...RAIN SAYS “DON’T,” … LISTEN TO YOUR BRAIN.
BEYOND THESE THINGS I THINK YOU SHOULDN’T DO, AND ALL KIDDING ASIDE, HERE ARE SOME THINGS I THINK YOU SHOULD DO:
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO BE RECKLESS WITH OTHER PEOPLE’S HEARTS, AND CERTAINLY, DON’T PUT UP WITH ANYONE WHO IS RECKLESS WITH YOURS.
- REMEMBER ALL THE COMPLIMENTS YOU RECEIVE AND FORGET THE INSULTS
- READ ALL DIRECTIONS FIRST, EVEN IF YOU DECIDE NOT TO FOLLOW THEM.
- BE DECISIVE. … AS YOGI BERRA USED TO SAY, “WHEN YOU COME TO A FORK IN THE ROAD – TAKE IT!”
- PURSUE JOY, NOT HAPPINESS. THIS IS A TOUGH ONE TO UNDERSTAND. IT PROBABLY SEEMS TO YOU THAT AN IMPORTANT GOAL IN LIFE IS TO BE HAPPY” . … SOME PEOPLE THINK THAT HAPPINESS COMES FROM HAVING NICE CLOTHES, PERHAPS A NICE CAR, A PRETTY GIRLFRIEND OR A HANDSOME BOYFRIEND. THIS KIND OF HAPPINESS CAN BE TEMPORARY AND FLEETING. … JOY, BY CONTRAST, IS UNPREDICTABLE. … IT COMES FROM PURSUING INTERESTS AND PASSIONS THAT DO NOT OBVIOUSLY RESULT IN HAPPINESS. …I’M TALKING ABOUT THE SIMPLE ACT OF DOING SOMETHING THAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU, NOT ANYONE ELSE. … THIS WILL BRING YOU JOY.
- CHALLENGE THE KNOWN AND EMBACE THE UNKOWN. ONE OF THE BIGGEST MISTAKES YOU CAN MAKE IN HIGH SCHOOL, AN IN LIFE IN GENERAL, IS TO ACCEPT THE KNOWN AND REJECT THE UNKNOWN. YOU SHOULD, IN FACT, DO EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE.
- CONTINUE TO LEARN AS MUCH AS YOU CAN AND REALIZE THAT LEARNING IS A PROCESS, NOT AN EVENT. YOU SHOULD NEVER STOP LEARNING. HOPEFULLY, HIGH SCHOOL WILL CHALLENGE YOU IN A NUMBER OF WAYS. YOU’LL CONTINUE TO LEARN IN A STRUCTURED ACADEMIC ENVIRIONMENT, BUT DON’T CONFUSE SCHOOL WITH LEARNING. YOU CAN GO TO SCHOOL AND NOT LEARN A THING. AND, AS YOU PROBABLY ALREADY KNOW, YOU CAN LEARN A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL.
- PLAY TO WIN IN ALL THE ARENAS YOU FIND YOURSELF IN. PLAYING TO WIN IS ONE OF THE FINEST THINGS YOU CAN DO. IT ENABLES YOU TO FULFILL YOUR POTENTIAL. … IT ENABLES YOU TO IMPROVE THE WORLD AROUND YOU AND IT PROMOTES HIGH EXPECTATIONS IN OTHERS. IF YOU ARE GOING TO FAIL, YOU MIGHT AS WELL FAIL AT A DIFFICULT TASK. ALTHOUGH IT IS TRUE THAT FAILURE CAUSES OTHERS TO DOWNGRADE THEIR EXPECTATIONS OF YOU, THE SERI...