"There are REAL problems out there, and petty drama in high school is not it."
High school students are often labeled as those who believe their whole life is represented by the situations they are in right now. Adults often remind us to think of how this will affect us in the future.
"This is not going to matter in a year, a month, it is not the end of the world."
They preach this to us every time we come home crying, time and time again hoping that one of these times we will finally understand they are speaking the truth. As much as we hate to admit it, wisdom only comes from years and our parents and adults we speak to usually have plenty of those. I am now realizing this as a junior in high school, way later that I wish I would have realized it, but there in fact is more to life than these halls of my high school.
We are reminded that there is a bigger picture we should look at other times besides when we are caught off guard by petty problems. Such as when we read bibliographies, listen to history lessons, or watch movies with sad endings. However, those humbling thoughts are quickly silenced when our own problems reappear. I am sure that I will forget this sediment sooner than later, but as of right now I am taking more things with a grain of salt as my time in high school dwindles. The reason for this was my good friend sharing her philosophy on life one late night on a show choir trip. She was able to open my eyes, though unintentionally, to the real problems there were, versus the minute ones we are faced with in high school. Now having a better perspective on how insignificant time, individual people are, and little letters on the tops of papers, I am able to enjoy high school more than I did before this conversation. High school can be really awful and I am sure that I have not seen all the hurdles it has put in front of me yet, but when I take a step back and look at the actual hurdles others are going through, and the ones I might actually have to face when I am older, these ones seem miniscule.
I wish more people could realize this, because if everyone saw the big obstacles that lie ahead in their own paths, or even in the lives of others, why would continue to place these itty-bitty, annoying, and idiotic hurdles in the lanes of others to trip them up. They should rather be preparing themselves to jump the big ones ahead, and worry about themselves. And if they already think they are going to finish this race in one piece, then they could help others by deterring those who refuse to stop placing the little hurtles in others lanes.
The sooner people realize how few days we have left, hopefully the sooner they will understand that causing these petty problems just isn't worth it.
JSL
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Monday, April 11, 2016
Hard Work.
Talent can only get you so far, but not everything in life will be handed to you on a silver platter.
As a high school student with little time on her hands, hard and persistent work is the only solution to getting things done. I began diving in high school after I ended my gymnastics career. Flipping in the air was nothing out of the ordinary, but this year, I found myself hungering to be better and get my name out there. With only one more year of high school left, my time left to make an impact was slowly diminishing. I made a decision to not waste the precious time I was given and implemented the years of hard-work training from my gymnastics years, back when flipping was not always so simple. Despite the unbearably early mornings in the pool, I felt myself getting better. I continuously would remind myself not to procrastinate on homework because I knew my weekends would be filled with competitions and private practices. All those mornings spent shivering, all the air that was taken out of my lungs when a dive ended in a smack, all the water swallowed never hindered my drive for success when I could see the leaps and bounds I was accomplishing. During the most competitive part of my season this year I unfortunately had a series of illnesses, yet continued to dive which legnthened my recovery time and just when I thought that I was good to go for state meet I injured my back during warm ups and competed in a lot of pain. I was still able to place 16th at state though. Although the season came to a disappointing end, I was shown that my hard work did not go unnoticed when I was named one of the swimming and diving team captains for my senior year. If hard work has gotten me this far this year, I can only imagine the progress next year.
As a high school student with little time on her hands, hard and persistent work is the only solution to getting things done. I began diving in high school after I ended my gymnastics career. Flipping in the air was nothing out of the ordinary, but this year, I found myself hungering to be better and get my name out there. With only one more year of high school left, my time left to make an impact was slowly diminishing. I made a decision to not waste the precious time I was given and implemented the years of hard-work training from my gymnastics years, back when flipping was not always so simple. Despite the unbearably early mornings in the pool, I felt myself getting better. I continuously would remind myself not to procrastinate on homework because I knew my weekends would be filled with competitions and private practices. All those mornings spent shivering, all the air that was taken out of my lungs when a dive ended in a smack, all the water swallowed never hindered my drive for success when I could see the leaps and bounds I was accomplishing. During the most competitive part of my season this year I unfortunately had a series of illnesses, yet continued to dive which legnthened my recovery time and just when I thought that I was good to go for state meet I injured my back during warm ups and competed in a lot of pain. I was still able to place 16th at state though. Although the season came to a disappointing end, I was shown that my hard work did not go unnoticed when I was named one of the swimming and diving team captains for my senior year. If hard work has gotten me this far this year, I can only imagine the progress next year.
