Advice for all the teenagers going out into the world

I will soon be saying goodbye to many teenagers that I work with as I am leaving the school where I work. This is an open letter of advice that I will be leaving the young people with.

1. When walking past someone on the street or in the corridor, never look down as you go past, it telegraphs that you are intimidated by them and it is a submissive gesture. If you absolutely must look away from them, look up.

2. Always excuse yourself if you phone goes off in the middle of a face to face conversation. Apologise profusely if you must answer, but the majority of times, you can just call them back when you have finished talking.

3. Kindness is the best way to make friends with people.

4. Study body language, it is a great way of finding out peoples intentions and feelings towards you. If someone’s feet are often pointed towards you it means that there is a high chance (but not certain) that they like you in a romantic way.

5. If you are walking with two friends and there is not enough room for all of you to walk in a line, don’t walk behind, walk in front of them. It makes you look very ‘alpha’

6. Listen and ask relevant questions when you are being told something. And wait your turn in the conversation. There is no bigger compliment that when someone is telling you a story, and something similar has happened to you, you don’t rush in and say ‘me too’ – Wait until they have finished and then tell them. Don’t just wait for your turn to talk when they are talking, really listen.

7. Spitting on the street is dirty, it makes you look like a pig. Don’t do it – same goes for dropping litter.

8. Learn proper table manners – it is one of the best life skills I can pass on, eat with your mouth closed, use your knife and fork elegantly and don’t show your dining companions the contents of your mouth when telling a story. (relationships have ended because of this)

9. When you are feeling down or depressed about something, try your very best to not think about other sad things. It makes it worse. If you are sad, think about happy things to get out of it. With practice it becomes second nature.

10. Learn to punch correctly, but never punch anyone unless absolutely necessary. (Reasons for punching people include – If they punch you, if they have made your other half cry through meanness or pain or if they publicly humiliate you) Do not punch people to show off, if they insult your family (and the said family member is not there to hear it) or to win an argument. It looks weak.

11. Don’t tweet, text, blog or facebook anything that you wouldn’t want put on a billboard outside your house.

12. Always apologise for your behaviour, it is amazing what a genuine, heartfelt apology can do.

13. Look after your mum and dad. They have sacrificed a lot for you, you will never be able to pay them back – the best you can do is treat them with respect. Never swear at them.

14. You will get broken hearted at some point in your life – you deal with it by losing yourself in a hobby, by talking to your friends and family. Do not get over it by sleeping with the first person who shows interest, and certainly do not try and get over it with meanness.

15. Lust/infactuation lasts for 18 months, once it wears off, do not start looking for a new partner, try looking at the one who you have invested in with new eyes. It saves a lot of time, money and heartbreak.

16. Do not work exclusively for money. No matter how much you earn you will always want more. Rich people are no happier than less well off people. You need enough to live comfortably and after that there is no correlation between money in the bank and happiness. And in work, never do your best, do what is necessary. Work much harder when the boss is looking.

17. Treat people of the opposite sex with respect, kindness and honesty, you will get much father.

18. Don’t just work out your body to look good. Work on your personality and your intellect too. It is no good being buff if you cant converse about current events, politics or football. Read a lot.

19. Fill your life with fun. This is not a rehearsal, this is it.

20. No one has ever said on his or her death bed: ‘I wish I had had less sex’ or ‘I wish I had traveled less.

Part two will be along shortly.