On Monday June 13, 2016, at about 11:30 p.m. I will be a high school graduate. Looking back at it now, there are multiple things I wish I would have done throughout my four years. They say we're not supposed to have any regrets throughout life, but truly I wish I would have made my four years of high school the best they could ever be.
1. Be more lenient with plans.
Throughout high school I was always that person who had to have a plan or else I wouldn't be going out. I never did anything spontaneously until the spring of my junior year, and I know now that I would have had much more fun if I had been this way throughout all four years.
2. Not care what anyone thinks.
Senior year was the only year I didn't really care what anyone thought of me, and even then I still stressed that people thought I was dumb because of the college I was going to. Now that I know the people who used to say things like that were insecure about their own work ethics, I wish I wouldn't have been so concerned about how smart I was or how smart I looked to other people.
3. Ask for help.
Multiple times I struggled with subjects and was always afraid to ask for help because I just truly didn't understand the subject. I always thought that when I asked for help the teachers would laugh at me or make fun of me or even worse get frustrated and give up on me. I realize now that the teachers who really love what they do would never give up on you or get frustrated with you. They would do anything they can to help you succeed.
4. Realize there's a whole world around me.
In Ashburn, Virginia, we're all kind of stuck in our own little bubble. Some of us are selfless but a lot of us are selfish, and I'm not afraid to admit up until the winter of junior year, I was one of those selfish kids. I didn't care about the world around me. If I realized there was a whole world around me, I could have made a huge difference in the world, but I chose to wait, which was possibly one of the biggest mistakes I could have made.
5. Take breaks when I need it.
The world we are in today is based on pressure. I wish I knew back then that it was okay to take breaks and take a deep breath every once in a while. I would have avoided many nights of panic attacks if I knew that it was okay to take a break when it was needed.
6. Realize who were my true friends.
All four years I struggled to know who all my real friends were. I was always being ditched or never felt comfortable around them. I realized that my true friends were the ones I felt comfortable around. Even if it was one friend, that was okay.
7. Realize the amount of friends I have doesn't matter.
Throughout middle school and high school I always thought that the amount of friends I had defined my worth. It wasn't until senior year that I realized I only needed a couple friends by my side to make me feel like I was worth it.
8. Put myself first.
I always thought that putting others first was what made me happy, but I realized that it's okay to put myself first and be a little selfish. Selfish has such an awful connotation to it but truthfully, it's not awful to give yourself something you want every once in a while. You deserve to be happy too.
9. Forget about boys.
I didn't worry about it until junior and senior year but my life was so consumed with a boy that I didn't let myself do the things I needed to do to make myself happy. I always worried about him or what he thought about me when really it didn't matter what he thought about me. He wasn't treating me right and I should have realized earlier that I didn't want to waste my last two years of high school worrying if he really loved me or not.
10. Smile more.
I let too much get to me. I realize now that to really succeed and move forward you just have to brush it off. You can't focus on every single thing that goes wrong in your life because if you do you will never move forward.
If I had discovered any of these my freshman year, I assure you my four years would have been way more enjoyable.
