The Book in 3 Sentences

1. Teenagers are capable of doing amazing things but fail to reach the full potential because of the low expectations that society puts on us.
2. Youth is the molding stage of men so what we embody today reflects what we will become as adults.
3. Doing hard things in your teen years prepares your for a life of incredible impact.

Impressions

A great Christian book about doing hard things. Packed with lots of encouraging and relatable stories. The main principles of the book could’ve been condensed, and it felt a bit bloated with the number of examples they use. It has lots of actionable strategies to do hard things that you can apply directly to your life. This is a great book for every teen to read. It is more geared towards Christians, however, all the lessons are also applicable to non-Christian teenagers.

Top 5 Quotes

Courage is not the absence of fear. It is rather not letting your fear control your actions

All effort—even failed effort—produces muscle.

“The teen years are not a vacation from responsibility,” we had told the columnist. “They are the training ground of future leaders who dare to be responsible”

Great faith is the product of great fights. Great testimonies are the outcome of great tests. Great triumphs can only come out of great trials.

It all boils down to a principle at the heart of Christian character: we have to care more about pleasing God than we care about pleasing man.

Summary, Notes & Quotes

Chapter 3

The myth that the teen years are a time to goof off is holding back our generation.

The term teenager is less than 70 years old.

In the past it was common for teens to take great responsibilities and rise to the occasion.

“Adolescence” means “to grow up”.

All of us are susceptible to low expectations. Once we satisfy the minimum requirements, we tend to stop pushing ourselves.

Expectations are a self-fulfilling prophecy. “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right.”

There was no such thing as teenagers in bible times.

God has high expectations for us.

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world” Romans 12:2. We need to live in the way of God.

By only doing the easiest things, we waste some of our best years and never reach our full God given potential.

We are far more capable than we think

Chapter 4

A common belief is that we as teens still have plenty of time to goof off so why change now.

Youth is the molding stage of men, so what we embody today reflects what we will become as adults.

We have unique strengths in our teen years that shouldn't be wasted. We can use these years to build momentum for adulthood.

Adolescence is not a biological stage but a cultural mindset.

The myth of adolescence encourages teens to view adulthood as spoiling the fun of the teen years, however, it is actually a fulfillment of them. It is a springboard into adulthood.

It's never too late to turn your life around. God offers grace and redemption.

Doing hard things in your teen years prepares you for a life of incredible impact.

Is how you're spending your time right now preparing you for what you hope to become in the future?

There are 5 kinds of hard: things that are outside your comfort zone, that go beyond what's expected or required, that arr too big to accomplish alone, that don't earn an immediate payoff, that challenge the cultural norm. They are all God given opportunities that can produce massive results.

Chapter 5

How to do hard things that make you step out of your comfort zone:

Life is full of scary things

It is the most terrifying hard thing

It is the first step and thus always necessary

If we do something uncomfortable, our comfort zones expand. What we consider normal rapidly changes.

It allows growth and build confidence

Often the hardest part of something is just deciding to do it

“Without faith it's impossible to please god” heb11:6

God works through our weaknesses to accomplish his big plans.

Great faith is the product of great fights.

God's strength is greater than our weakness.

Courage is not the absence of fear. We can't avoid fear, but we can do something in spite of it.

Regret sucks.

The bible tells us so many times not to fear.

You can't get success without risking failure.

It's fine to fail, but you have to getup and try again.

All effort produces growth.

We are merely a tool in god's plans.

It's not dragons and monsters that keep us behind our fences, but the fear of them.

What would your life look like if you put your faith in God and stepped outside your comfort zone?

Chapter 6

How to do hard things that go beyond what's expected or required:

Set high expectations to reach your potential

Reject complacency

This is often a lonely choice

Low expectations lead to complacency. Complacency causes boredom, arrogancece, unhealthy habits and excuse making. Life gets boring and we don’t know why. Proverbs 1:32

3 Strategies for Stepping Higher:

1. Do what’s hard for you,
2. Be known for what you do (more than for what you don’t),
3. Pursue excellence, not excuses.

Everyone tends to emphasise their strong points and use them as an excuse to ignore their weak points.

Being considered a good teen only requires that we don’t do bad stuff - an example of low expectations.

A commitment to growth kills complacency.

The highest form of success which comes, not to the man who desires mere easy peace, but to the man who does not shrink from danger, from hardship, or from bitter toil, and who out of these wins the splendid ultimate triumph. — Theodore Roosevelt

Chapter 7

How to do hard things that are too big for you to do alone:

Some hard things are too big to be accomplished alone.

We need to be asking ourselves who would be motivated enough to help us.

The achievements of nations tend to come from people working together.

We work exponentially better when part of a team.

Hebrews 10:24-25 - let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another.

Teams help motivate you, encourage you and stop you from getting burnout.

God gives guidance to those who seek it.

Look to older and wiser people for help. They often have a better insight.

Friends can be a blessing or a curse, depending on whether they are wise or foolish. Make friends with wise, mature and godly people.

Siblings can often be some of your best team members.

Leverage technology to grow your team.

Treasure constructive criticism.

Give everyone credit so that people don’t feel overlooked or take offense.

Be patient and forgive others because everyone is a sinner.

Expect nightmares to happen.

Teamwork requires perseverance.

Success should also be measured by how well you work as a team. Even the little wins should be acknowledged.

When God calls on you, he will bring the help you need to get the job done.

Chapter 8

How to do small hard things that don’t pay off immediately:

Sometimes the smallest of things can be the hardest of all. However, doing these things pays dividends.

They are difficult because: they are usually repetitive, they seem unimportant, the don’t seem to make a difference, they don’t seem very glamorous, no one is watching.

We fail to do them because of: procrastination, inconsistency, compromise, begrudging, cheating.

Huge gifts are often hiding in these small packages.

Small things equip you for big things in the future. They exercise our bodies, minds, and out faith and are guaranteed to give results over time.

We get tripped up because we enjoy the harvest but don’t enjoy sowing and cultivating good seed. We enjoy being fit and strong but we don’t enjoy exercise.

These small actions can bring glory to God.

Chapter 9

How to do hard things that go against the crowd:

It is hard to stand up for what you believe in front of other people who don’t share your convictions. We are scared of losing friends, popularity or opportunities, etc.

We have to care more about pleasing God than ourselves.

You don’t have to run around proclaiming your faith in God, but you do have to let your true Christian faith permeate your life.

Christians all around the world are persecuted for their faith.

If you aren’t willing to follow something when you are hurt, you aren’t willing to follow it at all.

God loves to bless us when we are faithful and stand for him.

God will give you the strength to do what you have to stand up for him.

The long-term results of not going with the crowd really pay off.

To decide whether to stand up for something, use these six principles: What does God say about this? Why am I doing this? Listen to your conscience, Seek Godly council, Be humble, loving and bold, Be part of the solution (make it your goal to show people a better way).

Doing what is right always matters.

Chapter 10

We are the salt of the earth — we have been placed here to preserve it until he returns.

We need to be living in the Truth — the total reality — that Jesus has revealed.

You don’t have to become a minister to really live for Jesus. People need to be living for Jesus in every field.

We need to have a biblical view that we can bring to work.

To successfully live for God we need a good character, competence and collaboration.

The Christian life is full of action. We act to glorify God.

What is my passion? How can I take action on a larger scale?

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