3 Huge Reasons Life is Better After High School
[originally published August 28 2019]
You may have gone off to college after high school. Or, you may have jumped right into the working world. You might be taking time for yourself & choosing to heal a part of yourself. I personally attended college and couldn't be more thankful for the experience. Whichever life path you chose, here's why (and I hope that you can relate!) life is usually way better after high school.
1. You have so. much. time.
This is the era of your life when you can still make mistakes. You are an 'adult' but you have more opportunities than ever to take up a new hobby, meet new people, and learn so much! Yes, college is time-consuming - but it's also a choice to attend college. As a college student, you are learning about a whole new field and getting to meet a ton of interesting people. As a young adult in general, you still have so much to learn and this is the time to take advantage of new travel, work, social, and networking opportunities. You'll make the mistakes that your family warned you not to make. It's strange - your youth is 'an excuse' to test the waters. Don't do anything that makes you uncomfortable and please don't detrimentally screw your future up. Once you have an obligation to be a real adult, it's hard to find time to do so many things.
2. More time for personal growth
When you make mistakes, you'll learn obvious lessons. Like, it's probably not the best idea to get wasted every single Thursday night when you have an 8AM shift the next morning. The smallest lessons are the most important. I learned that some things I said that I believed were 'kind' were actually 'annoying' to some people. I learned that you can't always open up to people honestly because some friends will only love 'the best parts' of you. Your values are yours and there are people who will share the same. There will also be those who disagree 110%. Being yourself is the best way to find true friends (if there's ONE thing you learn from this post, let this be it!)
Sometimes, the most growing you'll do will be with just yourself. You'll learn that sitting alone gives you some solace of independence. You learn which jobs you can tolerate and which you can't. You'll change your major four times and never be satisfied. Maybe, you'll be creative enough to become a trailblazer in a new career. Do what's best for you - always.
3. People literally become themselves
THE BEST PART about this era is that you get to become the 'you' that you were always meant to be. You might not have your dream job or be dating your dream significant other, but you will have started to become the real you! In college, I watched my friends and peers break out of the boxes they were put into during college. They became so authentic and so f****** cool! I learned that I was a cool enough person to be kind to others and be kind to myself. I learned that I didn't have to lose weight to be attractive to others - ESPECIALLY to myself. Losing weight wouldn't make me a better person, but gaining confidence would. I learned that I didn't need a boyfriend to know that I was worthy of love from myself. No matter who else loves you in this world, the only person you'll know forever is YOU.
To my amazing classmates who became honest about sexuality, that is so cool! To my peers who finally learned that they have the right to speak without fearing judgment from others - you can do anything! To those who learned that beauty isn't about who you're dating, who your friends are, or what you physically look like, keep shining your beauty everywhere! To those who went through trauma and learned that life will get better, I am so proud of you. And, to those who are still waiting to do these things - what are you waiting for? Live your life and spread your goodness to the world that needs it so much. Inspire and show love to others!
