How can you support teens and encourage them to achieve?  Volunteer to mentor the young people in your life and help your teenagers connect with someone who can guide them to use their talents effectively.  Talk to them about their interests and be willing and available to listen.  As parents we like to offer our opinions and fix things for our teens, but often teens don't want our opinion; they just want to share their thoughts and opinions out loud in order to work it out for themselves.  I suggest actually asking teens if they would rather have you listen or would they prefer you to give a suggestion or share your thoughts.  This enables you to know what type of support is needed at the moment. 

Also, find ways they can use their talent.  If they are gifted in art, perhaps they can join the art club at school, take art classes, volunteer to teach art to younger children, or paint a mural on a wall for the community.  If your teen likes to direct people and is naturally charismatic, you might want to steer him/her towards leadership opportunities whether it be in school or in the community.  Perhaps they can even start a club of interest or create a community service project that they can spearhead. It's important for you to guide them towards the road to success and allow them to see that their contributions matter.