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BE CREATIVE IN YOUR REBELLION

I’ve not met many teens who weren’t at least a little rebellious. I certainly was. My guess is that there isn’t anything inherently dangerous or wrong with rebellion, in and of itself. The problem is most often the form that the rebellion takes.

At the risk of sounding corny, I’m going to suggest that the ultimate form of rebellion—one that is both effective and healthy—is to make the decision to be happy. That’s right, to be happy. And, while you’re at it, to be satisfied and content.

Think about it. The media and the advertisers want you to believe that you can’t be happy unless you buy their products and are influenced by their programming. They want you to believe that you need to look a certain way, dress a certain way, think a certain way, even smell a certain way. You need specific skin products, certain types of clothes, makeup, perfume, and hair care products. Of course, you need expensive shoes and to look like a supermodel or body builder too. Otherwise, you shouldn’t feel good about yourself. How could you?

And do you know what? As ridiculous as this seems, most teens (and most adults too) buy it, hook, line, and sinker! Almost everyone seems to believe that they can’t be happy unless they have the right stuff and unless they look different. These beliefs encourage low self-esteem, unhappiness, hopelessness, and a lack of contentment. As an adult, these types of beliefs often turn into “I can’t be happy unless my life is different from what it is—my circumstances need to change.”

Make no mistake about it: Encouraging you to be discontented is a huge business. These companies not only want, they need for you to be insecure and unhappy. If you become content, their reason for being ceases to exist. If you don’t need them anymore, they will be out of business. So, what better way to be rebellious than to try to do just that—fight back! Avoid being the way so many people are—serious, uptight, selfish, needy, and insecure—and become happy with who you are and with what you have now.

I’ve taken on this philosophy in my own life. It’s great fun to put it into practice, to see how happy you can be without buying in to the “you have to be different (and have different things)” trap. It’s amazing how the simple decision to be happy translates into a better life and a more powerful, optimistic attitude. Once you decide to be happy, you’ll find yourself thinking happy thoughts and dismissing ones that aren’t. You’ll automatically become more confident because you’ll know that you don’t really need those products, and you don’t really need to dress differently or be thinner or whatever—others just wanted you to believe that you did.

So, my suggestion is this: Go ahead and be rebellious—really rebellious. Do something most others wouldn’t dare: Be happy. You’ll be different, and you’ll have the last laugh.