As a recent high school graduate, I wished I would have done some things differently, but am also glad of several of the things I did to make my experience more meaningful. Today I will share with you all several tips and tricks I wish I would have known in high school.

1. GET INVOLVED. Being involved in high school was something that I took very seriously. My mom told me to get involved before I started, and I am glad I did. I was on the cheer team, and without being involved in cheer, I do not know where I would be now in my life. It changed my life. I met life long friends and it helped me achieve goals that I never thought I could reach. Whether your involved in a pro-life club, the debate team, or the football team, any kind of involvement you can partake in will make your high school experience seem richer and you will fill more fulfilled, I assure you!

2. LEARN, DON’T MEMORIZE. I was very guilty of doing this a ton in my high school career. I would say I am a pretty smart girl, and school did not come very hard for me. I did a lot of memorizing the information, acing the test, and forgetting it right after. My BIGGEST tip to you is to LEARN the information you are taught. I regret not doing this. In college, I will have to actually learn the information given and absorb it and completely understand it. All information I learn I will need. In order to be a well-rounded person, I assure you that you need to learn everything you are taught. DO NOT JUST SKATE BY.

3. DO NOT SETTLE. This applies to all of the girls, especially. Do not settle for anything less than what you expect. Do not date a guy just to date a guy. I was guilty of this, because I wanted companionship and attention, like every human does. So, I let myself settle for people in my life that I thought were making me a better person, but were actually drawing myself away from my true happiness…which brings me to my next point.

4. YOU ONLY NEED TRUE FRIENDS. What do I mean by this? I mean that you do not need to force yourself into having friends just because they are “cool” or “popular.” I know this is cliche, but I fell into this quite a bit in my high school career. The truth is, you will leave high school with a few very close friends, and a couple of them will remain lifetime friends, but not all of them will. AND THAT’S OKAY. I can truthfully sa that I have 5 life long friends that I gained in high school. Do you know how many that I met? About 800! Do not feel like you don’t have a ton of friends. EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. Some people will have 20 close friends, and some only 2. God will place people in your life one after the other, and only some of them will have the same values and morals as you, and that is okay. Good friends are worth it!

5. DO NOT PLAN OUT YOUR LIFE. When I started high school, I planned out exactly what my future was going to be. I was going to be a physician’s assistant or an oncologist, I was going to get married at 25, and I was going to go to LSU. God interrupted my plan, and I am so grateful that He did. God says that “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Prov. 16:9). We are not meant to plan out our future. We cannot do this no matter how hard we try, because God will interrut that plan with a desire to do something else or by placing someone in your life that will lead you on God’s path. For instance, I was planning my life out based upon a boy and upon anger I had from leaving home, when God placed before me Jake, who told me that I needed to let God decide what was best for me. I’m not saying the love of your life will tell you to listen to God’s voice, but someone might, or something will happen that will have a great affect on you if your plan is not in line with God’s. It can be scary, but in God’s plan is where true happiness lies, and don’t you want that?

6. BROKEN HEARTS HEAL. My heart was broken many times during high school: by breakups, hard times, and broken promises. I can say they were some of the worst and most painful times in my life, but that brokenness I experienced were needed in my life. Your brokenness is beautiful, because it makes you into the person you will be. When my dad lost his job, the pain our family went through actually made us stronger. When we ended up all in Kansas after several hardships, we all ended up converting, and we wouldn’t have without what happened to my dad. We would not have appreciated each other as much. So, BROKEN HEARTS DO HEAL. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

7. DON’T BE AFRAID OF FAILURE. I cannot say I have never been afraid of failing, but I do know that my failures have made me into a better person, like I said before. Do not be afraid of standing up in front of class and giving a speech. Do not be afraid of performing in front of your class. Do not be afraid to start a club that none has started. You may fall on your face, or you may succeed. AT LEAST YOU WENT FOR IT!

8. EVANGELIZE. My friends, you do not have to wait until you go to college to share your faith and to get involved in ministry. You can start working your way to the heavenly kingdom now. Do not be afraid of being called a “Jesus freak” or being known as the one who doesn’t drink because you are “too good.” Just know that sharing your faith is something that God calls all of us to, not just when you turn 18 and are in college. Going back to my old point, only your good friends will appreciate your values, and that is okay. Some may laugh and say that you are being a “goodie goodie” but at least you gained points with the man upstairs, and that counts! I wish that I would have blogged earlier, and gotten involved in ministry earlier than I did. I would have gotten to experience the great joy I do now way earlier, and that would have been so amazing! SO pick up your Bible. Study it. Pick up a devotional. Absorb it! The Gospel of Matthew tells us, “in the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). We also read in 1st book of Timothy that, “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching” (1 Timothy 4:13). DO NOT BE AFRAID OF YOUR FAITH! Stand up for it, and know that God will always be with you, even when none else may seem to be!

9. GRADES COME FIRST. Not everything revolves around you and your practices after school. This kind of goes hand in hand with one of the first points about actually learning, but do not put sports or clubs before your academics. They are too important. Just remember that if you want to get a great scholarship in college for athletics, you need the grades. Your coaches know that in order for you to play on the field or cheer on the team, you need to have excellent grades! Do not take your grades lightly. Do not just say, “An 80% is fine, I will not use this later.” You need to say, “Dang. I got an 80%. How can I make this better so that I can do what I love in college?” Even if you hate it, recognize that getting good grades will be worth it!

10. YOUR PARENTS ARE GOOD. Always know that your parents are doing what is best for you. Sure, they might mess up- but don’t we all make mistakes in our lives? Your parents want nothing but the best for you. They may not be your best friends right now, but one day when you are best friends with them, you can thank them for being such amazing people to you in high school. Do not take them for granted, because before you know it, you will be getting ready to head off to college, and they will not be there to hold your hand. You will have to live on your own! Love and cherish them now with the respect and dignity you would want from your children later in life!

I hope that whoever reads this knows that God loves you, and He wants nothing but the best for you.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).