Four years of high school come with a lengthy set of challenges and distractions no matter who you are, what school you attend, or what your priorities are. At a school as academically rigorous as Westford Academy, these stressors and distractions are even more inflated. Things such as GPA, SAT’s, deadlines, friends, social events, sports, clubs, and much more are all causes of stress in high school, but at the end of the day, most of them truly do not matter as much as you might think.
Four straight years are spent going 100 miles per hour trying to balance all of the things I just listed. Monday through Friday all come with their own daily challenges, and then the weekend comes. 48 hours goes by like a flash, and then Monday comes once again. We spend four years just trying to get to the next thing, waiting for the next weekend, half day, or vacation. Then one day, it is all over. Graduation day comes, and all of the worries that existed for the last four years simply vanish into thin air.
Personally, I wish I could go back and restart high school with the perspective I have now. Looking back, these worries have become a distant memory, and I can only imagine how much more I would have enjoyed day to day life if I had instead prioritized the right things. Now heading into college, I, along with all other graduating seniors, will experience an entire new set of challenges and stressors. I am going to challenge myself to use the perspective I have now, and do everything I can to prioritize only the things that I know will matter to me five years from now.
For all of the underclassmen, juniors, and even fellow seniors, my advice is to try to implement this same mindset as we all navigate through the next five years of our lives. With that being said, I also understand that what “matters” in life is different for everyone. Some may argue that grades, GPA, and SAT’s are the most important thing and should be the number one priority. Some may think that sports and other extracurricular activities should be the main focus. No matter what you personally believe, maintaining this perspective will not let you down, because at the end of the day spending all four years of high school prioritizing the things that you know will still matter to you in the future will help you graduate with no regrets.
The next step will always bring a new set of challenges, from starting college, to entering a field of work, to even starting a family. Despite this, always maintaining perspective about what truly matters to you, can help weather the storm that is the unknown. I will be forever grateful to WA for teaching me this lesson alongside many more, and look forward to what is up next.
