1- Follow your instincts. You may have gotten into trouble in the past because you didn't follow your instincts. If your instincts are telling you that something is a bad idea, or that some person is not worth hanging out with, then you should trust them and stay away. Don't be afraid to trust your gut if it's telling you to run 100 miles (160 km) in the other direction. If you have a sense that something is wrong, even if you can't pinpoint why, then chances are, you're right.

• In general, if a friend suggests that you do something and you have to question it even once, then it's time to back off.

2- Spend time with your family. As long as your family is a place where you feel safe and loved, you should spend as much time as you can with the members of your family so that you are surrounded by positive influences. Sure, it may not feel cool to have movie night with mom and dad or to help your kid sister with her science project, but your family will always be there for you, and it's important to build a healthy bond with your family members as much as you can.

• When you're hanging out with your family, you won't have a chance to get in trouble, will you? It's really true that idle hands make the devil's work, and the more time you spend with your family, the less time you'll be spending looking for and getting into trouble.
• Make a weekly routine for yourself. Have family nights every weekend, time for doing chores during the week, and time for helping out your siblings at least once or twice a week.

3- Avoid the wrong people. The people who may be getting you in trouble may be your very best friends. If that's the case, then it's time to find some new best friends. Sure, that may not be what you wanted to hear, but if you really want to stay out of trouble, then you can't hang out with the same people who got you into detention. Sure, if you and all of your friends have decided to stay out of trouble together, that's another thing, but how often does that happen? It's time to slowly back away from the people who are causing you to harm your own reputation as kindly and as politely as possible.

• You may think that you can decide to stay on track while staying friends with people who are always getting into trouble, but unfortunately, you'll still be associated with them, and will be much more likely to get in trouble for something they did, even if you were innocent. Nobody said this was fair.

4- Make friends who are positive influences. If you're friends with people who are good students, have meaningful goals, and live positive lives, then you're very likely to have them rub off on you. If you're only friends with negative troublemakers, then you're much more likely to be one. Though it may be hard to immediately find new friends who are doing great in school, look around your classes or your neighborhood and see if you can find people who seem nice, friendly, and willing to take in a straggler. Soon, you'll see that you're staying out of trouble by doing fun things with new, like-minded people.

• You can find these friends in clubs or sports teams or by participating in a variety of other activities.

5- Develop positive relationships with your teachers. Another great way to stay out of trouble is to develop a strong bond with your teachers, or at least some of them. This doesn't mean you have to suck up to them or try to be their best friend, but it does mean that you should be a good student, show up to class on time, come in for extra help, and ask useful questions during class to show that you care. If you're off to a rough start with some of your teachers, know that you can win them over with enough hard work and effort, even if it does take time.

• Being on your teacher's good sides is an excellent way to stay out of trouble. If they like you, they will be less likely to punish you or to find fault with you.

6- Find a role model. Having a role model that you really look up to can help you succeed and to make the right decisions. Your role model can be your mom or dad, an older sibling, a teacher at school, a family friend in the neighborhood, a club or church leader, a grandparent, or really anyone who inspires you to do well in life. You can come to this person for advice on how to not only stay out of trouble, but on how to do something meaningful with your life.

• A role model that you can come to regularly can end up being one of the biggest and most long-lasting influences on your life. It's important to find a person who is living a life that you admire. This doesn't mean that your role model has to be perfect -- if he made mistakes along the way and learned from them, then even better.