Finding Farewells, New Beginnings, and Potential for Teens This Fall

Have you heard about the October Theory Challenge for teenagers on TikTok this autumn?

The challenge is akin to setting New Year’s resolutions—it encouraged social media users to make significant life changes and delve deep into self-reflection. The goal was for teenagers to reset their goals and generate new momentum before the year concludes.

While this trend provides an opportunity for teens to prepare for the upcoming year, it does not encompass all aspects of goal setting and reflection.

This autumn, I challenge you not only to reset for 2025 but also to bid farewell, seek new beginnings, and explore your potential.

Giving Farewells

Did you know there are less than 50 days left until 2025?

As a family life coach, this fact influences my work when interacting with students.

I ask students to share their current biggest challenge or trial with me—they can only mention one.

Once we identify it, I provide them with an envelope containing single dollar bills equivalent to the remaining days in the year. Each dollar symbolizes a day they can use to bid farewell to their trial.

The dollars represent how close they are to starting fresh in the new year. 2025 signifies bidding adieu to the previous year—be it problematic, painful, daunting, blissful, pleasant, or rewarding!

We reflect on their farewells and the emotions they are leaving behind while looking forward with optimism.

This also gives teens a method to confront their fears, push through, and build resilience.

However, these farewells should be done thoughtfully. Poorly executed reflections can lead to dwelling on old emotions.

Child psychologist Dr. Amy Vigliottiis emphasizes that persistent rumination on negative thoughts, emotions, or past events can result in increased stress, anxiety, and even depression. Approaching the future with a negative bias exacerbates this situation.

Farewells focusing on negative feelings hinder us from being present in the current moment, diminishing hope for the present and future.

Do not get trapped in bidding goodbye to the past. Bid farewell and look positively towards new beginnings.

Finding New Beginnings

New beginnings lie in the simple habits and lifestyle choices we make. Consistent small actions serve as the fresh start needed to progress in 2025.

Neuroscientist Dr. Irena O’Brien asserts that research demonstrates the necessity of habits in effecting change in your life. Habits influence the functioning of your brain.

Consistent habits enhance connectivity in the brain, leading to improved overall function. For example, habits play a crucial role in establishing and strengthening connections within specific brain networks, such as self-reflection, focus, and memory.

Establishing good habits commences with self-awareness. Self-awareness empowers you to pinpoint areas for improvement and anticipate potential obstacles.

You can leverage your self-awareness to make informed decisions regarding your next steps and the habits you need to cultivate.

Self-awareness enables you to identify hindrances to your progress and devise a plan to overcome them through reasoning, planning, motivation, and focus.

To instill the habits necessary for progress, focus not solely on the outcomes but also on the steps required to reach them.

Recognize that your small steps constitute a learning process—it will take time to get it right. View any missteps as an opportunity to grow and thrive.

Discovering Your Potential

As parents, we play a crucial role in aiding our teenagers in uncovering their potential. We act as mentors, guides, and supporters on their path to success.

We cheer them on and inspire them to introspect and recognize their potential. Parents, I encourage you to share your stories with your teens for this purpose. Your experiences possess the ability to motivate, connect, and incite action.

However, parents, you need not offer this encouragement on your own. Consider utilizing life coaching to aid your teens.

Coaching offers structured support and guidance to teens in pursuit of their aspirations.

Coaching serves as a valuable resource for teens navigating challenges and striving for their goals. Unlike therapy, which often delves into past experiences, coaching focuses on the future, aiming to bolster personal growth and development in the present and future.

It’s all about embracing a new beginning and realizing one’s potential.

By investing in coaching for your teens, you empower them to overcome obstacles, explore new opportunities, and cultivate essential life skills.

Discover more about my life coaching course here.