Qualities of highly effective teenagers

Teenage, as they say is the most rebellious phase of ones life. I too am going through the same phase battling my inner and outer evils and taking everyday as a challenge.Some teenagers, lose their vision and indulge in wrong activities. Others however, take the challenge very positively and conquer in the end. So here I present some qualities of highly effective teenagers:

1.Choose their friends wisely
Effective teenagers are smart and choose friends very wisely and do not go with the crowd. In teenage years it is very important to be with the right people and in the right company. Company has a huge influence on a teenagers growth and development.


2.Know what to do in life
Effective teenagers are determined. They know what they are going to do in life and work hard to achieve it. They set both long term and short term goals and work towards them.

3.Good communication skills
It is very important in today's world to be street smart and have good communication skills. Effective teenagers can strike a conversation with anyone and about anything! They know how to speak, when to speak and are great listeners and advisers as well.

4. Know how to say NO
Effective teenagers don't always go with the flock and deny something which they don't find appropriate, or something they don't desire.

 5.Know their talents
Effective teenagers know what their talents are and try to improve them. They know how to manage time and balance various aspects of their lifes beautifully!

A kite in the open sky

I'm a kite in the open sky!

Sporting colors of freedom on myself I swing unpredictably in the sky. I meet and greet other kites with a warm hug. Some greet me back politely while others mess with me and bring me down back to earth swinging, to the amusement of adult and children alike.
I rise up high in the sky but am grounded at the same time. My life is unpredictable. I might fly high in the sky at one moment and lie down in dusty streets at another, but I relish every moment of my life.
I am liked by everybody till the time I'm in perfect condition. As soon as i develop a tear, I am abandoned by everybody.

How beautiful the sun looks from the horizon and how amazing it feels when the wind gently blows a kiss to you!

I do not want success, fame or money. I just want to be a liberated soul....like a kite in the open sky.

My grandfather!

I was sitting in the car pampering my ears with some soothing music and eating vegetable sandwiches made by my mother. After four years I was going to be in my hometown midst the lush green trees and enveloped by the fragrances of freshly planted orchards. What excited me more was being with my grandparents the entire summer! A distinct sense of comfort envelops me when I am with my grandparents. Unlike my parents, they do not shout at me or nag me all the time.

When I stepped out of the car and offloaded my luggage, the sight that i saw wasn't the same that used to greet me a couple of years ago. The lush greenery was nowhere to be seen and the orchards had wilted away. I walked up to my grandmother and asked her "What happened to all that was here a few years ago?" 

"Everything gone, who has the energy?" She half smiled, the pain in her eyes was clearly visible.

My grandfather then greeted me with open arms. I was surprised to see him so frail and weak. His shoulders were drooping down and that cheerful enthusiastic smile had faded away. I wondered how things changed in a matter of years..

Earlier my maternal grandparents house used to bring only positive thoughts into my mind. I remember, as a child I used to always brim with enthusiasm to visit them. My grandfather worked as a chief engineer in Voltas and brought cakes and gifts every day he returned from his office. I would cling to his shoulders and he would take me for a ride outside. Me and my cousin would sit with him and trouble him every time he did Yoga, his concentration would brake and we broke into peals of laughter. The day we would arrive to his house, he would take us to the market to buy a list of food items my grandmother would need to make delicacies for us. Time flew with my nana 

But today everything has changed. His frail week shoulders cannot bear our pain and he has retired from his office. He lies down on the bed whole day and takes rest as he suffered from a heart stroke recently. My eyes become moist when I compare the present situation to the past.

The most lively and enthusiastic man I knew, is now frail and week. He is struggling to meet ends. And the least I can do for him is a warm hug! 

So we spent that evening listening to old songs and the memories attached to them. My nana is still the coolest person I know :)

Pulling others down

Let me begin with a short story

Once there was a woman who sold crabs in the market place. A man saw that the basket in which she had kept the crabs, had no led. The crabs could easily crawl out of the basket. So the man walked up to the woman and asked her "Why don't you cover the basket? The crabs might run away!"
"No!" she shook her head sideways. Each time a crab tries to get out of the basket, it is pulled down by the others.

In this competitive world, everyone wants to be ahead in the rat race. To do so, some people enhance their capabilities and push boundaries while others use shortcut methods and pull others down to bring themselves up. We at some point of time in our lives, have tried the second way. But what is the use of a victory only for namesake? A victory for me is a victory if i have shed blood for it and tons of sweat for it. Winning just for the medal is completely useless and naive.

So do your work without being pulled down by others and avoid pulling others down too. :)

swimming through the currents

After jumping into a forty feet deep demonic swimming pool at the age of ten, I was infused with extreme confidence. I ran to my dad who stood at the other side of the pool. He patted my back with a broad satisfied smile asked me if i was scared. I replied with a non nonchalant shrug of an Olympic medal winning swimmer "No! Me and scared! I'm ready to face the ocean now.He laughed off my remark casually and said"You need to learn to swim through the currents first."

His words said almost five years back suddenly made more sense. I had jumped into the swimming pool with exaggerated confidence but had forgotten that ocean wasn't the same. It has currents which push you back every time to try to swim forward and often bring you back to the same place from where you had started. You can only swim through a ocean and reach the other side if you have enough strength and swim through the 'currents'.

As a young girl of fifteen, I still have trouble swimming through the currents of my life. Sometimes, I am pushed back to the same place I had started from and other times I do not have enough strength to face the currents. Yet I try to face each wave challenging the ocean with greater anticipation.

When friends walk away

Don't be too confident when someone says they will be with you always

Cause they usually don't mean it.

The idea itself of friendship pushes some serious buttons love, jealousy, anger and more. But the true meaning of friendship would be a special bond in which souls connect. I have been privileged with some of the best lot and feel a deep connection with them. Friends occupy a special place in our heart. They make you smile and feel special! Who doesn't want good friends?

But how do you feel when they walk away without giving a reason? They stop e-mailing you, calling you, replying to your texts without giving a logical reason. They try to avoid you in every possible way and neglect you every time and everywhere. You realize that you don't seem to 'fit into' each others lives.

What to do with such a friendship?

It is YOU who will decide. Is it worthy of your time and energy or is it simply better to let go? Do you want to fight for your friendship or is it simply not worth? 

Sometimes, its better to let go...

This note is for a friend of mine who has stopped answering my calls and has simply walked away. And this time, it will be better for both of us to let go of a friendship which gave us more tears than smiles.

Memories..good and bad

With a cup of coffee in my hand and smothered evenly on my upper lip, I'm currently digging a blissful state of nostalgia. It was not long ago I had beginning my journey as a secondary student and now it is coming to an end. I will always cherish the beautiful times spent with my teachers and friends. Another sip from my bubbling coffee led me to think about memories...

 Like any other teenage girl, my life has been enriched with both good and bad memories which are hard to forget. From winning a much deserved award to losing a best friend, I have had it all. Ask me to talk about my childhood days spent in different parts of the country, I can go on and on for hours. And what i speak sounds like a verbal car crash. Memories occupy a special place in your heart.

In the course of time, you will lose a best friend, lose someone you love and have to leave everything behind. But don't forget, you will have the memories :)