I graduated high school in 2012 from a small town in central Illinois. I remember that year was full of Redskin pride, late nights at Steak 'n Shake, and moments that always came out blurry on my Nikon Coolpix.

For me, high school was a four year period full of fun, unforgettable memories, yet some of the loneliest, and most unpleasant moments. I remember the shock and excitement of winning homecoming queen my senior year and feeling so liked by my classmates. But the very next week feeling the embarrassment and loneliness of spending lunch in the locker room alone.

You always hear that high school will be the greatest time of your life or that when you leave you’ll wish to be back…but since graduating four years ago I realized a few things. If I could jump back in time for a quick, five minute chat with my younger self, I’d say something different- so here’s what I’ll tell you.

1. Remember that your time in high school is FOUR YEARS. I remember sitting in class eighth period everyday just praying the clock would tick a little faster so I could hear that glorious bell dismiss me to freedom. Those ten minutes seemed a year, and the four years seemed a lifetime. But in reality the average life-span says you have roughly 70 more years of your life! So though everything happening right now seems never-ending or invincible, remember that it’s only a sliver of your life.
2. I’d say that while high school is an important time of your life, it isn’t the single greatest thing you’ll accomplish. I hope you don’t get lost in the classes, grades, art projects, or achievements thinking your legacy and greatness comes from four years in school, cause you are so much more than what you can squeeze into those years.
3. The friends you make now are not just time fillers or friends to hang out with on the weekends. These are people that will shape your character, shape your memories and ultimately shape the direction of your life. So be really careful in picking your best friends.
4. Treasure your friends! The truth is thatmost of the friends you make now are going to be a fond (or not so fond) memory in your Facebook album five years from now. You'll end up scattering to different schools and someday form completely separate lives. I'm sorry if that seems impossible and depressing but it's just how it goes. So, in the time you have with your friends I hope you laugh, talk, dance, joke, and soak in as many memories as you can and that you don’t take them for granted. I hope they don’t become your life but that you love them as a huge piece of it.
5. What you wear now won’t matter. I saw it on my algebra teachers wall every day at school and it’s stuck with me ever since, a quote that said, “Five years from now they won’t remember how you dressed, what you did, or what you said, they’ll remember how you made them feel.” Which is so true. I remember the people who made me feel important or included…not who had the best pair of jeans.
6. Talk with your teachers. I wish I could go back and take time to actually get to know my teachers and take in the wisdom they have. Why is it that our society values materialism over meaning or meaningless information over wisdom? Teachers are there because they want to see you reach your dreams and potential - I wonder what could happen from a three minute conversation after class every now and then. Even if it means missing the bell. You can always get a pass.
7. See everything as an opportunity. If a class didn’t interest me, I didn’t bother to learn the material. I worked and studied to get A’s, but didn’t bother to really understand it. But wow, what if every class was a chance to gain knowledge in a world of unknowns, what if weight lifting in P.E. was a chance to learn about how to get results you want, what if an accounting class was a chance to learn how to manage your money someday? Sports is a whole other paragraph! Get out and try things.
8. Dream bigger. In high school it’s easy to think realistically. To schedule out the four year plan for college and to take that shot at the all-American dream. But what if God had something greater for you? What if you dreamt of the biggest thing you could think of and than had that dream again? God doesn’t want you to live a life of…”well that’s what makes the most sense”, “I can’t do this cause I don’t have the money for it”, “it’s what my parents think I should do”, or even “I don’t know what else to do”. God gifted and called you to more than mediocre, so take a chance and dream bigger.
9. YOU MATTER. I hope you know that you’re not just another face in the hallway. I hope you know that your voice, your words, your feelings matter, no matter what. I hope you believe that you are worthy of being loved, you are worthy of friendship. That you don’t have to change your laugh or die your hair every time the season changes. I hope you know that you matter.

If you’re in high school I hope you’re loving it and if you’re not loving it I hope you know there is life beyond high school. I hope when you look back in four years you see the good, the bad, the ugly and that it makes you smile.