Escape.
Escaping high schools pressure in a productive way can take on many different forms, mine however, is running. I have had many different paths of escape including tumbling in gymnastics, jumping of trampolines, diving, and now running.
I was a gymnast for 12 years, and thankfully my early years as a gymnast were not very stressful, but then came the middle school years that everyone dreads. Gymnastics became something that was stable, unlike the girls at school who claimed to be my friends, and pounding on the floor was something else I could concentrate on.
You would be surprised at how quickly one can get winded by jumping on a trampoline. Even as a physically fit kid I still had to sit down every couple of minutes. I would work on more gymnastics skills or try to do the fun thing someone showed me at gymnastics camp. I would see how high I could jump and imagined how high I could get if I jumped off my roof onto my trampoline. My trampoline was right outside and (weather permitting) I could use it whenever I liked.
Diving is a technical sport. Thanks to gymnastics flipping in the air was nothing out of the ordinary and I was able to catch on pretty quickly soon after I started freshmen year. Diving was not an escape at first, the early morning practices followed by my hair being soaked as I walked to my first class of the day was not always thrilling. This year, however, things changed. The difficulty level needed to be doing my dives was heightened, as was the risk component. As I said diving is a technical sport and while you are in the air there is little room for outside thoughts. Diving became an escape because it was something I could focus on, and it was also rewarding as I became a higher and higher ranked diver.
Working out every week was nothing out of the ordinary for me. Back in the gymnastics days I would be in the gym for around 20 hours a week. If I wanted to maintain the form I was in I could not stop after I retired, so I started going to a gym. A high-intensity work out only gives you one thing to think about, how much pain you are in, and the only other thing that you are fighting to put in your mind is telling yourself it will be worth it afterwards, and reminding yourself to breathe. Pain is a very good escape plan as long as its productive.
Sometimes high school can be really difficult, and being stuck in the same place with the same people who constantly remind you of where you are messing up and what they do not like about you can be just draining. It is too much, to be quite frank, and the unbelievable amounts of pressure on us are the reasons young people make bad decisions and turn to things that are not good for them. Staying active has always worked for me, but maybe for you its puzzles, rubics cubes, drawing, writing, singing, the list could go on and on. If you want to escape, its simple, just concentrate on something else. And also remember to just start laughing, although they may seem monstrous, the pressures of high school max out at four years.
JSL
I was a gymnast for 12 years, and thankfully my early years as a gymnast were not very stressful, but then came the middle school years that everyone dreads. Gymnastics became something that was stable, unlike the girls at school who claimed to be my friends, and pounding on the floor was something else I could concentrate on.
You would be surprised at how quickly one can get winded by jumping on a trampoline. Even as a physically fit kid I still had to sit down every couple of minutes. I would work on more gymnastics skills or try to do the fun thing someone showed me at gymnastics camp. I would see how high I could jump and imagined how high I could get if I jumped off my roof onto my trampoline. My trampoline was right outside and (weather permitting) I could use it whenever I liked.
Diving is a technical sport. Thanks to gymnastics flipping in the air was nothing out of the ordinary and I was able to catch on pretty quickly soon after I started freshmen year. Diving was not an escape at first, the early morning practices followed by my hair being soaked as I walked to my first class of the day was not always thrilling. This year, however, things changed. The difficulty level needed to be doing my dives was heightened, as was the risk component. As I said diving is a technical sport and while you are in the air there is little room for outside thoughts. Diving became an escape because it was something I could focus on, and it was also rewarding as I became a higher and higher ranked diver.
Working out every week was nothing out of the ordinary for me. Back in the gymnastics days I would be in the gym for around 20 hours a week. If I wanted to maintain the form I was in I could not stop after I retired, so I started going to a gym. A high-intensity work out only gives you one thing to think about, how much pain you are in, and the only other thing that you are fighting to put in your mind is telling yourself it will be worth it afterwards, and reminding yourself to breathe. Pain is a very good escape plan as long as its productive.
Sometimes high school can be really difficult, and being stuck in the same place with the same people who constantly remind you of where you are messing up and what they do not like about you can be just draining. It is too much, to be quite frank, and the unbelievable amounts of pressure on us are the reasons young people make bad decisions and turn to things that are not good for them. Staying active has always worked for me, but maybe for you its puzzles, rubics cubes, drawing, writing, singing, the list could go on and on. If you want to escape, its simple, just concentrate on something else. And also remember to just start laughing, although they may seem monstrous, the pressures of high school max out at four years.
