1. Under no circumstances should you expect to come out with the same friends you went in with. I went through so many friend changes over the last three years that my head is still spinning. The people you thought you would be friends with forever are usually not the ones who will stick around by the end, and that's just the sad reality of it. I lost all but one friend right before my senior year, and ended up walking out with some of the most incredible friendships I could ever ask for at the end. Just don't be disappointed when your "BFFLs" drop you for a cooler lifestyle or more popular friends. It's just part of it.
2. If it's not for a grade, it's probably not worth doing. Teachers will try and try to convince you that every assignment they give you has a purpose and that they neeeever assign busy work, but that is a load of crap. When you've got all honors courses and ridiculous FACS electives that you did NOT sign up for, you don't have time for anything that is not essential to your GPA. So don't stress yourself out by pulling all-nighters for some stupid worksheets that are probably not going to get graded anyway.
3. Make friends with the staff and administration. It may be awkward, but it's got serious benefits. Besides just getting to know the people who play a crucial role in your education, it's really beneficial to have connections. I can't tell you how many times just knowing the right person has gotten me out of a lot of situations I really didn't want to be in.
4. Judging others does not make you any cooler. "Judging a person does not define who they are. It defines who you are." That's a quote I saw on Pinterest a while back, and it is so true. High school is hard, and some people don't have it as easy as others. Making someone feel bad about themselves because of the opinion YOU have of them is absolute absurdity. Lift someone up; give them a kind word. After all, you never know what they're going through. Show them Jesus.
5. Stop caring so much about what other people think. If I could just count the number of times I've witnessed people change their minds, actions, etc. because of what other people thought about it, I would be one rich girl. The fact that people are so influenced by and actually worried about what other people think is just outrageous! We are such people-pleasers, and it honestly makes me sick. "Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ." (Galatians 1:10). Live in a way that would be honoring and pleasing to God, and stop caring so much about what other people will think about it. It honestly DOES. NOT. MATTER.
6. Get a planner--and use it. My planner is literally the best thing that has ever happened to be (Besides Jesus, obvi). I am a super organized, schedule-oriented person anyway, but once I got a planner, I was like superwoman. I could organize EVERYTHING, and my friends and my mother probably hated me for a while afterwards. But despite my obsessive planning/organizational tendencies, it really did help me keep track of all the crazy things happening in my life. For someone who has next to no school-related extra-curriculars, I am one busy bee.
7. Stop trying to resolve conflicts over a text message. I used to do this--a lot. I hate talking on the phone more than almost anything in the world, and I rarely have time to meet people in person just to talk, so I thought literally everything was appropriate to talk about over texts. Newsflash: IT'S NOT. If something serious honestly needs to be talked about--good or bad--do it in person. Or at least over the phone, but try your best to make it face-to-face. It almost always turns out better because hateful things aren't said behind the protection of a phone screen. Stop hiding from your problems and confront them...in person.
8. Schedule breaks. As I've said, I always have a super crazy schedule that often leaves me super stressed and at the brink of an anxiety attack way too often. The best thing I've learned to do when I get absolutely overwhelmed with assignments/work/things to do is to actually schedule myself a break (in my crazy lady planner, of course). This gives me a bit of tangible relief to work toward, and I know that the madness will not last forever. Sitting down and just breathing will not throw your schedule off that bad. Trust me.
9. Keep your mind open. I had a teacher my tenth grade year that had one of Aristotle's best quotes on her wall. It said, "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." I know far too many people who completely shut other people out at the first sign of a differing opinion, and that is such a shame. It's fine to not agree with other people's ideas and points of view, but to not even be willing to let them share those ideas is simply ignorance. They have the right to believe what they want, just as you do. They also have the right to share it. Listen. You just might learn something.
10. Your value does not decrease based on someone's inability to see your worth. God created you with a purpose--a perfect, divine purpose. It doesn't matter if anyone else can see it, and it doesn't matter if anyone else believes you. Above all else, you have to do your part to make sure that God's will for your life is fulfilled. If that means losing friends, so be it. If it means sitting with the kid that no one likes at lunch, you do it. You love people like God loves people, and you be His hands and feet. Your value is determined by Him, and not anyone in this world. Don't let other people's earthly opinions influence your God-given purpose.
-Jacqueline
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