Where I want to Be
                     Teens and Our Actions
                             By Jessica "Jya" Yvette

"It's not where you're at, it's where you want to be." I have been sitting here thinking about this quote and it's so true! That quote means so much more to me than just a lyric from a song.

Many people have heard, what you do in your present affects your future, but do they really understand it?
When you are calling in sick from work knowing you are NOT.
When you are skipping school almost everyday.

Your actions are sending a message, telling the world where you want to be. Where you want to end up. It is not the simple fact you are not where you should be, it is the major fact that you would rather be somewhere you should not.

It is sad when adults do these things but heart breaking when teens do. Not only because we shape the future of the nation but because it shows the nation do teenagers care? I can strongly say that it is NOT the parents to blame. I am a teen with a mother who teaches me right from wrong. I have friend's who's mothers and fathers also show them the right directions but we still sometimes take another route from the way our folks point. This is simply because we are just thinking about where we are (young teenagers) NOT where we want to be (successful adults).     .:read more:.

Teenagers...
Sometimes act with little thought about the consequences of their actions, temporarily believing they are both immortal and invincible.

We think:

  • I will not crash my car when doing 93 mph in a 55 mph zone because right now I have the need for speed
  • I will not get pregnant or acquire a STD because right now it just feels right
  • I will not overdose on drugs or ingest a lethal dose of alcohol because right now I want to feel like I'm in outer space
  • I will not get caught when I cheat, steal, or lie because right now this is the best way to get by
  • I can slack off in school and still get into college and snag a high-paying job because right now I'd rather not study so hard
  • The only thoughts are of today. Some teens are completely mesmerized by the transient, material world. Image is everything. The future is a foreign concept. A far-off place. A distant land that doesn't affect their here-and-now. Life is a daily crisis characterized by storms and stress. There are far too many other worries” violence, grades, parents, fitting in—to even think about the future, or what it might bring. It's time now that we ALL start understanding where we want to be and let where we are get us there. Whatever happened in the PAST, affects your PRESENT life; both good and bad. I hope that we will only bring the good ones into the FUTURE. However, do learn from the bad - to improve ourselves and never repeat the same mistakes.

    I just recently had a birthday (August 24th). On that day I turned 18 years old. Birthdays are good days to not only celebrate, but think about the past, present and future. Where you have been, where you are and where you want to be. There are a lot of things that has happened in my life that I sometimes want to regret, but I refuse to. There are a lot of things I wish I was or could do but I can not. There are a lot of things I want to do and I will do them, if it is God's plan. My life is God's plan, and everything I am not, made me everything I am, and my book is still unwritten. I am thankful to see another year and it is only a new chapter. This year, I plan to think more about where I want to be than where I am.

    Where I am:

  • An 18-year-old high school student.
  • A writer
  • Part-time worker at the mall
  • Volunteer cheer coach for an elementary school
  • Organizing a charity project
  • A 2008 Tyler Perry Summer Intern
  • I have a developing business mind
  • Where I want to be:

  • A College grad
  • Editor in chief of my own magazine
  • Owning my own clothing store and other ventures
  • A role model for the generation after me
  • Making a difference and helping to change the world
  • Producing & creating positive African American TV shows & movies
  • The CEO of my own major empire
  • "It's not where you're at; it's where you want to be. “ KEYSHIA COLE (R&B singer)
    "It's not where you're at, it's where you want to be, and where you are will get you where you want to be“ Jya "
     

    center stage magazine

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