Tag: planning

My 5 Lessons of High-School

I still have not wrapped my mind around graduation. There is no possible way that my high-school years are complete! Looking back, I don’t regret a single action, decision, or memory. Looking forward, I cannot wait to see what God has in store for me in this next chapter. Now, while I do look back fondly on my time at Saint Mary’s Hall, there were many lessons learned. No, I don’t just mean school work. Some hold more importance than others, but all shaped me into who I am today.

First of all, I learned that good friends are really hard to find. My best friend and I, while we did meet in 8th grade, didn’t become close until my junior year. I had no idea that the girl who I color coded notes with in Physics freshmen year would be my partner in crime. While it was hard to imagine myself with such a good friend at the beginning of high-school, I can’t imagine myself without her now. She’s seen me through thick and thin and vice versa. We may be separated next year, but miles can’t destroy friendship. It only makes the memories even better and the future even more exciting.

Secondly, I learned to never lose sight of who you are and what you love. For the better part of high-school, I hid parts of me that were different from others. I wanted to fit in, so that was the best option: becoming a copy of others. I had no passion, following the crowd in the hallways like a lost sheep. When COVID hit the second half of my sophomore year, I was in a bit of a dark place. I had no idea what I wanted to do in my free time. Now, I’m grateful for that realization because it led to me finding new life, new passions. Thus, Peach and Grace was born! My old passions were reignited and I felt like myself again.

Third, I lost and found my self-confidence. I was a very confident child, knowing what I wanted and who I was. When I entered high-school, that all changed. Now, a majority of that is due to the fact that I let a boy dictate my life, but that’s a story for another post (coming soon!). When that relationship finally ended, and with the help of my favorite teacher of all time, I was able to find my voice. Before finding it, I wanted to blend in, the comfort of a small community. Now, I’m ready to speak out into the world; and believe me, I have plenty to say. I’ve experienced what it’s like to be silenced and I don’t want to go back. Once you’ve found your voice, hold onto it. Be proud to use it!

Fourth, surround yourself with like minded people. My freshmen year, I really didn’t join any clubs. I ran for sports council and that was it. My Sports Council career has been one of my proudest accomplishments in high-school, but that wasn’t satisfying my hunger for involvement. My junior year I branched out, joining the Young Conservative and Independent Voices club. My senior year I branched out even more, joining Creative Writing, Philosophy, Student Investment Group, participating in a city wide finance competition (we won btw), and even playing lacrosse! It was my last year it high-school and I wanted to make it count by filling it with memories that will last forever. By surrounding myself with new things and like minded people, I always had something to look forward to, never dreading another day at school.

Finally, and this one may seem a little nerdy, but I learned the value of a good planner. The one thing that keeps me sane in my busy world is my little gold binder. It has everything going on in my life, even what blog posts I’m going to publish next! Every little idea that pops into my mind gets scribbled in that binder. I’d like to confidently say that I’ve mastered the art of planning, but I feel I’m always learned new tips and tricks, especially from Tik Tok. Whether you like planners or not, I highly recommend finding a way tot keep yourself organized. It definitely makes life easier.

Now, this isn’t everything that I’ve learned in my high-school career, but I would say these are the top 5 most important lessons. Some were learned the hard way and some the easy way, but each holds the same amount of importance in my eyes. I definitely plan to use these as guidance throughout my next 4 years of college (I’m already organizing my schedule in my planner as we speak). Whether you’ve yet to enter high-school, are currently enrolled, or have graduated like myself, I hope these help you however you chose to implement them.

Plan G

As the future is a topic fresh on my mind right now as college applications are being completed, I feel like I have to follow a plan that I’ve been putting together since I entered high-school. Countless people, coaches, counselors, teachers, parents, and friends have told me that I’m going to end up where I’m meant to end up. While it is easier said than done to stop worrying about this “plan” of my future, I find myself referring back to this verse on a weekly basis.

It’s easy to plan out our lives. We have this distinct reality of what we want our days, weeks, months, and even years to look like. Well news flash…your life isn’t always going to go accordingly to how you planned it. We’re always going to have unexpected curveballs thrown our ways. There’s no way to avoid it.

While it’s hard to remember, God always has a larger purpose that we have no idea about. Being comfortable in life right now, you could be somewhere totally different and unexpected in a few years. For example, my freshmen year I thought I would always be spending Friday nights with the same people doing the same things: dinner and movies. Well, I can confidently say that last year, only two years later, I didn’t spend one Friday night with the same people eating dinner and watching movies. Crazy how life changes!

It’s scary not knowing the unknown. Especially when you’re in the process of making a decision that’ll affect the next 4 years of your life. In-order to compensate for that fear, we tend to plan (or sometimes over plan) to create a sense of comfort that we have somewhat of an idea of what’s going to happen. The reality though? Our idea of what’s going to happen isn’t an accurate assumption of what’s actually going to pan out. Sure, our plan could serve useful as a guideline, but in the end, if it’s not in God’s plan then it isn’t meant to be.

So, if plan A doesn’t seem to work out. Or B, or C, or D…just know that once you get to plan G, or plan God, then you’ll be exactly where you need to be. No doubt about it.