing with different kinds of people
no matter if they are grumpy or they're
stressed about a certain situation you
will be able to handle it all and you
will be so surprised at how much that
helps you in the future even if you are
bad at the technical skills as a bonus
if this experience helps you earn money
you will start to learn the value of
money and how hard it is to actually get
it so you won't just want to buy
whatever you want now with your parents
money and you will work harder for your
future finally if you're watching this
this might be controversial but you'll
see what I mean if you're watching this
you probably care about self-improvement
and you've been watching videos to work
on your
self-improvement however when I was a
teenager did I care about doing extra ex
ra self-improvement outside of school
heck I could barely get my homework done
and do Sports and extracurriculars and
just live a happy Teenage life so I
didn't have time to search the latest
self-improvement books or to decide hey
I'm going to do five push-ups a day to
get better and be more disciplined and
if I do say so myself I think I turned
out pretty well actually I have the
resilience the efficiency the discipline
and all those other skills those
self-improvement Guru talk about but I
didn't purposefully search them out as a
teenager see the thing is as a teenager
please don't care too much about doing
extra self-improvement you are already
doing so much and these are the years
where you're developing your character
your skills your awareness your
relationships so much that you are
automatically self-improving you just
need to try your best in the things you
have to do in your life and then reflect
on how you can do them better like I
didn't read a single self-development
book before college but what's crazy is
that when I read my first
self-development book I discovered that
the tips in there were things that I've
already developed myself like I knew a
lot of the advice by simply trying my
best and reflecting in the things that I
was already busy with as a teenager tips
and videos are great and super helpful
but you should adapt them to things
you're already doing and you you don't
need to go out of your way and be like
hey I need to learn discipline so I'm
going to add climbing a mountain to my
list no you can learn discipline by
doing better in your math class or
working harder in tennis and staying off
your phone if you have five things
you're working on in your life already
then get those all to 100% before you
try and addon self-improvement extra
self-improvement by doing these four
things as a teenager I accidentally set
myself up to have the dream life I have
now just because you're younger doesn't
mean it's going to be the good old days
because right now I honestly wouldn't
choose to go back in time and live as a
teenager again because I just love the
kind of life that I've built for myself
I have the freedom I have the
flexibility I have the most amazing
people around me because I found myself
and my values putting myself in a place
where I'm always growing like I am
always leveling up the past and when I'm
young is not where I peeed I am never
peeking I'm always growing even if you
are 18 or 19 or any age outside of this
age range that I said remember I'm
trying not to be exclusive it's just a
good it's just a good title you've been
seeing how those videos are blowing up
okay I got to do what I got to do anyway
even if you're outside of this age range
it's never too late start doing these
now even if you weren't on the best
trajectory you have time to sh shift
over to the winning path and you're
doing great because here in this YouTube
Community We Are The A Team the best
team where our amazing members are acing
school and Beyond by having the right
mindset and working on holistic habits
join by hitting that subscribe button
and giving this a like so we can make
our 18 even bigger and help more people
and remember to check out my podcast
your A+ life where you can rewire your
mindset and make getting getting on the
right golf trajectory easier than ever
because just like I always say mindset
is something really undervalued nowadays
like all the advice is about what
actions to take but you cannot do those
helpful actions without the right
mindset great job and I'll see you next
time reaching out and having coffee
chats with people who are more
experienced and more knowledgeable is so
so helpful in my latest coffee chat the
guy told me that people will try to
conform their profile and their essays
into something they think the admissions
officers will like but what that ends up
doing as he predicts is make everyone
look more similar his recommendation is
at the end of the day just be super
authentic share your true story as long
as it makes sense with a program and
have fun with it and knowing that bottom
line just took a lot of pressure off of
me because I think a lot of the stress
was what do they want to see how do I
make myself look more like that
but I remember that I actually am I
think exactly the kind of person this
program wants so I just have to present
that I just have to let that shine
through the words on the page and yeah
that's all I have to say oh also I have
been reaching out to those I want to
write my letters of recommendation and
both of them said yes so I'm just
researching and preparing the documents
for my recommenders such that they can
more easily know what to write about get
ahead of the deadlines and overall just
an outline to make the process easier
for them I know it's been a long time
coming it's been a long time coming now
do me um so I will be revealing what
program I'm applying to finally in the
next video the next mini Vlog so if you
would like right know guess in the
comments before I review it it's
actually probably pretty easy to guess I
think so hint is that it will be in the
same city as the previous program I got
into
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