It’s been about a month since I graduated high school and I’ve been thinking about the great times I had as well as some of the more challenging times I had that made me who I am today. Sound a bit cheesy but it's true. This blogpost I really want to encourage you all to really capture your youth and all the opportunities that you have in high school. I hope the little things that I write on Fabulously Floridian really speak to you all, and you enjoy it along the way!
1. Don't limit yourself to normalcy
Break the mold and truly live by what inspires you; what fuels you every day, whatever that may be. To anyone reading this that may be a rising freshman, if you try to live these next four years of your life acting like someone you’re not, where’s the fun in that? Many people get caught up in in trying to be others, they don't reach their full potential. There's only one you in the universe, so be the best you you could be! In high school, I made up for the times that I wasted in middle school; well, all the times in middle school I didn't speak up for myself or bother to pay attention to my school work and even my friendships!. I’m not sure what it was, but at the end of freshman year I knew I needed to break the mold of trying to pretend to be some girl that I wasn’t, and I was completely okay with that. Even if it meant showing my classmates and others who I am, a loud, crazy, energetic person (okay, and sometimes messy) ,I wanted it to be my mission to stay authentic to myself.
2. Chase after your passions
I'm gonna try to do my best and not have cheesy titles for these, but it’s hard to fit all that I need to say into little captions! Attention all juniors and seniors, I want you guys to pay good attention to what I have to say. Junior year, I let too many false perceptions of my future creep into my mind. I felt that the only way I'd be happy is if I went to law school and became a lawyer. Wait, not even happy. I just remember trying to catch up to my genius friends (which wasn't all a bad thing, they gave me great motivation.) But I had this toxic mindset primarily all throughout my junior year that I just needed to prove to everyone that I was smart. Think Elle Woods, who just wanted to prove her smarts to her sorority and ex by following him to law school. I mean, props to her, she graduated from Harvard Law and looked fabulous while doing so, but like her I was seeking to prove my wits for all the wrong reasons and unlike her I wasn’t making any progress with pursuing law school. **hint hint**
I remember having a "quarter life crisis" as me and Rachel called it, which kind of shook me from that mindset. One night after dinner, we went for a little retail therapy, during this time of the year, it was all talk of college applications, and constant pressure from teachers and other students about assignments, who got the highest SAT or ACT, the list goes on. Long story short, the two of us ended up crying in Saks, part of the reason being that we couldn’t afford anything, but the primary reason being that we were both so confused of what to do with our lives. "Jillian I know you, you wouldn't be happy reading endless court cases everyday of your life, you need to do what motivates you." said Rachel, amid me pathetically crying.
She was right. Even if someone has said this to you before, I can’t stress how real it actually is.
Please, don't be like me and think senior year will be such a breeze, because it was definitely a wakeup call. I always felt bombarded with having to know exactly where I wanted to go to school, what job I needed to get, that it was almost suffocating to hear! I remember time after time coming home and yelling to my mom that I needed almost a huge "heads up!" for senior year, and that I had to be making major decisions that will pave my entire future; which, was kind of a struggle as I'm also so indecisive, haha!
3. Friendship is everything
Even though I've been going to the same school with basically the same kids from third grade to my senior year, that doesn't mean I have had the same friends all those years. I've had friends come and go, which was a huge struggle during a particular time in my high school career, just always wondering what I did for that to happen, if anything, without realizing that those disappointments, would lead to bigger and better things.
It might have taken me until the end of my sophomore year, (Not to mention, I met the best boyfriend out there unexpectedly that summer... now that was a good year!) but I have found the best girls out there (Fab 4!) they are my other sisters, seriously. We have had countless sleepovers, the most insane moments together and have lived and continue to live our young lives to the fullest. I remember that the week leading up to graduation was filled with such bittersweet emotions and even now, as summer is happening, I’m still experiencing those emotions as I experience all the happiness I have with my girls by my side, and all the sadness I experience from them leaving in a few short months. Hannah, Mary and Rachel, I wanted to thank you all for filling my life with so much endless joy and laughter (well, croaks!) Living in South Florida without you all is going to be quite a hard adjustment. You all have taught me so much about myself and have always been a huge support system by always believing in me. To Grant, such a close friend of mine who's creativity inspires me (and his humor, I swear we are the same person.) we still have memories of us in fourth grade together!
And not to mention the other friends who I have shared the greatest adventures with and end up crying laughing whenever we are together. (You guys know who you are... hint: snapchatgroup: GHJx4MRS ;) These friends who I have had countless memories with, I'll cherish you all and each of these moments for the rest of my life.
Find friends in high school that really bring out the best in you and who are excited for all that there is to come in your life, those are the ones to cling to. You shouldn’t have to change who you are when you’re around them; that proves the authenticity of how much they love you. This goes for friendships as well as any relationship you have with another!
I hope you all enjoy your years of high school and really make the best out of the years that you have, trust me, it's nothing like the movies, but with the right friends around you and a positive attitude on life, you can make it better than the movies!
XOXO,
Jillian
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