12-year-old pens self-help book

SANDPOINT -- It began as an apology to her mother and grew into a self-help book for teens, according to the self-possessed author, 13-year old Juliya Juliette.

Juliette spent the better part of last year writing the book, adding original photographs and artwork. Her English teacher at Forrest M. Bird Middle School helped with proofreading.

"I never thought about publishing it until later, when I saw how much it helped me. I thought it might help other teens,” said Juliette.

The book, entitled "Becoming the Boss of Your Own Life," is a well-organized, insightful primer for teens who want to change the way they relate to their parents and the world around them.

Written from a personal perspective, "Becoming the Boss" is part diary, part meditation and part confessional. Juliette wrote the book when she was 12 years old and struggling to make sense of her actions and attitudes.

“I learned a lot about myself writing the book," she said. "More about appreciating myself, being grateful and not taking things for granted.”

She discusses the types of behavior she struggled with as a sixth-grader with straightforward honesty, describing specific events and their results. For example, she talks about lying and the consequences. She then reaches deep into herself to come up with strategies for changing destructive behavior. Throughout the book, she shows readers how to reinvent themselves by example.

"This is the story about how I became the boss of my own life," the book begins. "How I came to the painful realization that I was creating trouble in my life and blaming others for how I felt. And the qualities and skills I used to support  myself for change. I offer this story as inspiration to others who want to learn to take personal responsibility and change their behavior through changing their attitude."

Remarkably self-assured and self-aware for a person of her age, Juliette attributes part of her wisdom to a seminar she attended in Santa Monica, Calif., called "Insight for Teens." She also gives credit to her parents as well as herself.

"I learned a lot of it from Insight and my parents. Also self-reflection, realizing patterns of behavior,” she said.

Each chapter of the 300-page self-help book features a negative behavior and the corresponding positive behavior. For instance, one chapter examines entitlement and gratitude. Another covers criticism and appreciation. A companion workbook for "Being the Boss" poses thought-provoking questions -- the same ones Juliette answered for herself in the book -- and asks readers to fill in their own responses.

Juliette and her parents have created a Kickstarter page where donors can purchase the book for themselves or for others. She is raising funds to attend another teen Insight seminar. She is also working on plans for printing more copies of her book and workbook.

When asked about how she turned her life around at an age when most teens are just beginning to go through the metabolic changes that help inspire negative behaviors, she smiled ruefully.

“I still have my moments," she said. "Going to Insight helped me realize how to deal with those.”

Information: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/94134304/becoming-the-boss