Oh, high school. For some, it’s the best years of their lives and for others it’s that time when you count down the days until college. This is the time when everyone is trying to find themselves and figure out who they are and what they want to be. As a survivor of that bumpy high school road, here’s my advice to all of you girls going through it right now.
1. Everything happens for a reason.
When a dumb boy breaks your heart, you fail a big test, or you don’t get elected to that position you thought you had to have, it may feel like the end of the world, but I promise it isn’t. People are going to come and go out of your life and you aren't going to do well at everything, and that’s totally OK. Sometimes, in order to get what you really need, you have to lose a few things you want. You’ll understand it later. Trust me.
2. It doesn’t matter if you’re popular
One of the worst parts of high school was the cliques. It’s so easy to feel left out when you see people having fun at a party without you or get jealous when everyone seems to love that one girl who is low-key mean. But being popular in high school won’t really matter once you get to college. Nobody is going to care to remember who the girl was that got the most Instagram likes out of your graduating class, who won every election, or who all the boys liked. Instead, they’re going to remember the people that made an impact on their life. They’ll remember the girl who was kind to them, the one who sat with them at lunch when they were all alone, or the one who helped them with their homework. Instead of worrying about being cool and trying to hang out with the mean girls, try to be the best version of yourself.
3. Don’t waste your time caring about mean people.
This was a hard one for me throughout high school, but not everybody is going to like you and there is nothing wrong with that. Yes, that girl is super rude and it makes you upset that she doesn't like you, but the best thing to do is just ignore it. Don’t waste your time and energy caring about people who have nothing better to do than worry about you. One day, that person who made fun of your haircut or the one who called you ugly are all not going to matter to you anymore, so you might as well be the bigger person and let it go until that day comes. Mean people never go far in life, so if you stay positive and look toward your future, you’ll just keep on improving while they bring themselves down.
4. If you are one of those mean people, stop now while you’re ahead.
Yeah, it may feel great being the queen bee now, but instead of thinking about yourself, you should think about the people that you’re impacting. Everyone may seem to love you to your face, but (sorry if this is harsh) they all secretly hate you and that is for sure no fun. Get in the habit of being kind to everyone, even when they aren’t around to hear what you’re saying. The girls in high school who are popular for being cliquey always end up being unsuccessful as adults, so think about how you want your life to go before you step on any more toes.
5. Study hard, because you'll have to in college.
Even though I haven’t been here long, college has already been one of the best experiences of my life. I’ve made so many new friends, gotten involved on my campus, and had tons of new experiences that I would never have before. So yes, it is super fun and will be some of the best years of your life, but it is also hard work. In high school, I could study the class period before for a test and still make an A, but in college, you have to learn to start studying as soon as you learn the material in class to stay on top of things. You’ll get used it after a while, but my advice is to start forming good study habits now so that it isn’t a huge slap in the face when you look at your first test.
6. Brush off the embarrassing moments because nobody is going to remember
Have you ever laid in bed at night and thought of all the times you did something stupid and get super embarrassed? Me too. But even though we all do this, always remember that you are probably the only one who remembers that time when you tripped and fell on some senior boy or you couldn't do a push-up in gym class. Even if they do kind of recall it now, they won't remember a year from now.
7. Don’t be afraid to do what makes you happy
Don’t let other people hold you back from what you really want to do. If you’ve every felt pressured to not go through with anything that could make you happy because you’re nervous what people will say about you, ignore what people might have to say and do what makes YOU happy. If you hate being the quiet girl and want to break out of your shell, do it and don’t be afraid of whether people won’t like you or not. If you hate being a blonde but are nervous that people might not like you as a brunette, dye your hair and don’t let anyone tell you not to. If you like clothes that are out of today’s current trends, start your own trends and ignore the people that disapprove of it. Just be the happiest version of you!
8. Most importantly, learn to love yourself.
High school, for me, was definitely one of the times in my life that I was the most insecure, especially as a freshman and sophomore. It took a while for me to accept myself and to feel confident in my own skin, but now that I have, I’ve never been happier. You don’t need to seek approval from others to be happy. As soon as your confident and accept yourself, you’ll feel so much better than you did worrying about whether your selfie got enough likes or if you were chosen for homecoming court. As the wise Hannah Montana once said, “Nobody’s Perfect,” so it is time that we all acknowledge that and move on. You’re young, you’re beautiful, and you have so much potential. Now go live your life to the fullest.
