A Head Full of Everything (eBook)

Inspiration for Teenagers With the World on Their Mind

Gavin Oattes (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2022
John Wiley & Sons (Verlag)
9780857089021 (ISBN)

Infos

Welcome to life. Teenage life. The most awkward 7 years you'll ever have; 84 months of change, 364 weeks of weird and 2,555 days of scrolling and inconvenience. In the grand scheme of life, it's not a lot. Unless you're an actual teenager, in which case, it's EVERYTHING!

'It's the best years of your life!' they tell us.

And yet, while it should be, for so many it just doesn't feel like it. For most it's an emotional assault course of acceptance, stress, anxiety, heartbreak and peer pressure, all whilst navigating the 'hashtagony' of social media. Misunderstood by society and misrepresented by the media, teenagers have it tough.

A Head Full of Everything demonstrates that being a teenager doesn't have to suck. And when it does, there's some cool things you can do to make it suck a little less. This book will challenge you to embrace your inner weird, to never grow up, be true to yourself, protect your mental health and be sure that for your 7 glorious teenage years, you act your age. Literally.

Bestselling author, award-winning comedian and international keynote speaker, Gavin Oattes has written a personal development title for teens with a difference - there's no waffle, no dad chat, no fluff. Full of hilarious, real-life inspiration and a few crazy ideas along the way, A Head Full of Everything will leave you feeling motivated, energised and reassured that nobody has life all figured out.

Inhalt

The Bit Before the Beginning



Chapter 1 - Somewhere Now

Chapter 2 - Head. Cloud. Heart. Sleeve.

Chapter 3 - Don't Quit the Daydream

Chapter 4 - You Are Not Everyone Else

Chapter 5 - Forever Elsewhere

Chapter 6 - Putting the Trolley Away

Chapter 7 - Awkward!

Chapter 8 - Once Upon a Time, the End



Acknowledgments

About the Author

Other Books by Gavin Oattes

Textauszug

CHAPTER 1
Somewhere Now

 

Being a teenager is brilliant and shite.

Now, there's a sentence that's never been written at the start of any book ever. Until now, obviously. A famous author once told me, ‘Be sure to always start with a bold statement, Gavin!’

So, there's my bold statement. To be honest I could probably finish the book there too. A one sentence book. A one pager that would make more sense to teenagers than any other book ever written.

Being a teenager is brilliant and shite. The end.

Technically that's two sentences, but you get the idea!

Life gives us 7 years of teenagering. In the grand scheme of things, it's not a lot. And yet, it's EVERYTHING when you're in it. 7 years, that's 84 months of change, 364 weeks of weird and 2,555 days of WTAF!

Life throws everything it can at us during this time. All the highs, all the lows and everything in between. It's the ultimate sandwich of life. Kid life on one side, grown‐up life on the other. And in the middle, 61,320 hours of scrolling and inconvenience.

3,681,644 minutes. Every single one a gift.

Yes, a gift.

After all, you're lucky to be here. Of all the 100 million sperm, it was you. That, dear reader, is a very big thought and one that probably makes you want to throw up in your own mouth. But, it's also true. We are all lucky to be here. And the fact we get to ‘teenager’ for a while is really pretty special.

Parents tell us our teenage years are ‘the best years of our life’. They can be, but the truth is, most grown‐ups have forgotten that, sometimes, our teenage years are also horrendous.

Teenagers are completely misunderstood. The reality is, being a teenager is just like being a toddler all over again. Toddlers are always trying to discover their world in new and exciting ways, because they don't know anything about it.

You're also trying to discover the world too. But this time you've got every single stress imaginable on your shoulders. Friends, looks, parents, social media, exams, boys, girls, expectations, etc., etc.

The media paints a picture. They tell us you're all obsessed with sex and drugs. Apparently, you all sit on a lot of benches and get drunk, causing trouble.

Anytime I was unhappy or going through a tough time, my parents used to tell me it was down to hormones. Great, thanks for the helpful advice during this awful experience that I'm having, glad to hear it's just hormones….

Truth is, teenagers are decent human beings. I'm pretty sure you know very well that the choices you make now will affect the rest of your life. You don't need to hear this every single day. There's not a single teenager out there who aspires to live a life of regret.

For many it sucks to be a teenager. Treated like a child, expected to act like an adult.

Well, I've written this book to show you it doesn't have to suck. And when it does, there's some cool things you can do to make it suck a little less. See, you're not a child and you're not quite a proper adult yet either. You're a teenager.

When I was 11, I thought life would be better when I was a teenager. At 13, I couldn't wait to be 15. At 15, I was chasing 17. And at 17, I just wanted to be 21.

It all moves so fast and many of us are in such a hurry to grow up that we forget what it means to be young. Many are so focussed on the future that they forget to enjoy where they're at, right now.

What's the rush? Slow down.

In fact, let's slow down so much for a moment and put things firmly in reverse….

Thiiiiiiiiiis Much Excited!

Think back to when you were 5 years old. Everything was magic. Even school, right from day 1.

