As my high school days slowly tick away, I begin to look back on everything I have done, have not done, and wish I could have done better.

When evaluating some of my mistakes and regrets, I realize that somewhere along the lines, some random adult had told me something like this would happen. Like most things, learning involves taking action and making these mistakes in real life. Maybe if I would have listened to these experienced people, the mistake wouldn’t have been so hard to overcome.

Life is about making mistakes and learning how to never make them again. If I must make them again, going about it in a different way is imperative to learning how to really resolve these issues. Despite hearing from every adult along the way to “get involved in high school” and that “high school flies by, so enjoy it while you can,” I can truly say I never fully listened to them. I have wished away countless high school days and I have failed to get involved in every club or activity that spiked my interest.

As much as I would like to say I live with no regrets, I can proudly say I have a few. If it weren’t for the actions I have taken in the past I would not be the person I am today. For that, I wouldn’t change a single thing I have done or have not done in the past. Because without making stupid mistakes along the way, I would not be as prepared for college as I am now. So here is the important part of the letter, four years in the making. If I could have told myself three things when I started high school, what would they be?

To start it all off, it's crucial to remember to be a little less hard on yourself. Every day as I would push for perfect grades and a perfect life, I failed to find the little things that made every day a little better. As high school proceeded I slowly adopted the mentality that if I could find something small in every day, something that made me happy for at least a minute, then every day would be a little bit better.

At this point, if I could get the saying “Enjoy the little things” tattooed on my forehead I don’t think I would be opposed. Something about remembering things that are so small can mean so much makes every day a little bit smoother. Knowing that I am something so small in a world that is so big can be a little soothing. There is something bigger than just me and my issues, so why not find something small and take some time to emphasize that daily.

I have heard something about the rule of fives: if it won’t matter in five years then don’t spend more than five minutes stressing over it. Somethings take a little more than five minutes to get over but the idea is that the C you received in Algebra in 9th grade means absolutely nothing now. That boy from 10th grade, do you even remember his name?

At this point, you probably can barely remember what sparked the senseless drama last year. You wasted so much time trying to perfect every little aspect of your life that you found yourself lost at sea. It can be hard to focus on the main picture but sometimes you just have to remember that there is more to life than your one bad grade in math. So if you could go back and start it all again, remember the overall goal. From the get-go, you wanted to be happy, have fun, and get into the college of your dreams.

As cliché as it sounds, everything happens for a reason.

If it is meant to be, that grade or that boy, it will be. But for now, it’s important to remember that everything falls into place. Every day is a new day, thus, it is important to treat it that way. Forget about the events of yesterday and remember what today could have in store.

Every decision you make down the road should be for yourself. Stop stressing yourself out and caring what other people think. All that matters in your life is what you think of yourself, as well as what people who are an important part of your life think about you. Life is too short to care what people think, whether it is what you say in class or what you want to wear. When you get to college, you will be hundreds of thousands of miles from everyone who once seemed to hold an opinion in your life.

As long as you are happy with what you have done and the person you have become, nothing else really matters.

It’s easy to forget that you are living for your own self-gratification and the opinions of the people around you mean little in the grand scheme of things. Living each day by doing what you love will make you so much happier than trying to live each day for the ones you think you love. Remember your roots and what you find comfort and happiness in. Branch out from there on your own terms and not on those of others around you. When everyone else is gone the only person that will be left is yourself. Instead of always breaking yourself down for the people around you try and build yourself up for the future.

So this seems to be the end of the road. Not only do I wish I would have known these for my years of high school but continuing from here on out. It’s time to find happiness in the little things, not be so hard on myself, and to finally live for myself. It’s the classic line of life is too short. I just think I took too much time focusing on how long some days would be rather than focusing on how great that day could have been if I just tried a little harder. But high school is that grace period: when you can learn and correct all the mistakes you may have made along the way and to get more out of my college years.

It’s time to live for myself and look forward to all the success ahead.