Houston, We Have a Problem.

He is thirty-five years old and has no desire whatsoever to be an adult. Mom and Dad are more than ready for him to move out, so they secretly hire an “interventionist” to coach him in that direction. “Failure to Launch” is a comedy starring Mathew McConaughey and his difficult transition to adulthood. The movie reminds us we all get stuck at times and need help finding our way over the hurdles in our lives.

One of those times is transitioning from high school to college and then college to the work world. This can either be an exciting adventure or scary for young adults and for their parents. If they graduate from high school and want to spread their wings, then something went right. However, independent living requires skills in time management, budgeting and numerous other areas. Making certain your teenager knows his or her strengths prior to this transition can be a tremendous asset to them and to you. It can also have a positive impact on your stress level and on your wallet.

For instance, I was coaching a new high school graduate recently, and her top three talent themes on the Clifton Strengths Finder were Includer, WOO and Communication.

1. Includer - tends to be accepting of others, aware of those who feel left out and drawn to make an effort to include them,

2. WOO (Winning Others Over) - tends to love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over, breaking the ice and making connections with other people, and

3. Communication - tends to easily put their thoughts into words and are good conversationalists.

An eighteen-year old going off to college with these top three talents would need great time-management skills. The people in this new environment might prove distracting from her education. Balancing distractions with the demands of college coursework, while living independently for the first time i challenging. Could any of you envision how this scenario might play out? Have any of you lived this scenario? Exactly.

Thankfully, my client’s other top talents, Strategic and Achiever, reveal the help she needs to pull things all together.

4. Strategic - gifted at finding alternate ways to proceed and can spot relevant issues and form strategies to be successful, and

5. Achiever - tends to have a great deal of stamina and work hard and take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.

An eighteen-year old going off to college with these top three talents would need great time-management skills. The people in this new environment might prove distracting from her education. Balancing distractions with the demands of college coursework, while living independently for the first time i challenging. Could any of you envision how this scenario might play out? Have any of you lived this scenario? Exactly.

Learning about our natural talents and helping to build them into strengths is something we do for ourselves and for our children. Growing up looking forward to and wanting to be independent is a good thing. Working our way out of the full-time caretaker role for our children is solid parenting. Can I get an “Amen”?

For more information about coaching and the Clifton Strengths Finder

contact Tari Kinsey at tarikinsey@gmail.comor by phone at 972-571-1759.

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Rudin, S. & Aversano, S. (Producers) & Dey, T. (Director). (2006). Failure to Launch [Motion Picture], United States: Paramount Pictures