Growing up you are pushed through school. From age 4 to 18 it's a constant in your life. The routine changes slightly, but for me it was the same class members in the same building for FOURTEEN YEARS.

The days pass by slow but the years fly by. We dream of the day we finally "grow up". What we will do, where we will live, and who will be our friends till the end. But there's one thing I wish I could tell my younger self. Something I would have repeated to myself until I listened.

No matter how much you plan, God's purpose will always prevail.

Whether you go to college, join the military, go to trade school, or start your own business you must do what's best in your heart. Don't ever feel pressured to fulfill an achievement or take a certain path. You can only be yourself. No matter how hard you try to be something else, in the end through the struggles and inner fights you'll never be happy until you love yourself.

School isn't about achieving grades or popularity. School from a young age until after you get that final degree or certificate is about finding yourself. It's an inner dig to find the gold mine that is already planted in yourself. It's the process of polishing and shining until you are proud to show off that inner diamond.

Truly school is just the structured beginning to this forever process. Dreaming is possible and it's how you achieve success. BUT your success isn't in a piece of paper or grade point average or the social circle you are in. Success is loving yourself. Success is loving the journey and the path you are on.

Without school I would never of been the person I am today. I wouldn't of learned the life lessons and met the people I know today. Every person, friend or not, that has crossed my path has changed my outlook on the world and pushed me to change myself. Experiences at school have pushed me to work on myself so that I can change the world someday, little by little.