Boy To Successful Man: A Roadmap for Teens & Young Adults

By Rico Austin, Suave Powers and Stacy A Padula

If you have ever sat at the knees of a family member or neighbor who regaled you with their wild stories and hard-earned lessons, you have probably learned a thing or two about how others' stories can help prepare you for life. Through Boy to Successful Man

• Language: English
• Publisher: Briley & Baxter Publications
• Release date: Jun 8, 2021
• ISBN: 9781954819191

Rico Austin

Rico Austin, PhD, was born and raised in Southwestern Idaho as the oldest of five boys. He grew up in an area ripe for adventures, and he learned a lot along the way. His bittersweet stories will have you howling with laughter, grieving from tragedy, and leaving you on the edge of your seat. Rico's love of reading, exploring, and traveling allured him to many parts of the globe, including Lithuania, Cuba, the United Kingdom where he played American Football, and Mexico to get his PhD. Rico has undergraduate degrees from Boise State University, Grand Canyon University, Staffordshire University, and an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management. He and his wife live in Scottsdale, Arizona. This is Rico's tenth published book.

Book preview

Chapter One

Accepting Responsibility

Every chapter in this book has been written to directly guide a young person to the right choice when a critical situation arises that requires a long-term correct decision to be made.

If it were made available as a Pocket Reference, it would behoove you to carry it with you and refer to the appropriate section when life may throw you that one little curve for which you don’t have the answer. With this book, you will be provided with an answer that is prudent based upon wisdom and not chance—if not an answer that is tried and true for your particular situation.

We have made every effort to research even the smallest pieces of advice for our young readers. We are of the firm belief that every person would make the right decision in a situation if he or she only had some point of reference that was solid—a point of reference that came from the experiences of a man in good standing with the world.

The ensuing pages incorporate the lives of many people who were spoken to during our research for this book. We hope that someone—if not all people who will read it—will benefit from its pages.

Sincerely,

Dr. Suave Powers

I, Uncle Rico Austin, PhD., am extremely proud of the contents and effort put into this all-encompassing guide for boys, teenagers, and young men to help them through the growing pains of youth to manhood.

The most important thing for me to stress to each of YOU, whether you are adopted, raised by a single parent, raised in different households by two or more parents, have parents that have been too busy trying to provide for you, or even for those who have been raised in an almost-perfect and nurturing setting. Each and everything YOU do as a young adult is from a choice that YOU and only YOU have made. This book is to help YOU choose the right and honest path to live YOUR LIFE so that YOU may prosper and become a productive member of society—and perhaps become a mentor for other young men in the future!

Dr. Suave Powers and I are not psychologists, nor do we claim to be psychiatrists. We are both middle-aged men who have been married one time or another, have had children, have lost loved ones, have been incarcerated, have loved, have hated, but most of all, have experienced LIFE and all it has to offer—the Best, the Worst & the Ugliest!

Personally, I believe that many psychiatrists and psychologists try to get their patients to blame someone else when things go wrong or when we as humans do not make the right choice. They—professionals—usually blame the mother or the father or an imperfect childhood for teenage and adult problems. I say MAN UP and personally take the blame for your shortcomings. We as individuals choose right or wrong. Just so there is no misunderstanding concerning psychologists or psychiatrists, I have included the definitions of each. I am not saying that we as human beings do not need these two groups of professionals; however, I am saying that many times their advice is used to make excuses for bad or unacceptable behavior.

Psychologist: psychologists study the human mind. They also try to explain why people act as they do. They do research to test their ideas about people's actions. Their research methods vary. They may get data from lab tests, interviews, and surveys. Psychologists usually specialize in an area. Some help people with mental problems, while others help people deal with divorce or the death of a loved one. They work with people of all ages, but some work mainly with old people or young people. Psychologists help people deal with problems of everyday living. Some work in schools to help students with behavioral problems. Others may help solve problems in places where people work. Some psychologists do research at colleges and private research centers. They study behavior using human beings and sometimes animals, such as mice or monkeys.

Psychiatrist: psychiatrists are physicians who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and psychotherapy. As part of their evaluation of the patient, among the mental health professionals only psychiatrists are authorized to prescribe psychiatric medication and conduct physical examinations.

One of my favorite quotes is by the great author Mr. Ernest Hemingway, a.k.a. Papa Hemingway: In order to write about life, first you must live it!

Sincerely,

Uncle Rico Austin, PhD.

Chapter Two

Mentors

One of the first things a young person should do is find a mentor. Who could be a good mentor? A mentor can be a teacher, a friend, or a coach, but they must be a good person who will play a positive role in their mentee’s life. The authors of this book believe that all young people should have access to safe places and caring adults who help them mature and grow socially, emotionally, and academically. A mentor can even help a person grow athletically. Whatever the case, be wise in who you allow to mentor you. A mentor should be someone to look up to and emulate.

Sadly, statistics show that one in three young people reach adulthood without finding or connecting with a mentor of any sort. Don’t miss your opportunity. Finding a mentor empowers you to make positive choices. Everyone faces decisions in this life. Some decisions are easy, while others may take careful thought and consideration. Mentors empower youth to consider results and consequences by helping them in the decision-making process.

A mentor can help a young person develop life skills such as setting attainable goals, overcoming daily challenges, and learning to control their thoughts and emotions. All people need to learn these skills and apply them to every aspect of their lives. A good, caring mentor will help boys and girls practice these learned techniques, while providing them with positive encouragement.

Mentors should direct youth to understand and develop the key values that will be discussed in greater depth throughout future chapters. Mentors should encourage young people to seek challenging assignments, while pushing them to develop new skills and strengths. The ultimate goal should be for young people to become their own best coach—whether at home, school, or any other area in life.

Strengthening interpersonal skills and relationships with peers is also a function of a good mentor. Appreciating diversity and showing respect to oneself, friends, competitors, and strangers are vital to becoming a contributing member of society. Mentors can help guide positive growth by helping youth develop strong and constructive interpersonal relationships.

Important life values such as honesty, respect, responsibility, courtesy, sportsmanship, confidence, perseverance, integrity, and the use of good judgement should be on the mentor’s list of core values in order to help young people grow and develop into healthy adults.

I personally know the extreme value of having a mentor, as I was fortunate to have had a few of them during my lifetime, including bosses, teachers, a 4-H leader, and older friends. Each of these people encouraged me to continue pushing forward when I felt like quitting or when I did not see the light at the end of the tunnel. The mentors I have had during my life helped me find my confidence during the times I was discouraged. By watching my mentors, I learned and saw what respect and honesty meant firsthand, as good mentors will practice daily what they preach.

A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself. - Oprah Winfrey

Chapter Three

Ethics And Morals

Being ethical means doing the right thing always—even when no one else is watching. Your ethical decisions begin when you are a toddler, which is when you begin to understand right from wrong. Ethics can be practiced at home, in the classroom, and even while playing in the schoolyard.

Those who are not ethical in their daily lives might try to convince you that cheating, lying, and being deceitful is easier than doing the right thing. Perhaps in the short run, this might ring true. But consider this scenario: You cheat on your homework or a test by having someone else do it or by copying a neighbor’s answers. You may get away with cheating, and you might possibly receive a higher grade or test score than you would have otherwise. But in the end, it will catch up with