I believe that every event that occurs in our life brings opportunity to learn a lesson and grow as a person. Obviously a major part of our life is school, considering we're required to go until we're at least sixteen. While school is an institution for learning things like the quadratic formula or how to dissect a frog, I believe you can indirectly learn a lot about life through school.
Stepping into my last year of high school I can definitely look back and see how much my personality has developed and my mind has expanded over the course of high school. While high school can be a royal pain at times, I'm truly grateful for the life lessons it has taught me thus far. Here are three things I've learned from my three years (so far) in high school:
1. Stepping into who you are is not a negative thing.
The high school years are a huge turning point for a person's life. You truly start to inquire what you want to make of yourself in life, and what you want to go on and do. Those are changes and decisions that are not to be taken lightly. I think while making those changes and decisions, we mature and grow a lot as a person.
Many people refer to change as a negative thing. Not being stuck in the mundane can sometimes be an awkward feeling, but it is not negative and it is definitely necessary. Sometimes people don't want to see you change because they've become comfortable with who you've been, up until this point. However, I think an apology is unnecessary for growing as a person and learning who you are. I think change is healthy and shows that you've allowed important moments in your life to shape and better you.
2. Value the mind you were blessed with.
If we valued our own ideas, thoughts, and opinions even a fraction as much as we valued others', we'd have more confidence in ourselves. I think the reason we lack confidence to speak up about our thoughts, whether it be in class or against injustice, is because we don't think our voice is valuable.
No matter where you come from or how old you are, your mind flows with thoughts and ideas that are worthy of being valued. If we don't understand this at a young age, it may create a foundation of lack of confidence in ourselves and allowing people to walk over us in life.
3. Quality is more important then quantity.
Many times we associate this saying with relationships with people. I think that this saying is applicable to many areas of our life, not just friendships.
I can't stress enough how important it is to create a life for yourself that doesn't just look good, but is good. Quality friendships, marriages, and careers are so much more important than friendships, marriages, and careers that look great from the outside, but behind closed doors are a disaster.
I'm grateful for the life lessons that high school has taught me, both in the classroom and in the halls. I can't wait to see what lessons I'll learn in my last year of high school.