How to Survive High School

High school is something every teenager goes through. Some people find it the best experience in their teenage years, while others dread the four years. As a graduating senior I found high school to be a greatly rewarding experience in my life. However my best friend, who is not much different than myself, dreaded it. What could be the difference between our successes? Popularity? No, it comes down to a simple answer: attitude.

Here is the background between me and my best friend. Both of us are strictly the average teenagers. Neither of us come from rich families or attend any prep-schools; we both were enrolled into public school. We worked at the same job together for the majority of high school, while neither of us ever had our license or car to drive. I can truthfully say that we are both decent, average looking guys. We conclude that any of our good or bad adventures throughout high school were not determined or helped by our looks. With this in mind, I would like to emphasize on a few key factors in our experience throughout high school that determined why I loved it, while he hated it.

Throughout school the choices and decisions we make effect our lives in various ways. That is a fairly obvious statement however the not-so-obvious fact in it, is that the choices you make are affected, first and foremost, by your attitude. Both of our freshman years were extremely boring. It would be safe to say neither one of us had a life. The preset of both our freshman and sophomore years were very similar in the sense that the past was repeating itself. For example, my friend and I were asked to attend school dances both years. Our attitude freshman year was along the lines of "I don't know how to dance" so we made up excuse such as "I'm to busy" or "I have to work." Our sophomore year we faced many of the same series of events, however I decided I wanted to change my life a bit. I attempted to change my attitude towards many factors in high school and found it a rewarding choice. Using the dance example, I attended my sophomore homecoming dance and in response was exposed to the highlight of my high school experience: partying. My best friend however was left out, not because he did not like to party, but because he couldn't change his attitude towards not being able to dance. To extend this example further, many people state "I can never find a party to go to." When in reality their attitude toward actually looking for a party was very limited. They probably didn't ask around at all and assumed they just can't find any.

With all that said, I am going to attempt to create a list of tips that outline how to change your high school experience. Keep in mind that the key factor in all of this is attitude. I literally forced myself to change my attitude towards many things to make my life better. My best friend was always stuck in the same mindset, never getting the best values out of high school. The following list plays a key factor in differences of attitude between us. As I went along, I followed this new mindset listed below, while my best friend ignored it and decided not to change.

A key factor in making decisions
"The only regrets I have in life are of the risks I never took." - I do not know who wrote this quote, however it is one of the best inspirations available in life. Just take a minute and try to think about a few things you would not have if you didn't take a risk. What if you never had the courage to approach the beautiful woman, now your wife, in that coffee shop? Try to apply this quote into your attitude, the results may surprise you.

Stay Open-minded
While it is best to follow your better judgment on a lot of subjects it is also key to stay open-minded. The reason is simple, if you are not open-minded you see things from only once side, making your decisions restricted. I do not use drugs, however I am still an opened minded person, therefore I am able to see that life is about happiness. If pot helps someone be happier, it is their choice. While I myself would not use drugs, my perception on that person would not change much because of a very mild drug use. Keep in mind this example would drastically change if the subject was a crack head who lives on the streets, addicted to Meth, or any form of drug dealers in general. Regardless, being an open-minded person is a great tool in life.

Grades
Unless you are literally challenged, school work is not that difficult. At times it can be hard, however it is possible. There are very slim cases when people don't actually have "time" to finish their work, or the "smarts" to complete an assignment. It comes down to just doing the work. Not doing it is your choice. Any advice I can offer you is to finish it. Even if it means passing with a C average, there is no reason to fail. It is never that hard and grades do matter. If you are a lazy person, try to change your attitude towards your work. Some times you will need to make a decision weather to party or finish a book. I tried to find the best common denominator in this area, which was often to listen to the audio while on my way to the party. Not the best bet, however it was better than blowing it off completely. Stay open-minded and adjust your attitude.

Relationships
In the seen of break-ups, high school is just that; school. True love in high school is so rare that it is not even viable. It is almost always better to move on and experience new things than wallow in self pity. The common cliché "there is always more fish in the sea" hasn't survived this long because it is wrong. Dumping people and being dumped are just part of the game. If you can learn to accept this fact, mold your attitude into a positive view, life will become much easier.

There are always those people who never can find a date. In an attempt to keep this away from a "how to score a date" how-to, I can only offer a few words of advice. Those are to believe in yourself, take risks, accept failure, and know that it truthfully is possible to score an awesome date, regardless of how much of a loser you are. Reinvent yourself.

Do Something
One of the largest reasons for my friend's failure in high school was that he was always bored. He would often complain that he has "no life". The fact of the matter was that he never did anything. His attitude sucked when it came to finding something to do. He often found himself searching random words on the internet, and playing 14 hours of video games. If you want to change something around in life, do something about it. Playing sports in high school is often a very rewarding experience. When you are in your house complaining about how you have no friends try to summon up the courage to go make a new friend somewhere. Do something, be productive, and get out.

Final notes on Attitude
Accept that your life is affected by your attitude towards a subject. The next time you find yourself in a situation that you can not handle try to reassess your attitude. Take a minute and breath, find all the logical outcomes or decisions and just follow through with the course of events to come. This can be used in many situations in life, especially high school. It can help you solve conflicts, avoid depression, and help assist you in difficult times.