Today’s world has many more options than it did when I was coming of age. The road to success is much like an expressway. Each exit has different choices, so a young person simply has to choose what they will become.
However my concern about today’s youth is how they navigate their way to becoming successful. A companion concern is their willingness to put in the time and the work that it takes to achieve their goals.
I have found in my travels for example that far too many African American boys are overly obsessed with wanting to be a superstar professional athlete. Recently, I drove by an athletic shoe store and saw this long line of people outside the store. I later found out that the new Jordan shoe was going on sale. The retail price for the shoe was more than a “pretty penny.” I wasn’t really surprised at the price or the majority of the people that were standing in line.
I am a product of the Chuck Taylor Converse era where a pair of tennis shoes was priced at about $8.00 or so. I know that some of you are saying that times have changed and that I should just go to bed. Yes, the times have changed and things do cost more. The problem that many of us have is that you don’t see those same long lines at the library, a museum or waiting to get in class.
I believe the same can be said for young teens wanting to have their own car. Many years ago now, I contracted something called “car fever.” My father finally took me to an automobile dealership and let me test drive a car. As the scene unfolded, my dad was in the backseat, the car salesman was in the front seat and I was behind the wheel. As I test drove the car, I was hoping that some of my friends would see me. Of course the car salesman was telling me everything that I wanted to hear such as good on gas and low monthly payments. My dad was not saying a word.
At the end of the drive, my dad thanked the salesman for his time and said to me, “You will be able to buy a car when you have money and establish credit.” I bought my first car six months after I started teaching high school. Today high school parking lots are filled with cars driven by teens. Why is this? There are multiple reasons for this so you choose an answer. Whether you agree or not, you see teenagers having some of the same things that adults have.
Despite this premature rush to success, we must help our youth and guide them in the right direction. There must be some habits that our youth have that will serve as a foundation for them. One of the first habits is to have goals. As I observe our United States many of our young people are goal-less and clue-less. As a result, they grow up not ever understanding their potential. They will always answer the question, what do you want to be with the answer, I don’t know. It is OK to have that answer at an early point but you can’t keep giving that answer at a later point in your development.
