In My quest to help women have less overwhelm and more success in the workplace and at home, I am always looking for tangible resources that I can share with my clients, readers and friends.

With that in mind, I am delighted to feature this terrific article by my friend and colleague, Hayden Lee, ALC.

Hayden is a certified Academic Life Coach for teenagers and a wonderful TEDxTalk speaker for youth.   This article gives three terric strategies for helping your children successfully step into the new school year (and that’s good for you too, right?).  Don’t forget to scroll down to check out the free tool Hayden is offering to all of my loyal readers!

3 Things Your Kids Need to Know About Back To School Success.

By Hayden Lee, ALC

1. Success is a state of mind.

Success is a journey, not a destination.

Success is about how you choose to think about your day regardless of how the end result will be.

Our thoughts have a huge impact on our actions. 

With that said, you can choose how you want Back to School to be even before you step foot on campus.

How do you want Back to School to be?  Do you want it to go smoothly or do you want it to be extremely stressful?  Do you want to think positively and see the new year as an opportunity to learn and grow or do you want to be a Debbie Downer and roll your eyes at everything?

It’s a no-brainer that we all want Back to School to go smoothly.

So, are your thoughts, habits, and actions useful or not useful toward getting what you want?  Are you thinking and acting in ways that are helpful, or are you making it harder for yourself?

When you realize that success is a state of mind, it gives the power back to you.

Instead of only relying on external factors to determine your success, (i.e. I will be successful when I get a 4.0.  I will be successful when I get all the classes that I want.  I will be successful when I make a million dollars.) remembering that it is a state of mind allows you to take ownership of it.

There is only one person who can control your state of mind…and that is you.

2. Success is a choice.

Teens get stressed out when they feel like things are out of their control.  They may get frustrated because they feel like they’re being “forced” to go to school.  These are both crummy feelings, and it can be tough.

However, it is important to know that only you can choose to either stay in the crummy perspective or choose to do something about it.

As you get ready for Back to School, you have a choice.  You can choose to learn something new, think positively, and feel better about yourself, or you can choose to think that school is pointless and that your teachers are out to get you.

Only you can choose to put in your best effort today.  Only you can choose to strive to be the best version of yourself in all areas of your life.

Maybe you didn’t get the schedule that you wanted.  Maybe your best friends are at a different school. Maybe you got stuck with that one teacher that everybody hates.

These circumstances may be out of your control, but it is up to you how you choose to handle the situation.

3. You are successful right now.

If you believe that success is a state of mind and that it is something that you can choose, then you are successful right now.  If you have the ability to think and have the desire to grow, learn, and challenge yourself, then you are already successful.

Perhaps you weren’t happy with your grades last year.  Let me remind you that grades are not a measure of intelligence, success, or character.   Grades are not judgment.  Grades are about effort.

If you fail at something, it doesn’t mean that you’re a failure.  It just means that you’re presented with an opportunity and choice to either learn from it and improve or do nothing.

A student who gets an “A” on a test is not a better person than one who gets an “F”.  However, the student who received the poor grade most likely did not try as hard as he could because he didn’t believe that he is a successful student.

A successful student focuses on learning and growing regardless of the grade.

This Back to School season, what is possible if you act, think, and make choices like the successful student that you already know you are?

Hayden Lee is a certified Academic Life Coach for teenagers, a TEDxTalk speaker for youth, and a consultant for LA’s Incubator School.

He is a cum laude graduate from UC San Diego with degrees in Psychology, Theatre, and a minor in European Studies.  He spent his third year of college studying in Paris at the Sorbonne. 

A former SAT and writing tutor, Hayden became a certified Academic Life Coach because he realized that at the heart of many teens’ academic struggles weren’t about capability, it was about sustaining motivation and confidence.  He now helps teenagers empower themselves with the self-awareness and life skills in order to achieve academic and personal success by linking a sense of purpose, passion, and fulfillment to their work. www.haydenleealc.com

For Jamee’s loyal readers, please click on the link below to get your FREE Back to School Success Worksheet. A great tool to help your kids start the school year feeling prepared, organized, and confident!

http://www.haydenleealc.com/back-to-school-success-worksheet/

Photo Credits:  martinak15 via Compfight,  danorbit. via Compfight