As a student, it’s tempting to think about other students in your class: that one student who never studies and always gets Bs or the other student who seems to ace every class easily and simply. You also might think about the most popular student who also gets great grades or the one who will inherit his/her Dad’s million-dollar business when he/she graduates from high school or college.
I recommend that you pay them no mind.
Do not let thoughts of inadequacy or a lack of privilege creep into your mind. Don’t worry about privilege (as it’s a slippery slope anyways and probably not worth your bandwidth at any age). Don’t worry about others. Focus 100% on you.
Your goal should be to get to know YOUR brain, YOUR thoughts, YOUR goals, YOUR dreams and don’t worry about others.
This solves so many problems as a student.
Learn the best way for you to study. Is it using index cards or is it using Quizlet? Is it playing Kahoot with classmates online? Is it going over your notes thoroughly before each quiz and/or exam? Is it working with a tutor and/or watching Khan Academy videos to reinforce your learning on similar problem types? Or is it all of the above?
Should you build relationships with your classmates, teachers, counselors, and coaches? Of course. Should you care about others? Obviously. Yet never allow these relationships to deleteriously interfere with your main goal as a young learner: academic learning and grades.
Remember that doing well in school and trying your best in each class generally helps you in all areas of life later on down the road.
And maybe you have a passion that you develop while in school that you make time for, ie reading novels, an e-commerce business, your writing hobby, or your film-making hobby, etc.
Yet note that this requires you focusing on yourself and not worrying about what the peanut gallery thinks.
No matter who you are, you don’t need to follow the herd. You don’t need to spend hours on Tik-Tok on the weekends. You don’t need to do drugs and alcohol and stay out all hours of the night. You don’t need to spend time with people who aren’t at your level of focus and dedication and shrewd decision-making abilities (though many of us do when we are young and naive).
Try to get through school with excellent grades and a good future and a good head on your shoulders. Don’t get lost. And never give up! Your life will have ebbs and flows and seasons; most of your classmates will never see you again (except for maybe at reunions). Enjoy your childhood as much as you can, yet remember to focus on YOU and building the discipline that will help YOU in your life — from school to the real world.
