(photo from accesstomusic.co.uk)
I know, I know. Your mission in life right now includes many more things that come before impressing your parents, but you should know that there are ways you can handle yourself right now that will not only help to make you a better person and cooler person, but impress your parents all of the while. Here’s a secret: parents are just people, too! As people grow up, they experience multiple things that teach them lessons about maturity, life, love, and much more. BUT people are always learning…until the day they die. There is absolutely nothing wrong with stepping back from your life for a moment and adjusting certain aspects of it.

Here are five things you can do that will improve the quality of your life, get the attention of your friends, and impress your parents while you’re at it.

1) EARN SOME OF YOUR OWN MONEY

There’s a certain value that you place on money you actually earned yourself. This is a huge part of adulthood, but with the internet at everyone’s disposal, there are easy ways for you to make money here and there on your own, too. For instance…

-Sell clothes & other things you no longer use on Ebay
-Post ads about babysitting, web design, lawn mowing, or any other special skills you have on Craigslist.org
-If you’re interested in acting or modeling, seek out jobs on the internet. Movies are always looking for extras and a lot of time, catalogs need teenage models
-If you’re learning how to play music and want to do it professionally one day, why not just start professionally right now? Start off at open mic nights in coffeeshops and if you bring enough of your friends to each show AND are always getting better, it will only be a matter of time before you start making money for playing music-even if it’s just tip money at first. This is a great way to become comfortable playing live shows while gaining exposure for you career at the same time.

*But always remember to discuss all of these things with your parents first and foremost. While the internet is a fantastic learning resource, you should never go to a modeling/acting gig or bar/cafe without your parents’ supervision…you shouldn’t even set up an EBAY account without them! Discuss your ideas with your parents before any action is taken. Chances are that they’ll be impressed by your motivation and do everything they can to help you along the way.

2) DON’T RAISE YOUR VOICE

Even though the occassional argument might arise within your family, circle of friends, teammates, or peers at school, it’s always a good practice to train yourself not to raise your voice. Although screaming demands attention-and typically receives it-it does not demand respect. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. At the end of the day, everyone has a much higher level of respect for someone who is even-tempered and patient. A person who can sort through their thoughts and emotions tends to be considered wise and worthy of friendship. However, a person who raises their voice and induces frequent drama is often times considered to be irrational and negative, generally speaking.

3) PULL YOUR WEIGHT

You should always pull your weight in all things that you do. This applies to your life at home, school, or anywhere else. At home, it really is only fair to help out with chores, for example. Chores are something you’ll have to adjust to anyway one day when you eventually move out and guess what? The adjusting process is much easier if cleaning up after yourself is already part of your lifestyle. Even if you live in a household where you’ve never before been asked to or expeted to perform chores-everything from doing your own dishes to not leaving the family room a complete wreck will help to develop your overall character as a person, and this carries over to your friendships, as well. Try to work out rides/carpooling schedules that are fair to everyone’s family and personal time. Don’t borrow things from your friends and not return them. If your friends’ need help with their homework or studying-help them! You never know when you too may need the help down the road.

4) GIVING TRULY IS RECEIVING

Ever dream of opening your locker one morning and seeing flowers for no good reason? Or maybe just receiving a thoughtful and encouraging letter from a friend? Imagine how good this would also make your own friends feel. And here’s something to always remember: YOU have the power to do things for others that can make their day, their week, and in special cases…change their life. It doesn’t cost anything to give compliments, write nice letters, pick flowers, extend an invitation to someone you don’t normally hang out with, or to help someone who is struggling. The smallest things can really make the world a better place. This concept also applies to volunteer work. Maybe you like cooking, being outside, or are interested in the medical field. Whatever it is, volunteer work is an exceptionally rewarding way to learn more about a cause you care about. Find something that really stirs you and run with it! You can volunteer at the hospital or nursing home helping to cheer up those who are ill. You can volunteer for your city and help to keep it clean and execute plans to make it better. There are endless options here-just find the one that’s best for you! It’ll impress your parents, your friends, look good on your application to college-plus, it will improve the quality of your life AS WELL as the quality of life for others.

5) KEEP YOUR GRADES UP

School can be tough. School can be something you absolutely dread each and every day. It can be exhausting, challenging, and seemingly too much to handle at times. Nonetheless, EVERYONE can respect someone who uses their brain. Staying in tune with your classes, assignments, and tests can really improve your life. The more you know, the broader the horizons of everything in your life expand. If you can have an open and intelligent conversation about multiple topics, your circle of friends will grow and you’ll have more to talk about with your parents. Knowledge IS power, after all. (and who wants to be that girl who only knows how to gossip, anyway?)

The overall lesson here is to respect yourself. I mean this in every single way, shape, and form. Treat your body, mind, and soul with great respect and you’ll receive respect from everyone around you in return-even from your parents. These are life-long lessons that require adjustments from day to day, but generally speaking, this is a good rule to follow: Those who make efforts to live a better life are the ones who do, in fact, live better lives.