Why You Shouldn’t Peak In High School
High school is either fondly looked back or despised by most people. While I’ve met a few people that felt indifferent towards their high school experience, I usually hear an extreme response whenever someone discusses their experience. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying your time in high school but don’t let your this short period of your life define you. Here are some reasons why you shouldn’t peak in high school.
Only Four Years.
While at the time it may feel like your current social status in high school will be permanent, this could not be further from the truth. You may have little to no friends or you could be the most popular person in the school; Regardless, your social status will inevitably change. Due to how shortsighted most teenagers can be, they often place value on things that will ultimately be irrelevant. Because it won’t matter who’s dating who and who’s the most popular within three years, you really shouldn’t strive to rise to the top of the social ranks.
You’re Still Developing.
Despite everyone attempting to seem more mature than they really are, you’re all still developing teenagers. Yes, your bodies are growing physically but your brain is evolving as well. Everyone is attempting to form the basis of their identity while grappling with complex emotions that they’ve never encountered. So yes, you’re going to have countless awkward encounters with the opposite sex and the various factions that you’re trying to join. There will, of course, be those among you that have everything figured out, but that could not be further from the truth.
You Don’t Wanna Be That Guy…(or Girl)
To reiterate my point above, you don’t wanna be that guy or girl with a high school mentality. Meaning that you view the world through the eyes of someone still in their senior year of high school. While these people aren’t necessarily bad, they are usually very shallow. An example of this would be anyone at your job that really takes stock in who’s the most popular person in the office. They often start cliques out of a need to have an identity and social dominance. The only way my brain can rationalize this kind of behavior is by assuming that high school is where these individuals peaked socially. Yes, they may have a job, family, and overall normal life, but their mentality and spiritually seems stunted in their high school highlights.
College Is Better Anyway.
It wasn’t until college that I started forming some semblance of an identity. Well… I did I have an identity beforehand, but I wasn’t exactly comfortable with myself. I’m not saying that college was a 100% smooth experience but I definitely met more likeminded people such as myself. Not only that, but I also got a chance to meet a lot of people from different backgrounds. Because of this, my world view was greatly expanded and I was felt more enlightened. I was actually developing mentally and emotionally while sharpening my craft (writing). I say all of this because this experience was a far cry from what I thought life was while in high school.
There’s Much More.
If after a lifetime your favorite moments are distilled into your four years of high school…then that’s fairly depressing. One should embrace their future and not live in previous versions of themselves. You must strive to become greater not only physically but mentally as well as. This is especially true if you live in a small town or area where the populace stubborn to change or grow from the norm. If ever five years of your life you can evaluate yourself and realized that you’ve evolved as a person, then odds are you’re on the path to greatness. But if you come to the realization that not much has changed then maybe it’s time elevate your way of thinking.
