5 years seems too short to portray everything that I've gone through in high school. I guess it is right to say that our youth is reserved to be a journey that bounds to go astray sometimes. Just like movies, nothing is engrossing if the whole movie is only filled with happy occurrences without any conflicts and discords. Because in the end, the conflicts are the ones that fascinate the movie — ultimately contributes to the ending. The same could be analogised to our life too. In our story, we have to accept the predicaments we will go through, learn from them, and orchestrate the best possible ending for ourselves. Here, I want to share some of the lessons that I have learned. Lessons that I wish I learned sooner. Of which I hope you will learn too. <3
Academics
Learning is a passion, not an obligation
You may or may have not heard a saying that you can either get good grades or have a great social life, but never both. That is true to a certain extent. Unless you look at learning as something that you accept wholeheartedly, that pleases you to be doing it, that doesn't stress you out — you definitely can live a happy social life while acing all exams. Remember that to do things impeccably, you need to do it willingly.
Prioritise progress first before the end product
Only compare yourself with yourself
It is a hard pill to swallow. Not everyone was born gifted, and not everyone has the privilege to have a comfortable academics life. Reality is, hereditary value plays a big role in our grades too. But just like how ridiculous it would be to congratulate someone for having a rich family, it is also outrageous to praise someone for having a trait that they were born with. The measurement of success for me is how much you have improved considering your social status, wealth, hereditary traits and opportunities. I am a firm believer that people should contribute proportionally to their abilities. So, if you consider yourself to be privileged, do not be complacent — assist your friends that do not have a headstart like you have.
Back to the main quote, it is human nature to compare. Let it be others with ourselves or even others with others. However, it is something that we should minimise in our life. Comparing is unfair, especially when we are comparing one's success. Humans have limited reach to knowledge, and the myriads of variables causes it to be impossible for anyone to accurately compare two or more human beings in a manner that is unanimous to everyone. Hence, the only healthy comparison to be done is comparing your current self with your past self. This way you can measure how much have you improved within a specified timeframe. As long as there is progress, you are on track. School is never a competition.
So if you improve your overall grades from D to C in a gap of a few months; be proud of yourself! That is extraordinary enough. Be consistent and you will surpass your dreams one day :)
Benefit from what your learned
My physics teacher always emphasises the importance of learning applications in our life. If we want to get a better understanding of the topic, we must be able to put on that concept into our daily life. For instance, she always mentioned that she likes to watch superhero movies because it has a lot of physics involved that can be made as visual evidence for a concept. In the end, you don't learn to only get A on exams. Knowledge is beyond the realm of absurd letters that somehow determine your worth in academics. Another way you can benefit from what you learned is by sharing it. My experience with thespmnetic has struck me into a realisation that knowledge is universal. We should enjoy them together and profit from them together. Prove yourself worth retaining that knowledge. Believe me, you will fall in love with them.
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