The 6 Most Important Lessons I Learned in High School

Welcome back to Diary of a Small-Town Girl! Today, I’m going to be sharing the 6 most important lessons I learned in high school. For me, high school was a pretty transformative time, and while it wasn’t always easy, I am incredibly grateful for my high school experience.

So, without further ado, here’s the 6 most important lessons I learned in high school!

Lesson #1: Do the Things You Want to Do

Don’t be afraid to do the things you want to do. Chances are, people won’t judge you, and even if they do, their opinions don’t matter as much as yours does. I wish I had learned this lesson earlier, because I probably would have had more fun in high school if I wasn’t worrying about what others though of me.

Lesson #2: Don’t Overextend Yourself

I did it all in high school – from marching band to theatre to student council – I was involved in so many activities. And don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved my activities. They were my favorite part of high school. But sometimes, being so involved was overwhelming and I probably should have taken a step back from some of the activities I was in.

Overextending yourself can lead to burnout, which is the worst feeling. While I absolutely recommend getting involved in high school, make sure to check in with yourself and to not take on too much. Remember – you already have school 8 hours a day and homework on top of that. Join the activities you love and actively participate in them, but make sure you’re not overextending yourself.

Lesson #3: Find Good Friends

Friendships in high school can be pretty difficult. At least, they were for me. If you’ve read my other posts about high school, you’ll know that my friendships during my first three years of high school were kind of all over the place. However, in my senior year, I found an amazing group of friends who support, motivate, and encourage me. Surround yourself with people who push you to be your best.

I heard once that we are the 5 people we spend the most time with, and I have found that this is definitely true in my own life. When I spend time with people I love who motivate me to be a better person, I become a better person. When I spend time with people who are consistently negative, I feel drained. Finding people you love being around and who help you to be your best self is so important in high school, so try to learn this lesson earlier rather than later!

Lesson #4: Ask for Help

Please, learn to ask for help. It is seriously one of the most, if not THE MOST important lesson you can learn. People want to help you. They want you to succeed and do your best. But no one can help you if you don’t ask. For me, I used to (and sometimes still do) view asking for help as a sign of weakness, but it actually is a sign of strength. When I am feeling totally overwhelmed or stressed out, just asking for someone to listen or help take some of that weight off my back helps instantly. So please, learn to ask for help. It will make your life infinitely easier and better.

Lesson #5: Think About the Future, But Don’t Worry Too Much

I am a chronic worrier about the future. It’s kind of just a part of who I am. However, I’ve been working on not worrying as much. While it is great (and necessary) to think about the future, don’t let anxiety get in the way. There is a big difference between exploring what you might want in the future and unhelpful spiraling into everything you “need to get done because if you don’t your future is ruined” (Spoiler: YOUR FUTURE IS FINE). And honestly, I still struggle to tell the difference sometimes, but finding a good balance between thinking about the future and living in the moment is so important.

Lesson #6: Live in the Moment

Speaking of living in the moment, this is by far the most important lesson I learned in high school. Living in the past or the future is useless. The present moment is all we truly have and when you aren’t focused on the good in the present, you are missing out. Even though high school can be incredibly difficult, there is so much good to be experienced in it. If you take anything from all my rambling, please take this lesson and try as hard as you can to learn it.

Wrap Up:

Thank you so much for reading to the end! These are the 6 most important lessons I learned in high school. I hope you found these lessons helpful and that you are able to learn them sooner rather than later. Let me know in the comments which of these most resonated with you, or share the most important lessons you learned in high school! See you next week.