High school is taken way too seriously. Just think, you spend only four years in this school and then it’s time to move on to the real world.

Most of what you do in high school doesn’t actually matter in life–of course, putting academics and athletics/activities aside. For most people, though, athletics and activities can fall into that category as well. Many are going to hate on me and criticize me for saying this, but is it not true?

No one will remember that one night after prom 10 years from now, no one will remember how ‘cool’ you were in high school, no one will remember every little detail about everything. It doesn’t make sense to live every day in high school worrying about where they stand on the popularity pedestal, or worrying about their social status or getting caught up in drama. It’s all pointless.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s obviously better to have friends and be liked by others. But, if you find yourself in a situation where you might lose a friend or mess up your social status a bit, it doesn’t matter. Just do the right thing. When it’s all said and done, at the end of your four years in this school, how many of your ‘friends’ are still going to be your friends? When you’re out of college, buy a house, and get married, then how many of these people will you really talk to still? Not even that, but how many of your friends freshman year are still your friends by senior year?

We shouldn’t be so caught up in the whole high school mindset. We should take a step back and just enjoy the ride. Everything you do in school, you will be judged whether it’s good or bad, so you might as well do the things you like doing and have fun doing it. Enjoy everything you can and stop with the petty drama and nonsense things that will not matter in the long run.  

Upperclassmen are living proof of this, too. How many of us can actually remember every detail that happened freshman year? In the moment, you think everything is such a big deal, and you think everything is going to have such an impact on your life. It clearly is long gone and forgotten about, and we’re still in school. Just think about when we get out of high school. Nothing will be talked about.

This is probably hard for some to imagine and wrap their head around because high school and school in general is all that we’ve ever known. There comes a time when we have to grow up and realize that  small, petty things are irrelevant to life. What matters is your school work and to some, after school activities.

You should come into school worrying about bettering yourself for the future, not worrying about foolish drama that is going to be forgotten about very quickly. Worry less about others and more about yourself because, in the end, you are the only person you can rely on 100 percent of the time.

High school is just a stepping stone into the real world. This may be taken as a negative message, but it’s not. It’s a realization. We need to grow up and do what makes us happy. Do what you want to do, things that will make you better, things that will improve yourself and your character. Forget what other people say and think, if you’re happy, that’s all that matters.

High school is just a stepping stone. Treat it that way and enjoy the ride.