JSL
Communication.
This is not only a lesson that will help you in high school, but will also aid you in your life adventures.
In your life, good communication skills are the key to good, honest relationships. Good, honest relationships are the key to success. Success is what everyone feels leads to a happy life, so the moral of the story is that good communication skills will most definitely lead you in the right direction.
The tricky thing about communication is the many aspects of it, verbal and physical, and the new addition of technological communication.
Verbal communication is something that is of a dying breed. We have technology to thank for that. In this day and age, there are many people, especially those in high school, that would choose to text rather than talk on the phone. According to statisticbrain.com, the number one fear of people in America based on a study they did was Glossophobia- the fear of public speaking. I know that this is but one aspect of verbal communication, but this falls under the same category. Although it often times seems that working on improving your verbal communication in a high school setting would not be worth your time, high school may actually be the best place due to the many different individuals you will come in contact with, giving you more experience. And with the many sensitive people who flood the halls you will become especially aware of your tone of voice and your diction. Verbal communication is a necessity because it is essential to creating personal relationships.
Physical communication is something seen and not heard. How people act without saying anything is a key concept in understanding someone. Crossing your arms, not making eye contact, edging away are all signs you would not have in an interview, or if you were having a conversation with someone you liked. Verbal and physical communication have to go hand in hand when you are having a conversation because how would you expect people to understand you otherwise?
Technological communication has taken away some of the key components in communication in my opinion. In a text, without an emoji, you cannot hear the person's tone, nor can you read their body language. And even with an emoji or if all caps are used there is still plenty of room for speculation. With the growing usage of phones I believe my generation is able to understand the meanings of text messages more than other generations have, but due to that we now are loosing our skill of actually talking to communicate.
Thankfully I like to talk. Keeping eye contact is not difficult for me and I can pick up on others' tone and stature pretty well. However I fear this is a dying skill that people need to revive. Keep talking, and maybe that will make you just start laughing.
JSL
In your life, good communication skills are the key to good, honest relationships. Good, honest relationships are the key to success. Success is what everyone feels leads to a happy life, so the moral of the story is that good communication skills will most definitely lead you in the right direction.
The tricky thing about communication is the many aspects of it, verbal and physical, and the new addition of technological communication.
Verbal communication is something that is of a dying breed. We have technology to thank for that. In this day and age, there are many people, especially those in high school, that would choose to text rather than talk on the phone. According to statisticbrain.com, the number one fear of people in America based on a study they did was Glossophobia- the fear of public speaking. I know that this is but one aspect of verbal communication, but this falls under the same category. Although it often times seems that working on improving your verbal communication in a high school setting would not be worth your time, high school may actually be the best place due to the many different individuals you will come in contact with, giving you more experience. And with the many sensitive people who flood the halls you will become especially aware of your tone of voice and your diction. Verbal communication is a necessity because it is essential to creating personal relationships.
Physical communication is something seen and not heard. How people act without saying anything is a key concept in understanding someone. Crossing your arms, not making eye contact, edging away are all signs you would not have in an interview, or if you were having a conversation with someone you liked. Verbal and physical communication have to go hand in hand when you are having a conversation because how would you expect people to understand you otherwise?
Technological communication has taken away some of the key components in communication in my opinion. In a text, without an emoji, you cannot hear the person's tone, nor can you read their body language. And even with an emoji or if all caps are used there is still plenty of room for speculation. With the growing usage of phones I believe my generation is able to understand the meanings of text messages more than other generations have, but due to that we now are loosing our skill of actually talking to communicate.
Thankfully I like to talk. Keeping eye contact is not difficult for me and I can pick up on others' tone and stature pretty well. However I fear this is a dying skill that people need to revive. Keep talking, and maybe that will make you just start laughing.
JSL
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Being Diligent.
In a world growing more and more dependent on the use of cell phones, one needs to realize that "hitting someone with that no reply" is something that should be left in middle school. I understand that sometimes getting you point across to some one can only be accomplished by ignoring someone, and in some cases it is perfectly acceptable. But as you age, the conversations where points like those have to be made will slowly decrease. You may still have the random creepy person that got your number from a friend of a friend, and the random strangers that "slide into your DMs", but other than those exceptions, replying is the mature thing to do. For instance, when you get a job, and someone asks if you can cover a shift, reply no matter what, even if you do not know or know that you cannot. It is just common curtsy, and you will understand the annoyance of slow-repliers when you must have a shift covered. The people you work with will also think better of you if you are on top of things when it comes to your schedule, so always keep it organized and never hesitate to take a shift when you can, you never know when you will need one covered on short notice.
