Now that my first semester of college is over, I find myself sitting back and wondering: What happened? Who did I meet? What did I do? Who am I now? Who was I even in high school? (If there is even a difference between the two.) I realized I started telling myself, "Yeah, you definitely peaked in high school."

I've been hearing that phrase a lot the past couple of weeks — since people have started going home for winter break. I know I'm not the only one that thinks they did peak in high school (or maybe they just considered it and went on living their lives not overanalyzing, like I usually do.)

I think that such a statement is daffy.

To say that you have become all that you will ever be as a human being in the span of four years is a mild overreaction...to say the least. Think about it. Growth has an exponential component to it. You don't just grow once and that's it.0 That's all you're going to get. It's constant ups and downs. I believe that there is always an opportunity to learn something new or become better at something.

Maybe it would help to define the action of peaking in high school. It could really mean anything from, "I have met the most people I will" to "it's the best I've ever looked." Maybe popularity is what defines "peaking" in high school. But you see, that doesn't make sense to me, either! OK sure, people know you in high school... but that is not at all a basis for who is going to know you in the future, or the impact you will leave on others out in the real world.

The reason it's so confusing to define peaking in high school is that the circumstances are so different to those after it. High school is a confined space, you run into a combination of the same people every day in the same hallways. The world outside isn't necessarily the same way. To compare the social interactions and the people you meet in high school and those outside of it doesn't seem fair.

I think what people mean when they say they peaked in high school is that they reached their highest point and everything they do after just isn't going to feel/be as good as it was in high school.

But here is the thing, as long as you question who you are at given times and search for moments to improve, reaching your peak is always going to be an option. There is hope for all of us. This article was as much a reminder for me as it was for anyone else who needs it.

In any case, mine is a more optimistic approach to a rather glum subject. What I am trying to say is that there is always room for improvement.

Let yourself grow.

Don't settle.

And even if you do feel like you "peaked in high school," experience the lows in your life too. Only then can you really accept the highs.