I was reminded of this when my own son started school.

‘YOU'VE GOT A SON, GAV?! JUST HOW OLD ARE YOU?’ We'll get to this later….

My son's name is Kian and at only 5 years of age he served up a perfect – and very much needed – lesson in life. And I'll never forget it.

His first day at school was, bizarrely, a Friday. It was a two‐hour taster visit and then he'd start his first full day the following week. I woke up on the Monday of that week to discover Kian stood beside me at 6 am dressed in full school uniform. I reminded him that his first day was in fact Friday.

‘I know,’ he replied firmly, ‘can't you tell what I'm doing?’

I thought about it and replied, ‘No idea!’

‘I'm practising.’

He practised on Tuesday, he practised on Wednesday and of course on Thursday. He forgot on the actual Friday, but we'll let him off as he was knackered from all his early mornings, but that's not the point.

I woke him on Friday, and he leaped out of bed, threw his uniform on and came sprinting into our room. My wife and I smiled weary early‐morning‐parenting smiles.

I told Kian that I'd never seen him this excited before in his entire life. He agreed wholeheartedly.

‘That's because I've never been this excited in my entire life.’

There was a brief pause before he delivered the best bit.

‘And I've been alive for five years!’

‘In fact Dad, I'll show you how excited I am. I am THIIIIIS MUCH EXCITED!’

Please picture a 5‐year‐old with his arms stretched so wide they're almost touching behind his back. Shoulder blades touching.

As a teenager, you can probably remember being 5. Pretty much everything's exciting at that age, so to be beyond ‘normal’ excitement and to have ventured into ‘THIIIIIS much excited’ – we're in ‘Christmas Eve/Disneyland’ territory. Or ‘Disneyland on Christmas Eve’ territory, something of which I have never experienced but I can begin to imagine just how exciting this is.

That morning, my wife and I had a wonderful discussion about how, in that moment, there were thousands of young kids all waking up feeling the same – buzzing, pumped and ready to go. Raring to throw themselves into the next step of life's adventure. The same adventure that you're still on.

We continued to talk about how amazing it is that some people remain like that throughout life. Every single step of the journey, we meet them, the infectious energy they have, the buzz.

And then we had a really weird discussion about how some people never feel like that again. Something goes, fizzles out, vanishing entirely for some.

Could it be that some people peak at 5?

There is, of course, a downside to taking the next step in your adventure. Fear. Worry. Stress. Anxiety. You are excited and yet it's tinged with what might go wrong. It might not work. Failure is an actual thing. You know because, as a teenager, you've experienced it.

But when you're 4 or 5 these feelings can be somewhat new and confusing.

Fee‐Fi‐Fo‐Fum

So there I was, week 1 of Primary School. Five years old and learning to fit in, whatever that means.

It was Friday, the final day of week 1. My school experience so far had been outstanding. New friends, old friends, Hide ‘n’ Seek and as much ‘Heads Down Thumbs Up’ as I could possibly imagine.

Magic.

We came back into the class after Playtime fresh from a game of ‘Tig’. The Head Teacher, Miss Smart (real name) popped in for a chat.

‘Good Morning boys and girls.’

‘Goooooood Mmmmoooorrnning Miiiisss Smaart.’

Miss Smart was about to tell us something that would be a game changer for me.

‘Boys and girls, for the first time ever, this Christmas, we are going to put on a school pantomime.’

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. A pantomime, in my new school. I loved pantomime.

‘Not only are we putting on a pantomime boys and girls but we need some of you to be in it.’

Well, this just about sent me over the edge. My school were putting on a pantomime and some of us were going to be in it! I couldn't wait to tell my mum and dad.

‘The Pantomime we will be doing this year is Jack & The Beanstalk.’

My absolute favourite pantomime ever. I could see it in my mind. The giant's enormous mechanical legs walking across the stage as ‘fee‐fi‐fo‐fum’ rings out across the theatre.

‘We need 5 pupils from this class to be the mice who run on stage every night and steal the giant's cheese.’

Mind. Blown.

I was imagining myself sitting in the audience with snacks‐a‐plenty. I could see the mice, the cheese and again, the giant's legs. And me. I could picture it. It was going to be hilarious.

I was experiencing an excitement I had never felt before. A rush of pure adrenaline that felt magic. It was new to me, and I liked it. I liked it a lot.

Throughout life we are presented with opportunities. I was about to be presented with one that would ultimately shape my entire life. I kid you not, what happens next changed everything for me.

Remember, I was 5.

‘Hands up if you want to be one...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 24.2.2022
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Kinder- / Jugendbuch ► Sachbücher ► Körper / Sexualität
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Psychologie ► Entwicklungspsychologie
• Schlagworte: adolescence • Entwicklungspsychologie • Entwicklungspsychologie / Jugendalter • Motivational • Psychologie • Psychology • Ratgeber • Ratgeber Motivation • Self-Help • Self-Help Special Topics • Spezialthemen Ratgeber
• ISBN-13: 9780857089021 / 9780857089021