Back to replying; in high school, there are many circumstances you may run into where you get into disputes with your "friends" and talking to them is the last thing you want to do. Let me give you a bit of advice, if they decide to be the bigger person and text you, text back. And if they decide to give you the silent treatment, be a good person and try to make amends. Fights are honestly not worth your time, and not replying to someone is no way to solve anything. Be the person who is the quickest to respond because it makes everyone's day better.
One last thing to remember, if someone is doing something for you, giving you a ride, inviting you to something, covering a shift for you, giving you homework, make sure to make their messages a top priority. They are going out of their way to do something for you and they deserve the fastest reply your fingers can type. If you take my advice on this, fewer people have the chance to get mad at you and therefore make your life easier.
JSL
Back to replying; in high school, there are many circumstances you may run into where you get into disputes with your "friends" and talking to them is the last thing you want to do. Let me give you a bit of advice, if they decide to be the bigger person and text you, text back. And if they decide to give you the silent treatment, be a good person and try to make amends. Fights are honestly not worth your time, and not replying to someone is no way to solve anything. Be the person who is the quickest to respond because it makes everyone's day better.
One last thing to remember, if someone is doing something for you, giving you a ride, inviting you to something, covering a shift for you, giving you homework, make sure to make their messages a top priority. They are going out of their way to do something for you and they deserve the fastest reply your fingers can type. If you take my advice on this, fewer people have the chance to get mad at you and therefore make your life easier.
JSL
Procrastination.
Do not call us lazy. Some of us care enough to get homework done on time, others do not, but procrastination is something we all do. With our ever-advancing society, there are more and more things that we need to memorize in order to get that piece of paper or to impress colleges. Just take history for example, think of how much has happened since you graduated! During our teenage years, we are defining ourselves. This includes but is not limited to our interests and what we find important. What I am trying to say is I apologize parents, but these math equations are not something I find especially important to me.
There are some that are actually lazy, and you can nag them all you want but they most likely will not change. But for the rest of us, do not try and get us to like something we obviously do not.
To put everything into perspective, think of why you get things done at work. Hopefully it is because you love what you do.
We do not love school. Hate to break it to you, but learning is not considered "fun" anymore. That ended in like 5th grade.
Here is my advice, sympathize with your kids. Understand why they procrastinate and tell them they will stress less if they don't. Encourage them to get things done so they can do the things they enjoy. High school is only four years long but it finds ways to drag on and on.
Your kid is not lazy, and calling them that will not help.
JSL
Success.
Jayden Lovell
P.6
Why Am I Obsessed With Success?
Second means there is room for improvement. Even after you win there is still more room because you were the best of the day, but did you break the record? How will you know that your performance is guaranteed to get you to the next level?
You must always keep working to better yourself.
Obsessions are something that typically do not have an end point. For example, when one is obsessed with a material thing, such as hats, the collect as many as they can and feed the hunger that cannot be satisfied. Success is something that is never obtained by someone obsessed with it, because it is rather an idea or dream someone has pictured for themselves. This means that the person obsessed with success will never obtain it in their own eyes, but are able to slowly devour the small victories they win.
Everyone wants to be successful right? It makes you feel good to have people pat you on the back, recognize your name because you have done something worthy of people knowing who you are. But the people who are obsessed with success never have their thirst quenched. Maybe it is only a high school thing, or has something to do with the fact that I am a teenager, but I know that some adults just sit on their records they set when they were younger and live off the success of the past. Whilst you are a teenager and are going through this phase of constantly wanting to improve yourself, the time you have to do it is limited. Not only are there only 24 hours in a day, but you only have a small portion of your life where you can push your body and its abilities to their maximum. Often times we forget about this time-frame and work ourselves into sleep deprivation, which lead to illnesses, which should lead us to finally resting, but we do not have time for that when we could be getting better.
Your best can always be better.
I feel as if there are a lot of people who will fall into that category of “used to’s” who once were obsessed with winning but once they are grown are please with the things they have accomplished. Then are the select few who continue on their obsession even after they have made a name for themselves. Those are the ones who cannot seem to get out of the cycle of always wanting to be better, the others, they just go through the phase.
Maybe I am just in a phase, but the view from first place looks mighty swell to me.
JSL
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