{ 10 } Things I'd Like To Tell My High School Self

It is coming up on 6 years since I graduated high school, I know, freaky. Time just moves so fast that in a blink of an eye, I'll be 30. Okay okay, I hope it goes a little slower than that.While I am finishing up my senior year at the University of Florida, I thought this post would be appropriate. My mindset has changed so much in the last 5-6 years and the things I thought were important then sound crazy to me now.#1 - Don't compare yourself to othersEveryone is d i f f e r e n t , it doesn't mean you are "below" some people and it doesn't mean you are more worthy than others. Each and every person in high school has a different lifestyle than you, whether they come from a wealthy family, dealing with parents divorcing, parents scraping by paycheck-to-paycheck. Don't compare yourself to others and don't judge others either. Everyone is fighting their own battle.#2 - It is OKAY not to know what to do when you grow upIn high school, I hated when adults asked me what I wanted to do when I grow up. Like I'm 15-18 years old, what do YOU want to do when YOU grow up? Most answers were not what they were doing now. Even now, a senior in college, I have NOO idea what I want to do. I narrowed the field down, but once I graduate and get my degree, it is a world full of choices. Be open-minded about school and it is okay to change your mind/major once you get into college.#3 - Your "Clique" is not foreverI still talk to everyone I hung out with in high school, but are we still as close as we were 6 years ago? Unfortunately, not. People move away for college, starting getting married and having babies. It is not a bad thing. I still love everyone with all my heart but we just slowly grew apart.#4 - Your parents are not "uncool" and they are usually rightThis one speaks for itself. Be nice to your parents because they do A LOT more than you think, and plus who else gives you money?!#5 - Be with a crowd that makes you genuinely happyDon't waste your 4 years in high school trying to impress someone or trying to fit into a crowd who doesn't have your best interest. Be with a crowd that will make the most of your high school years, and that make you happy.#6 - Do your Best ALWAYSIf you're planning on going to college, do your best. Even though high school is "easy" and you don't want to do homework every night. DO IT. In the long run, it helps you get into a great college. I graduated with High Honors and a 3.5 GPA, but I could've done way better. I barely tried and I never studied, but I made up for that when I attended Santa Fe College graduating with a 3.8 and now I am at my dream school, the University of Florida.#7 - DUAL ENROLL When I was in school, dual enrollment was not popular, but now everyone does it. I wish I would've taken the opportunity. It saves you or your parents so much money.... FREE COLLEGE AND BOOKS!! Come on, y'all.#8 - It is okay to be singleI tell my little sisters/cousins this all the time going into high school. You don't always have to have a boyfriend. It is okay to be single. No one is going to make fun of you, and if they do, those weren't your friends to begin with. I have a little different story, I met my boyfriend summer between Junior/Senior year, but we are still together. Six + years strong!#9 - High School is the best years of your life{ H A S H T A G NOT } High school is not the best years of your life. It is the time you have to start to find yourself and who you really want to be. College is the best years of your life...... by far!! :-)#10 - Drinking every weekend and doing drugs is NOT cool&& especially posting it on the internet. Be careful with the crowd you follow because not everyone has your best interest in mind.#10 + 1 - Stay chic & trendy. . .because if you win Most Fashionable or Best Dressed during senior superlatives, you will remember that ;-)The most important thing in high school is to love yourself no matter what. Before you get the perfect job or boyfriend/girlfriend, you have to love yourself and no what you're worth. So shine bright like the diamond you are!Xxoo, KC