Tween years

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

-Excerpt from the poem ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling

Haven’t we all heard people around us saying, ‘The teenage years are the most important years of your life’?

But what they fail to understand is that the tween-age plays a much more important role in our lives than the teenage years do. The tween-age is the time when we are starting to face the real world and come face to face with the realities that the world possesses.

It is the time when we try to identify ourselves, and try to bring out the limitless potentials that each one us has.

The tween-age years were a difficult time for most of us, filled with self-reflection, growth, and confusion- but they don't have to be! Here are some tips and tricks you should have up your sleeves to make tween-age the most magical years of your life:

Sculpting: Michelangelo, the genius behind the masterpiece David, was once questioned, ‘How did you manage to create such a godly sculpture?’ To which he answered, ‘It is indeed quite easy, all you do is chip away the superfluous material.’

Today this answer teaches us a great life lesson: which is that each one of us has a beautiful sculpture hidden within ourselves. All we have to do is chip away at the negativity and barriers that surround us to bring out the sculpture from within and embrace our true selves.

Some real-life examples that have implemented this technique are Arunima Sinha, the 1st female amputee to scale Mt. Everest and OP Jaisha, a female athlete who represented India in the Olympics. Both of these amazing women were constantly under scrutiny and were told that they were never going to make it but they paid no heed to the negativity that came their way. Rather they held their head up high and accomplished their dreams, they never let the criticism pull them down or impede them from creating history.

If we closely observe their life histories a few traits showcased by them are: Persistence, determination, focus, optimism, and continuous learning.

Be Savvy: Technology, which was supposed to be the greatest assistant for mankind, has become the greatest master of mankind. But now it is high time that we put this beast in its place. We need to start using phones or technology for our benefit and not just for killing time. We need to get off Instagram and Snapchat and get into NatGeo and Discovery.

If we use technology for the purpose it was made for, we could do wonders. For example, people of ancient civilizations didn’t have proper facilities and adequate resources, despite this they managed to achieve greatness. We have world-class facilities which are way better than what they had, imagine what we could do! Let’s get thinking and use technology for the betterment of ourselves.

Sincerity: We all sometimes wish that we were the best at everything, starting from extracurricular activities to sports. But the harsh truth is that being the best at every single thing in the world is an impossible feat.

No one is perfect. So, instead of running here and there, focus on one thing and try to create a niche somewhere. Everyone has a cutting edge, one thing where they could show their dominance. The earlier we recognize this quality or talent, the better.

PS. Don’t get me wrong here, explore and try different things but, don't miss out on the stuff you're truly passionate about and have been doing for a long time just because you feel pressured to be great at multiple things!

For example, suppose you have been swimming since childhood, and suddenly you decide to try shooting and change your sport, and then later you decide to take up football. This way you are only dabbling but not excelling anywhere. Thus you end up being a jack of all trades but master of none.

With this, I conclude my article and wish all the tweens out there the best of luck, and hope that the power of the tween becomes the next big thing recognized in our modern world. Go Generation Z!!

-Risha Chaurasia

Author Tales of Twinkling Tweens