With school starting back, I've been thinking a lot about my own high school experience. High school was fun. I had great teachers, spent lots of time with my best friends who I still hang out regularly today, and ultimately came out a better person than I went in. Do I miss it? Not really? But, the more I think about it, the more I realize that there are some things I wish I had done differently.
- It literally never matters what you look like. Dress up, if that’s your thing. Wear sweatpants every day if you want. Nobody actually cares.
- Take it seriously. You can hate “the system.” You can say it’s stupid, and doesn’t actually measure intelligence, and maybe that’s true. But, you can fight it while still trying hard and making good grades. You’ll thank yourself later.
- Still, have fun. You can work hard and have good grades, but remember that isn’t what it’s all about. Good grades are important, but my single biggest regret from high school is worrying too much about school and not enough about just being happy. Take a break sometimes and just do something you love with the people you love.
- Cherish your friends. Let them know how you much appreciate them, both by words and your actions. Take pictures of them, ask how they’re doing, regularly remind them how awesome they are.
- Don’t be afraid to cut out toxic people from life. Forreal, if someone constantly makes you feel like crap, drop them. It doesn’t matter what your history is, or if they keep saying sorry. If they were really sorry, they would treat you better.
- Don’t lose yourself in a relationship. I’ll be the first to argue that high school relationships can be real, but never base your entire life around someone. I’m in college and in a healthy long-term relationship, and I still don’t base my entire life around him. It’s important to be your own person.
- If a boy cheats on you, be mad at him, not the other girl. She doesn’t owe anything to you; he does.
- It’s okay to miss someone who was toxic or just bad to you. You can still have good memories with people, even if you don’t want them in your life anymore. Don’t feel bad about that.
- Get involved. Find something you love, and find other people who love it too. There’s a club for pretty much everything these days. You’ll be surprised how awesome it feels to be in a room full of people who love the same things you do.
- Your feelings are real. Don’t let people tell you that “this is just a phase” or “wait until you get to the real world.” This is your world, and it’s very real. Don’t let anyone take that away from you.
- People will talk. People will probably have an opinion about most things you do. Let them. Just don’t let them affect how you live. Do what makes you happy, not anybody else.
- Get to know your teachers. Talk to them on your breaks and after school. They’ll become some of your best friends, counselors, and mentors you’ll ever have. Make sure they know how important they are.
- Don’t be afraid to talk to new people. Talk to the shy kid. Talk to the kid sitting by themselves at lunch. You may just find yourself a new best friend.
- Most importantly, don’t be afraid to try new things. And if you fail, get back up and try again. You will never be younger, and stronger, and more invincible than you are now. There’s a John Green quote I really like that says,
“When adults say, ‘Teenagers think they are invincible’ with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don't know how right they are. We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are. We cannot be born, and we cannot die. Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes and manifestations. They forget that when they get old. They get scared of losing and failing. But that part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end, and so it cannot fail.”
So, get out there and be invincible. Every day can the best day of your life so far if you let it.
