So of course the second we get to high school we can picture ourselves as the big bad seniors paving our way to make it to the real world of college. As a freshman we just see high school as the awkward purgatory standing in the way between us and the dreams of college. And in continuation with that we think that as freshmen, high school will be four years that will seem to take a century to go by. Today I am going to give you three lessons that I think anyone could benefit from in order to have a successful high school experience.

My first lesson here is to remind you to never forget the big long term goal that you have put in place for yourself. If you dream it and if you really want it enough, you can have it and no one can tell you otherwise. It doesn’t matter what that goal is. Whether it be getting into your dream school, winning a contest, or joining a sports team anything that you believe you can achieve is worth your time and effort. Don’t let small, short term obstacles stand in the way of you achieving something great.

My second lesson ultimately helps you achieve the first lesson. And that lesson being that you need to surround yourself with friends that only want to propel you forward, not leach off you and hold you back. I can’t stress enough how important it is to have solid friends that you can really lean on when the going gets tough. You will come to experience that there will be times where you feel like you are so distraught/confused/frustrated/scared and need someone to just lean on and be there for you. Someone who will push you forward when all you want to do is give up, and in return you do the same for them and you both grow stronger. If you feel like you are in a constant whirlwind of tiring drama and arguments with certain people around you it is time to purge yourself from them and move on. It may seem difficult to do in the moment but you will benefit from it in the end I assure you.

My last lesson is going to sound a little cheesy, but lets be honest the cheesy sayings are the ones that are most true. So my last lesson here today is HAVE FUN. Yes, despite what your parents and teachers may say otherwise you can have it all in high school. You can have good grades, you can have sleep, and you can definitely have fun in the process. You just have to find a way to balance the three that works out for you in the end. Your future is so important and I can’t stress enough how vital it is that you do well in school, but I’m not here to be your parent so I’m sure you already know that. Yes school is astronomically important, but so is your sanity. And you will regret it at high school graduation when you look back at your high school life and see countless hours of stress/anger/resentment for four long years. Go to the football games, go to the plays, go out to get ice cream with your friends on a study break. The best memories I’ve made in high school are those that weren’t planned out and those that I could never even have imagined for myself. High school is a learning experience, but it shouldn’t be something that  you have regrets over.