Working in my English class, we read the book “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch. For our final project in that section, we were told to make our own last lecture. I chose to reflect on the past years of high school and give a “survival guide.” For journalism, the seniors’ final story was to make their own sendoff. For me, I chose to expand on my own last lecture.
You Aren’t Always Going to Get the Apology You Deserve
This is a life lesson I learned early in life, but I didn’t realize how impactful it was until high school.
In high school there might be times when your friends drop you, a coach does you wrong, your teacher won’t help you, etc. You expect an apology; you want the other person to admit they were wrong. Most of the time and hopefully you will get an apology, but there are also times when no matter what, the other person will not give you one.
Just because they don’t give you an apology doesn’t mean you can’t move on. Clearly, they were too selfish to care about you so don’t put all your effort into caring about them.
Surround Yourself with the Right Group of People
Just like in the movies, there are groups or cliques in high school. Make sure to be with the right group for you. Peer pressure, substance, drama, and more issues are all things that different groups of high school will put in your life. You need to be careful; you don’t want to end up around the wrong people. “You are the sum of the people you surround yourself with.” Pick five of the people you are around the most, do you want to be like them? Do you respect them? If not change your group.
Give Yourself One Day…
Give yourself one day, usually the day of, to feel sorry for yourself. Bad things are going to happen, you are going to get disappointed, screwed over, dumped, embarrassed, etc. It is not the end of the world. Yes, it hurts in the moment, but it will pass. You are not going to be able to grow if you are stuck in your bed feeling sorry for yourself. So, give yourself the night to sulk and cry. The next morning, wake up and start over. Become a better version of yourself.
Be the Bigger Person
There will be many instances where you get angry at something someone else did. This could be many different things, it most likely will involve drama or rumors.
Be the bigger person. Don’t act like you’re upset, don’t attack them, don’t yell at them or cause a scene. One of my favorite sayings is, “Let them.” This means just letting them do it. Don’t act like it bothers you, they will get tired of fighting something that isn’t fighting back.
Their “karma” or consequences will catch up with them eventually, it’s not your job to decide what it will be. Just because they ruin your life doesn’t mean you have to ruin theirs. Something else will in the end, and you will turn up as the bigger person.
Establish Trust with Your Parents
One of the best things I have ever done was establishing trust with my parents. In high school you will want to go out with your friends, go on drives, to parties, and out of the house in general. The only way you’re going to be able to go is if your parents let you. Your parents will only let you go if they trust you. If you want your parents to trust you, tell them. Tell them about the things in your life, the good, the bad, the ugly. Text them and update them where you are, what you’re doing.
Finally, and most importantly, be respectful and spend time with them. You might think you have lots of time, but you don’t. High school flies by, and sooner than later you will be hugging your parents and childhood goodbye. So, go out to dinner with them, watch the movie they want to watch with you, run errands with them, and just simply spend time with them. You won’t regret it in the long run.
Be Okay with Change
Change is a broad category. But it is something that fits high school. High school lasts 4 years and throughout those years everything will change. This could be your friends, your interests, your confidence, your mindset, and so many other things that you wouldn’t expect. Don’t fear change. If your life didn’t change you would be stuck in a boring loop.
Be adventurous and open to whatever comes your way. Those random switches in your plan will lead you to some of the best experiences of your life.
Learn and Be Aware of Personalities
An important thing to realize when being in a social environment is to recognize other’s personalities. You will be working in groups in high school frequently and for the rest of your life. You will have coworkers, classmates, and bosses. You need to know their personalities, and even more importantly your own.
You need to know your own personality first, your strengths and weaknesses. Then focus on the people around you. Are they overly nice? Sensitive? Are they an extrovert or an introvert? After you figure out what their personality is, cater to it. It will be easier to work in a group if you are able to match your strengths to their strengths. Most importantly, communication will flow much smoother.
Closing Thoughts
Looking back on what high school was like, I wish I could go back and start over, knowing all this information. When you start high school, everyone will tell you that time moves in the blink of an eye, you will brush it off and wish your time away. By the time you reach the end of your senior year, you will wish you listened and appreciated your time as a kid. Take my advice, apply it to not only to school, but also your life. You will be thankful you lived in the moment and made the memories you did when it is all over.