High school is meant to be a time full of new experiences, new friends, success and failure. It is important to branch out in high school and not rush through it. However, it is very common for high schoolers to try to rush through their last four years of public school in order to graduate as soon as possible.

The perfect time to try new things such as clubs, sports, jobs, and classes is in high school, where you have four years to discover who you are and what you want.

This period of time was designed to help teenagers finally understand who they are and who they would like to be. It is through branching out and discovering the unknown that finding yourself begins to happen. It does take time, though.

Finding yourself will not happen overnight. These four years are supposed to be a roller coaster of emotions. It is a confusing time, but in the end, the confusion clears and shows you who you are truly meant to be.

It is also important to make as many friends as possible. These friends can encourage you to learn and grow as a person. It also makes the hard times easier and the good times even better.

If you fail in high school, you have people to fall back on – your parents. High school is the prime time to fail because you have nothing to lose. I’m not saying work hard at failing certain classes, but get out there, try something new, and don’t be afraid of the consequences.

High school is also a great time to succeed. UIL is a great way to earn medals and feel accomplished in something. Being on a sports team is a great way to learn how to work with others and learn how to have a sense of pride in yourself. Also, don’t be afraid to fail, be excited to. Failure means success in the end.

Additionally, rushing through life takes a toll on your mind and body. Trying to do too many things at one time can lead to sleep deprivation, sadness and other symptoms like this.

Putting too much on your plate at one time just to rush through everything makes you miss out on important events happening in your life, and it causes those tasks being done to be subpar. Those events happening in the background of your life are important, and shape what your life looks like.

At the end of the day, your everyday life is just as important as the place you are trying to get to. Whether it’s graduation, your birthday, or even prom, the in-betweens are so important, and something to be cherished.

Another flaw with rushing through your life is the lack of happiness you will find. With rush comes perfectionism and with perfectionism comes disappointment. When we don’t meet these ‘deadlines’ created in our heads, it causes unnecessary stress. We can try so hard to meet our ‘deadline,’ but if we don’t make it, we are shattered. Instead of being able to quickly rebuild, we hold our broken plan in our hands, wondering what we did wrong. The inability to grab a hold of our life and control every single aspect of it will also cause anxiety. Think about, you are trying to control millions of things that your brain can’t even process in a short amount of time as you rush around trying to complete everything. Not only are you not living in the moment, but you are causing yourself to be unhappy and causing unnecessary anxiety.

An important part of rushing around is leaving procrastination in the dust. Rushing always leads to perfectionism which always leads to procrastination.

Perfectionists are so afraid that their product will not be perfect, that they simply put it off. What does that do to people trying to win the race of life? It makes them procrastinate, which puts them off their schedule, with leads to sadness and anxiety.

It’s a cycle that seems to never end for those trying to constantly rush from one point in their life to the next.

How can we learn to stop, take our time, and still reach our destination in a timely manner? All you have to do is slow down. Take a deep breath. Take a look around you. Say no once in a while. Prioritize yourself. Do not multitask, get enough sleep, and drink enough water. Relax at least once a week. Rushing to the goal causes burnout, and delays our goals. Learn to know when enough is enough, when you need to say no, when you can handle more, and when you feel yourself trying to rush to your goal again.

Don’t give up on your goals, but don’t forget about the life you are currently living. Don’t forget to stop and smell the roses every once in a while.