On the latest “My Conscious Dad” on KHTS AM-1220, Santa Clarita life coach Alex Urbina and his daughter, Jazmine, discussed common ways teens and young adults may be holding themselves back from pursuing their dreams, and how to overcome these obstacles in today’s world.

“I think for me, and also for my friends too, the one thing that we’re always constantly going back and forth about is kind of being stuck in the ‘what’s next,’” Jazmine said. “We’re going to school and we’re working and we’re trying to get our lives on track, but it just seems like there’s a lot of pressure to have it already figured out.”

Santa Clarita Life Coach Alex Urbina

Teenagers and young adults who operate from a place of desperation and a need for immediate results often feel unnecessary stress and pressure as a result, according to Urbina.

“One can be powerfully urgent in their decisions to manifest or create their dreams, but also be patient and understanding in their patience that timing is everything and things have to run its course,” Urbina explained. “I think you guys are stressing yourselves out because you want it right when? Right now. ‘I need to have results right now,’ and that’s not the way the world works.”

This kind of thinking can lead to the common belief among teenagers and young adults today that their goals and dreams are simply impossible, which can often result in a lack of vision for their future.

Related: ‘My Conscious Dad’ On KHTS: Playing The Game Of Parenting

“For whatever reason, they just stopped dreaming or stopped believing that they can achieve whatever it is that they want,” Urbina explained. “They haven’t really sat down and given themselves permission to create a vision or create a vision board or a dream. They don’t know what it looks like.”

One way young adults can help overcome these obstacles themselves is to make an effort to change their perceptions through conscious self reflection.

“That’s something I think that’s really bogging young adults down, is they’ve got a brain full of negativity. They’ve got these self-limiting beliefs about themselves, as well as limiting beliefs about possibilities and the future,” Urbina said. 

By consciously reflecting on what they’re passionate about, what they enjoy and what peaks their interest, young adults are then in control of their own ability to put in the time to research what it takes to make their dreams possible.

“There’s this whole other interpersonal journey that could be happening that’s not, because either the young adults don’t know it or the parents don’t know it,” Urbina said. “They’ve never been introduced to this kind of living.”

Parents can help their teenager or young adult on their journey by teaching them about the meaning of sacrifice and the hard work it takes to achieve one’s goals in the long run.

“Their parents aren’t talking about it,” Urbina said. “They don’t know what kind of prices they’re going to have to pay on the front end to be able to have the goodies three, five, 10, 15 years from now.”

For instance, giving up time with friends and saving their money instead of spending it can help create the future the young adult wants down the line.

Similarly, channeling common obsessions with things like social media into a healthy obsession with achieving their goals can help create the results young adults are looking for.

“If they are obsessed with something, usually it’s things that aren’t setting themselves up to win,” Urbina said.

Another way parents can help their young adult achieve their dreams is by providing healthy outlets for them to share their frustrations and emotions, while also providing the encouragement they need to continue on in the face of their challenges.

“Another thing I’m noticing is (teens) don’t have outlets, healthy outlets to turn to somebody and vent and share their frustrations,” Urbina said. “They (also) don’t have somebody that’s speaking to their greatness, saying ‘yes you can’ or ‘I believe in you.’”

Santa Clarita life coach Alex Urbina is one of the leading experts on teen, parent and family relationships. Specializing in personal transformation, Urbina has 20 years of experience as a life coach in Santa Clarita. His Life Leadership Training programs are being implemented in schools, youth organizations and transformational centers across the country, helping empower people to realize their full potential. “My Conscious Dad”, hosted by Urbina and his daughter, Jazmine Urbina, helps listeners consider new possibilities they couldn’t see before. The show airs on Fridays at 1 p.m. on KHTS AM-1220.