As a freshman entering high school, it’s a whole different environment. You don’t know what to expect and you’re not quite sure how you’re supposed to act. Walking the halls of Lake Zurich High School for the first time is intimidating. There are so many groups of people and it’s nothing like things were in Middle School. For many, things may get difficult. Times get tough and people encourage you to push through them no matter what the bearing is, right? Often in situations that bring us down, our human instinct is to react with a bad attitude. We live and we learn to get through life with better coping strategies to get us through solid times. Not everyone likes you, just like you don’t like each person you meet. That shouldn’t stop any person from being themselves. Life is baffling, yes. It’s how you deal with it that matters most. It’s who you grow into as a person that helps you through. For a long time, I felt trapped within myself. I didn’t know who I was or who I was meant to be. I’ve had countless nights where there would be a constant battle inside of my head. Everything in life seemed so foggy and I started to feel weak. Why was I feeling this way? I was scared. I didn’t know what to do or who to tell. I felt lost. Like there was no way out of a dark cellar I’ve been shoved into. I felt like I was screaming, but no sound was coming out through my quivering lips. Have you ever had a nightmare and woke up scared and in a cold sweat? You sit there all alone and you’re wondering why no one is there to tell you that it’s going to be alright? That’s how I felt. Constant thoughts that I was having started getting way out of control. I was frightened by myself. I knew I had to do something to change my mind set. Last year, I made the decision to tell the truth about everything. Such as how I always felt judged, how I’d walk through the hallways at school and felt disgusted with the way I looked, and how I couldn’t even stand who I was when I looked in the mirror. It wasn’t easy to tell people how I was feeling, but I knew it was the only way to get me to actually love who I am. I started to realize that I wasn’t the only one who felt like I was in a dark hole with no ladder to help me out. In the process of finding out who I was as a person, I also found out who was always there for me and who just wasn’t worth it anymore. In high school, I met my best friends. They chose to be there even when my world felt like it was falling apart. As long as finding my best friends, I also knew there were people who I was better off without. At some point in everyone’s lives, people hurt you that you never thought would. You learn to accept it and you grow stronger each day from it. Without all the heartache and rough times; I wouldn’t be the strong, Independent person that I am today. I never thought i’d get out of the darkness. I always thought i’d be stuck there with no one to show me the actual light in life. I found the best people in existence to help me understand the meaning of life. I have never felt so good about myself than I do right now at this moment in time. I can finally look at my self in the mirror and accept what it reflects back. I still do have those days where nothing seems to be going my way, but that’s why there is always a tomorrow. I can’t always have a good day, right? I mean, don’t I have to have a bad day in order to cherish a great day? I think yes. If I didn’t have a bad day, what would be the point of a good day if that’s all I ever had? I’ll never understand why strangers in high school think its okay to make me feel bad about myself, but I’ll thank them anyways for letting me find exactly who I’m meant to be. I’m still growing into who I am, and I know I’ll keep finding new ways to do that until the very end. I still can’t believe I’m writing this. I never thought I’d be so positive about myself. I never knew I’d accept myself the way we all should. Now that I’m writing this, I know nothing is impossible. The word itself says “I’m possible”. In a lifetime, we as people start to understand the meaning behind it all. Who we are, why we’re here, who’s worth it, who’s not, and why things happen the way that they do. My favorite quote of all time is “God gives his hardest battles to his strongest soldiers (unknown)”. Whether you believe in God or not, you were put through tough times for a reason. High school is an eye opener on life and the real world. It shapes people into who they are supposed to be. There is no doubt that the greatest gift we are given is to learn new ways to love ourselves. If you can’t love yourself, who can? If you accept yourself, you’ll soon believe that you’re accepted by others; despite all the cruel humans we meet as we go throughout life. If you ever feel alone like there is no way out, there is always someone out there waiting to prove that wrong. There is always someone you can relate to. No one is ever alone. If you ever feel that way, always know that there is always someone that loves you. You may think there are so many people that have nothing wrong it their lives; but the truth is, everyone is going through something. In your lifetime, treat people the way you want others to treat you. People may walk through life always smiling, but in reality they’re just good at covering up all the pain they carry. Never ever hesitate to be who you were created to be. Never go through life unknown. You are the best person that you can be and don’t change that for anyone. Never be a copy when you were born to be an original. ^ my last lecture paper for english! thoughts, suggestions?
Posted on: Sun, 08 Sep 2013 22:16:03 +0000