People are naturally decisive, we take one look at something or someone and we have made up our mind about whether we like them or not.

Hygiene is one factor in a first impression.

1. Maintaining daily routines such as: showering, bathing, brushing our teeth, washing our hands and washing our clothes is good hygiene.

2. Bad hygiene is the opposite of good, however, that can change with some easy steps:

   1. Wash your clothes on a regular basis;
   2. Change your toothbrush regularly;
   3. Stay away of heavy perfumed soaps, since most of them don't provide with the necessary cleaning;
   4. Choose a good deodorant;
   5. Do not wear soiled clothing over an over again.

The old saying, "killing two birds with one stone".   People often describe an action using this saying, for example, when you take a trip to the store and buy food for dinner and buy supplies for a DIY (Do It Yourself) project - one trip and get two things done.  Wouldn't everything be so easy if everything could be done like that, "in a quickness?" 

If you put your mind into achieving a goal, there are no obstacles you can't surpass.  Through achievement of goals, it can lead to opportunities.

Join a sport or a club while you're at school, it builds social capital (people you meet) and it is an opportunity to develop skills.  Studies show that teenagers who are involved in school clubs or school sports are less likely to be in gangs, violent, abuse drug or alcohol and teenage pregnancies.

Low self-esteem can lead to depression, drug or alcohol abuse, violent behavior, abusive relationships, pregnancy and giving into peer pressure. 

Teenagers often want to fit in with their peers and in most cases low self-esteem can make them feel less important, little ability to stand up for themselves and succeed.  Low self-esteem can lead to development of body image and appearance issues or eating disorders.

A good way to start building up a person's self-esteem is by accepting who they are, just by acting like yourself no matter what other people say, think or do.  Love yourself for the way you look, talk, act, think and feel.  In addition, join a club or activity that you enjoy and create friendships that will be your network for support.

The life of a college student can be hectic, with work, school and possibly volunteer, life can become a jumbled mess.  If your stuck in a similar situation, you don't have to sacrifice any of the extra activities you do in your normal life, you just have to learn how to put everything together.

One thing you can do is get yourself an agenda so you can write down important dates, such as:  quizzes, midterms, finals, assignments, and work schedule so  you will be able to refer to it to remind you of the task you need to complete. 

Depending on your classes and what time you need to attend school, you can look for a job that fits your schedule, whether its everyday or only specific days, you can also fit in activities such as exercise time, or a hobbie, or even save yourself a day of study and homework, so you don't have to stress about having time to do school work.

Your probably tired of hearing the same lectures about not using drugs, staying drug-free and not drinking alcohol until you are twenty-one (21).  However, you'd be surprised to know that many teens under the legal drinking and smoking age are using drugs and alcohol. 

Cigarettes and alcohol are known as gateway drugs, meaning that these drugs and their use creates a greater likelihood of the use of  illicit (illegal) drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and LSD. 

The D.A.R.E program teaches K-5 students about staying drug free through activities such as sports, clubs and support like family,  friends or spouse helps in providing methods of stress release that takes away the need for the use of drugs or alcohol.  Teens and teenagers in urban areas are most vulnerable to drugs, lack of extracurricular activities and parental guidance can negatively affect the ability to make the right choices.
Teens that also consume drugs and alcohol at this young age tend to slack more in school and are at risk of becoming dependent, which means they would require drugs or alcohol daily to function.

Ever thought why there's so many young teens portraying the actions, speech and fashion of TV stars, singers and people they see through the media.  People like Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus and Chris Brown, what they do in their lives goes on to influence the actions of kids and teens who are seeing  them through the media. 

Shows like Gossip Girls, Skins and Teen Mom, what are these shows telling kids and teens?  When did it become okay to sell the idea of drugs, sex, alcohol and bullying to our youth, if this is even okay at all.  When we turn on the television or go on the internet, we are bombarded by advertisements selling us products like weight loss pills, beauty cremes, fitness tools, what does that say to our kids, younger brother/sister, niece or nephews? 

Research shows that some groups of teens that watch the same shows have the same low scores and grades in schools, as well as acting out and showcasing violent behavior.

When kids and teenagers watch television or utilize the media there are points in which  they could be negatively influenced, some of the influences can relate to

School
Stereotypes
Eating disorders
Body Dismorphic Disorder
Violence
Drug and Alcohol
Advertising and Commercials