The Small Things

Hi. As you all may know, we are graduating this year. Each and every one of us, for the most part. The high school experience that you will be hearing about today may be vastly different from the countless others you will be hearing in the upcoming days. Or it could ultimately be the exact same thing you have heard a million times over and you may come out of this speech not remembering a single thing I have said due to the three minute power nap you have just taken. To that I say, I don’t blame you.

High school is full of ups and downs, from amazing friends and great memories to horribly boring assignments and awful classes. One thing that everyone can agree on is that high school is full of experiences both good and bad. Many classes and teachers through highschool attempt to teach us lessons that we should take with us into the future to live and learn by. In reality it is the people we meet in high school that we will remember forever and the small things in our everyday lives that teach us the biggest lessons. You may be thinking, “what about that economics lesson that taught us about the best way to pay for college?”. Who am I kidding? Of course you aren’t. These are the lessons that school teaches us but we don’t take away like the small lessons that we learn from in our everyday lives.

So, why do I bring up these details? To show you that you have to make the most out of high school and all of the small things that happen mean the most in the long run. As an experienced high school student I can tell you that if you do not make the most out of every moment your high school career will feel like you’ve experienced it through the eyes of the gummy bear stuck to the ceiling of Mrs. Chick’s room. It will feel as if the whole experience was pointless and you have done nothing but watch as the years go by.

If I have learned anything throughout these four long years, it is to get into some kind of club, activity, sport, or just be outgoing and talk to people as it will open up many more opportunities for you to make new friends, new memories ,and new stories that will be everlasting. I, for one, failed at this. This is something that could have greatly enhanced my experience. There are so many ways different things that you can do in high school to make it one of the most memorable times of your life and many people take it for granted.

The outlook you have when entering high school will determine just how much you enjoy your four years here. Instead of entering high school thinking of it as a four-year prison term which, admittedly, I did, come into it thinking of it as an opportunity to have fun while setting yourself up for a potentially great future. Many of us focus on the negative sides of things, this will prevent you from being successful and happy in your future. If you look at the positives in high school, I promise you will make it through and have a better time than those who didn’t. I have met some of the most amazing people and created long lasting relationships with a good portion of them in this place which so many see in a negative light.

Along with having a good attitude towards school, one thing that will benefit each and every person in high school is not procrastinating. Procrastinating is something that everyone does, some more than others, but that does not make it a good thing to do. The more you procrastinate, the more you will realize you are being crushed underneath a giant pile of work throughout the entire year. By saying, “I’ll just do this tomorrow” on every assignment on every tomorrow for the next three months of tomorrow’s, you will end up with a huge workload which will end up being crammed into the last month of school. This causes so much unwanted and, frankly, easily avoidable stress.

What I am trying to say is that sometimes we make ourselves feel as if we are in a dark place when in reality we just have our eyes closed. This can be easily be fixed by simply opening our eyes to all of the good things that surround us on a daily basis even if it is just a very small detail of your day. With that being said, enjoy your time here.

Photo on Foter.com