Advice for Your Future

As a means of welcoming you to your last semester of high school, I'd like you consider the following video:


This is an exciting, albeit a little scary, time in your life. This semester will present you with challenges in ways you have not experienced before.

Be thoughtful about your actions. Try to make choices that will benefit you in the long run. You will likely be tempted to make this a very social time in your life. Ditching class or blowing off assignments can have pretty big impacts. Some of you will make choices that will result in your not being in the Class of 2010. Vow to not be one of those unfortunate folks. Make choices that you will be proud of later on.

Some of your relationships will become stronger. Others may crumble. Still others, often very important or pivotal ones, may become stressed or strained. Understand that those who love you may be both excited for you, and sad or scared for themselves. They may worry that you will not need them anymore. Those people will need your sympathy and understanding, even as they provoke anger in you. Try to be kind and understand where they are coming from - it probably comes from loving you so much. Try to treat them in the way you would like to be treated.

Most importantly, try to remember the wonderful and remarkable things about yourself. This can be a time of doubt. No one knows everything. Everyone makes mistakes. Even if you think you know where you are going and what you are going to do, chances are your life is headed is some directions you can't even imagine, yet. Act intelligently. Make good choices. Be the very person that your dog or your younger cousin thinks you are. Believing in yourself, even if it feels like you are faking it, is the first step to a great future!