 Archie is able to deliver forty papers daily. That is his route. Stephen is able to deliver thirty-five on his route. The local distributor has over two thousand home deliveries and Pay's young lads are going right to get it done. He is paid to prepare the fifty-two bundles of paper for his delivery boys. Archie sells his time and effort to the distributor to earn money, and the distributor pays to accomplish his delivery requirements. Both come out ahead in the effort. In business, people are paid to work together and to become effective because they each do their part of a larger task. Stephen's family is going on vacation and he contacts Archie with an offer of the day's earnings if Archie will make his deliveries. Archie is willing, and so they go out together and run the delivery route so Archie will be able to take on the load for the week that Stephen will be gone. It is understood that Archie will also have to be gone sometimes and Stephen will back him up under the same arrangement. Both get what they want and are more secure in their routes. One good way to get things done is to pay people to do it. This is also foundation for a performance contract and has been accepted as a legal basis for business relationships. A contract is an agreement where each party puts something in to gain the promised result in light of what the other parties also promise. For an agreement to be a contract, each person must give something into the agreement that has value to the people who are agreed. The technical word is consideration and the courts will not enforce any one-sided promise. Hiring someone to work to accomplish something is a contract where Archie and Stephen agree to take each other's routes at need. They have their mutual promises. That is what makes an effective contract made between them. Most contracts between a few people work out to their benefit and there is no need for any sort of enforcement. They are only made because those in agreement see some benefit from doing their part. Agreements are a way to get people to do things and anybody can make an agreement. The rule for you as a teenager is that your agreements with others your age will generally be unenforceable. They will work when all those who are agreed value the same result. For the distributor and the delivery boys, they all recognize that they receive value when the papers get delivered. For Archie and Stephen, they have to be agreed that the value that comes with assuring their delivery routes will be mutual. These are contracts of mutual benefit. They only get paid if the deliveries are accomplished. These are workable agreements. Now look to Archie and Stephen. They agree to do their school homework together because they often approach things differently and are able to work to greater effect when they do. Stephen gets to know Ralph, who is a straight A student, and can help him along even more. Does he owe something to Archie? The answer is, of course, that neither Archie nor Stephen gave up anything to work together. They simply did so for mutual benefit. If it is no longer of mutual benefit, then all that is left is the promises themselves. Breaking away from the agreement might yield some bad feelings, with regrets by Stephen, who has damaged his friendship with Archie and dislike by Archie, who no longer has the benefit of working with Stephen. But neither of them has really lost anything. For performance arrangements, you must be aware of two things. The first is mutual value for the results. The second is whether the other party to the agreement actually loses something if they fail to perform. Even if mutual value and potential for loss are not supported, you will still make agreements. That is part of being human. The difference is in the clarity of your expectations. If there is no mutual value agreed, then the agreement is likely to be temporary only. If the others do not suffer a loss when they end the agreement, they are not going to feel compelled to keep their promises. When it comes to committing your time and effort to any particular purpose, you are the final authority. Remember also that committing another person's time and effort are also that other person's choice. People's disgust above can guide you in making effective agreements, and this will certainly serve you in having clear expectations of what will come of commitments you make.