Things I Wish I'd Known When I Graduated High School.

Once upon a time, I graduated from High School.  

For the commencement ceremonies, I got to wear a gold braid and yellow scarf that had some V-word written on it.  I'll admit it straight up, I thought I was a pretty big deal.  I thought I knew everything.  Unfortunately, I was completely oblivious in regards to some pretty important things.  Luckily, I figured those things out.  So now, only three years after high school, I am finally an incredibly big deal and I know everything.  Haha, Just kidding!  Please allow me to teach you what I didn't learn in the class room.

1.  HUNGRY WOLVES ARE EVERYWHERE AND I AM NOT FRESH MEAT.

Upon graduation, my cousin Jeff was courteous enough to inform me that Edmonton was full of savage wolves and I was, in fact, as good as a lamb to the slaughter.  In case you don't follow, these wolves took the shape of upstanding, side-parting return missionaries, or just any anxious LDS male, giddy to get to the temple with a girl; which makes the fresh meat they're after any young and fun, picture-perfect future wife.  Was I scared?  TERRIFIED.  In order to protect myself, I built a house of bricks and hid in it, because wolves can't blow brick houses down.

Well, I now know that hungry wolves exist everywhere and there are boy AND GIRL wolves.  Most people want to get married, some people just have a bigger appetite for it.  I also know now that I'm a lot more than a piece of fresh meat.  When it comes to getting married, I get to have a say, I won't just be hauled off to Cardston by some fearsome wolf.  In fact, I'm a wolf myself!  I'm just not a ravenous, desperately starving one.

2.  THINGS CHANGE, SO DON'T MAKE PLANS; SET GOALS.

If everything would have gone according to plan, I would be finished school and working in some hospital as a Respiratory Therapist.  And I would have been absolutely miserable.  Fortunately, I learned early on that it's perfectly fine to change your mind.  Instead of making concrete plans that leave little room for alteration, I now set goals.  Goals are flexible, easy to alter, leave room for other options, and still keep me pointed in the right direction.

3.  FLY BY THE SEAT OF YOUR PANTS.

I used to be a Nazi.  Not a legit swastika bearing fascist, but an up-tight perfectionist.  It was bad.  Fortunately, I received a swift kick in the pants and have been flying ever since.  Life is too short to live with your panties in a knot.  We all know how uncomfortable a wedgie is, so do yourself a favor: pick it, you'll be a lot more fun, happier, and people will actually want to be your friend.  Some of the best things I've done thus far have been absolutely random and split second decisions, such as going to Peru for a month.  I guarantee when you take the chance and do something on a whim you will be creating a memory.  Most "Remember when..." stories originate from the unexpected.

4.  SCHOOL AND WORK DO NOT DEFINE ME.

In case you didn't know, I was an absolute nerd in High School.  In all honesty, it was partly because I associated a part of my self worth with my grades.  "A" meant Acceptable.  93% meant I was a 7% failure.  Therefore, it was absolutely necessary to sacrifice fun and games in order to protect who I was, studying came first! In picking a career and what to take in school, I had to choose something that would define me and I had to be the best.  Thank goodness that's not how it really works!  I now know that much more defines who I am: my testimony, my relationship with my family, my relationship with my friends, the service I give, my hobbies and interests, etc.

5.  LIFE IS NOT FAIR, IT'S TOO GOOD 

I picked up on this one in Peru, but it wasn't until an old friend stated it in these terms that I realized how true this is.  We're raised in a society that is constantly telling us how life is not fair, we grow up expecting the worst and are free to whine about how rough we've got it whenever the smallest thing goes wrong.  Don't fall for that!  Not only do you live in a house, it's six times the size of the houses I went into in Peru.  Not only do you have food, you get to have a meal three times more than the kids I fed in Peru.  Not only do you have clothes, they're clean and you probably have enough to wear something different everyday of the week.  Do yourself a huge favor and learn this lesson, realize that your life is not fair, it's really TOO GOOD!

6.  HIGH SCHOOL IS OVER, MOVE ON!

What unfortunately took me the longest time to learn is this.  For the longest time I couldn't get over how good things were "back in the day".  I was literally trapped in the past.  Take it from me, this is an awful, awful thing to do to yourself.  Don't let yourself stay behind and wrapped up in what's dead and gone.  Life is happening right here, right now, not back when things were a certain way.  You're setting yourself up for misery when you allow yourself to think that things were the best "back when...".  You have the power to make everyday the best, even better than "back when...".

That's what I've learned and I consider it more valuable than all the knowledge I gained in three years of High School!!  Have a good week!!