Throughout high school, I was involved in a lot of extracurricular activities and I often overbooked my time, causing me to miss out on aspects of my family life. I participated in DECA, where I served as the President, Vice-President and School Store Manager. I won an international marketing title, while I was participating in the International Baccalaureate program, which is the most rigorous curriculum available at my school. I upheld the title of Historian in our chapter of the National Honor Society and I participated in BETA club. I ran for Lieutenant Governor at Boys State, while singing in the Boys State Choir. I was involved in Emerging Leaders, a club that shapes leaders within the community. My list of involvements from my high school career goes on and on. You could say I was an overachiever throughout high school, and now that I’ have graduated, I often ask myself, was filling my time with extra extracurricular activities really worth it?
In today’s society, it is often understood that a college education, or something equivalent to that, is needed in order to survive. We often see parents pushing their children into activities at a young age. Motivated children often keep the same mentality to enhance their involvement as they get older. I was one of those children. My parents put me in soccer and taekwondo at a very young age. As I got into high school, I continued to be involved in whatever I could and would often overbook my life. Sometimes, I would stay after school for multiple club meetings, causing me to miss family dinners and often times I would stay up to the early hours of the morning to write school papers. Was missing out on family dinner and staying up extremely late, just to be woken up early in the morning worth it? Personally, I believe it was, but I also believe that I took on much more than I could handle.
At the time, I complained a lot about how busy I was and would get upset because I felt like I was missing out on so many memories I could have been making with my friends and family. What I didn't realize was that I was making memories by being involved. I made some of the best friends that were like a second family to me. I was achieving things that I never thought were possible, and most importantly, I was learning new things.
There is a downside of filling up your schedule so tight and there are some things I regret with my extreme amount of extracurricular activities. Part of me wishes I had been at home, celebrating my birthday there instead of at a leadership conference, or I wish I could go back and catch a few more hours of sleep. Being that involved can also be a burden on your health. I spent an entire week in the hospital after pulling several all-nighters for class work. My suggestion is don’t overbook your time and always try to make room for the ones you care about.
So, if you’re considering getting involved or you're feeling like you are way over your head in being involved, then I suggest you keep going because being involved can change your life. Maybe you could meet your best friend or the future love of your life. You’ll make memories that can never be replaced and you’ll meet memorable people that can change your life. I don’t regret my involvement in anything, I just wish I had made more time to do more things.
