As you may remember, adolescence can be a joyful time, a heartbreaking time, or often a combination of both. What to wear to school, which classes to take, to obey the rules or not – teenagers are bombarded with a never-ending list of some of life’s greatest questions. As a parent, you take on the responsibility of pointing your children in the right direction and helping them see which path leads in the right direction.

Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, sold over 15 million copies with his straight-forward tips on getting the best out of yourself. Following in his footsteps, his son, Sean Covey, recently authored The 7 Habits of Highly Successful Teens, attempting to provide “a compass to help teens and their parents navigate the problems they encounter daily.”

Here are his seven habits:

• Be Proactive: Don’t just sit around and wait for things in life to happen- if you want something to happen, go out and make it happen.
• Begin with the End in Mind: Help your teen decipher which values and goals are most important, make lists to reflect these goals, and try to create a clear picture of where they want to end up in life.
• Put First Things First: Teens should focus on and complete the most important things in their lives, so helping them prioritize and manage their time is key
• Think Win-Win: It is possible to create an atmosphere of win-win in every relationship, and understanding this will help your teen to celebrate the accomplishments of others instead of being threatened by them.
• Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood: We know teens strive to be right all the time, but one of the most important skills in life is being a good listener. Active listening is a lifelong tool.
• Synergize: Teens learn through teamwork that things don’t have to be done their way; active compromise and brainstorming can, many times, yield the best results.
• Sharpen the Saw: Constant rejuvenation is a must for the four key dimensions of life – body, brain, heart and soul.

Bette Fetter Founder and CEO of Young Rembrandts and Author of Being Visual [email protected] Follow Bette on Twitter