DECISION TIME
Even when we know better we sometimes find ourselves going along with something that isn’t good for us. We don’t feel strong enough to withstand other people’s expectations of us to perform in a certain way. This happens not only to teenagers; many grown-ups don’t feel confident enough to rely on their own judgement.

'TIM'-DOESN'T DO HEAVY DRINKING ANYMORE I guess I come here to check out the talent, but I don’t do the heavy drinking and shouting anymore. I just don’t feel good the next day. Anyway, there are so many other things for me to do. Although, sometimes it’s hard to make up my mind what to do. But I just go for a walk, talk to a friend, study up on something and then it becomes clear what I want to do. Right now, I’m learning to play the guitar. I’m going to form a group with some of the lads.  

‘MARTIN’-WANTS OTHERS TO BACK OFF Sometimes teachers - parents put pressure on me because they want me to be good at something. They don’t realise I’m just not able to do it. They get uptight about it and I get uptight and I feel bad. I just want to say: ’Whoa, back off’. Sometimes you have to be strong in yourself.  

‘DERMOT’-MAKING HONEST MISTAKES I used to hate myself for making mistakes but that only hurts more. Maybe there are people who never make mistakes but that’s probably because they never do anything original. Mistakes can be opportunities for learning. Let’s say I think something is a good idea and I do it and it turns out shit, so what? I’ll know better on my next effort. Everyone should make lots of mistakes, not stupid, careless mistakes but honest mistakes that we can learn from.  

‘MARIE’-DISCOVERING HER TALENTS There is so much pressure at school and I wonder has it anything to do with real life. You need to look after yourself, do things you enjoy. I think that’s the way you discover your talents and then you can start thinking about what you want to do with your life. That’s why I liked the transition year.  

‘DERMOT’-TAKING FULL ADVANTAGE My dad works at something he doesn’t like. He says he can’t afford not to. I don’t want that to happen to me. I want to work at something I like even if I make less money. But you’ve got to stay focused, I can’t waste time. Most of us don’t need to earn the money to pay for our food, our clothes and our room. We have time and opportunity to get good at something we like. A huge percentage of the world live in poverty and have to work hard to have enough to eat for the day while we have endless choices.