Blake Mullennix - Grade 10, Brookville High School
Surviving and Thriving
Surviving and thriving through your teenage years isn’t always the easiest thing to do. During this time, it’s easy to lose sight of your future goals because of the many obstacles you face. One of the most important parts of your teenage years is to overcome those obstacles, so you can achieve your goals.
To achieve your future goals, you need to start with a solid plan. Figure out your goals and what you want out of life. The next step is doing everything you can to make sure you stay on the right path. You want to be with people who are like you, people who have ambition and the drive to want to succeed. Getting in with a crowd that has no motivation and no fire inside them can cause you to get pulled down with them. You also have to believe in yourself, and have faith in you. A positive attitude and self-confidence can go much farther than you could believe.
Although it may not seem to be a priority to you now, you should realize that learning the material is vital and getting good enough grades to take your education to the next level, whatever it may be. Paying attention intently, studying more often, taking more/better notes, and asking for help when you need it are some ways to help maintain solid grades.
Another key to success is to stay calm and collected during times of great trial. When times get rough, which they will, the best thing you can do for yourself is fight through it, because the bad times don’t stay long when you strive for greatness and for order. There will be days when you wake up and say, “I’m not feeling it, I don’t want to do anything today.” but you’ve got to realize the endless opportunity that each day presents. This kind of day can be an effect of a rough several days, a horrific week, or even an unbearable year, but you can conquer it with the attitude of a winner. You can overcome anything with the right support base around you and a fierce mind set. The best thing about life is how you always have a support base. Whether it's family or a friend, someone is always there for you and wants the best for you.
A quote from the movie, “Rocky Balboa” really sums it up nicely, “ The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a mean and nasty place, and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you down to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it...But it ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!” The biggest key to success is to stay positive and continuing to fight through the struggles, the pains, and the trials. When you do these things, surviving and thriving in your teenage years becomes much easier.
