TO THE FUTURE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE

Hey! I wrote out my plan for this post out weeks ago, in an ideal world it would have been up that same day but life happened and here I am stealing time from my assignment in the small break from my crazy work schedule to type this out to you. The future high school graduate. Whether you graduate this year, next year or twenty-five years from now this post is for you. I’ve filled it with all the things I’ve learnt/wished I knew over the course of the past year and I really hope it helps you with whatever your post high school experience looks like…


To the future high school graduate.

Let’s get real here. This is the most exciting time of your life but also the hardest. You’re stuck trying to find your way in the adult world all while trying to desperately clinging to the child in you because you promised yourself you would never ever be one of those super uptight adults who don’t know the meaning of fun. Leaving high school scares the crap out of you. That being said your kind of in the middle of the fence. On one hand, you’re so so glad to see the end of the structure that has held you prisoner for all thirteen years of your short life but on the other you’re petrified of the world and all the uncertainty that surrounds your future. Don't be scared. I spent so much time in my last weeks of high school worrying about the future, about my grades, my friends, my current relationship status and everything in between. If I could go back a year and tell myself one thing it would be to not sweat it. Yes, life as you know it is ending. But no, that doesn’t mean you should go on a self-destructive tornado run and overthink things to the max.

The thing that scared me the most was losing my friends. Throughout the five years of highs and lows, through the boy dramas and the family squabbles they were there. They were there when I thought I couldn’t go any further, when I wanted to quit Maccas but my parents wouldn't let me, when I wanted to quit my life. Whether they knew it or not they were there and they’re probably one of the reasons I'm still here. Why I have an unhealthy addiction to eating Raro straight from the packet and why I will forever think of them every time I screw up paper. They were my pals. My squad. My framily. I’m sure every group of friends has a photo that mildly resembles the photo above the group of humans that you loved (and hated).  I’d love to tell you that you stick together forever, that nothing comes between you. To be that one voice of hope in the many trying to kill your dreams. But really this is one of those instances where unfortunately my dad was right. Group chats fade. Streaks die. You go from texting every little part of your day to just not. Everything changes. If your anything like me you tag your mum in more memes than anyone else in your little bubble. They now have their life and you now have yours. Scary thought I know but as time goes on it slowly seems a little less mindboggling. 

” ENDS ONCE LOOKED HORRIBLE, THEY’D TERRIFY MY TREMBLING HEART.  AFTER YEARS I’D LOOK BACK AND LAUGH ABOUT IT, FOR NOW IT SEEMS EACH END BROUGHT A BETTER START.”
-  Noor Cinnaham.

I love this quote because it’s the truth. Looking back, I shouldn’t have been so scared of losing my friends because I should have known that I would only make more. That’s been the most amazing part of this year by far. I’ve been working heaps so I’ve become so much closer with the Maccas fam, there’s all the peeps at uni, student life and by far the one that’s made me so stoked is the fact that all the kids I knew from church that were just sort of there because I had nothing in common with?? We all hang and laugh and create fabulous memes and its like that verse “SOMETHING SO MUCH BETTER.” Trust me, if it worked out for me, it’ll work out for you. The truth is, I failed high school. No, that’s a lie. Well half a lie. I passed level three but in doing so failed to get University Entrance. For me 2018 was all set up and ready to go till that tragic day. To say I freaked would be an understatement but this year helped me realize that there isn’t just one specific way to do uni. All the careers teachers at my high school were all for going straight to uni (don’t get me wrong, they were super supportive of other choices) but at the end of the day uni was important. How you get there, I’ve found, isn’t actually that important. There is no ‘right’ system. Just because you don’t fit into the stereotype of a typical high school graduate doesn’t make you any less smart or your life any less real. If anything, I would recommend doing a Certificate (what I ended up doing) before doing any further study because it immerses you in the uni life just with a little bit of a lighter work load. Yet another thing my dad was right about.

“YOU CAN’T CONNECT THE DOTS LOOKING FORWARD; YOU CAN ONLY CONNECT THEM LOOKING BACK.”
-          Steve Jobs.

If anything, I went into this year half blind and utterly confused. Reality is, no one really knows exactly what they’re doing in life. Yes, they have plans and dreams but life always has an element of uncertainty. Embrace it. Run into the fact that you have no idea what the heck is happening wholeheartedly and entirely. Don’t be lukewarm. You’re either all in or all out. You can’t be both. This is your life. Trust your instincts and trust God. Do what you want to do because you want to do it. Not because it’ll impress people. People don’t have to get it. What happens from here forth is between you and God. And besides at the end of the day what’s the worst that can happen?? Keep things in perspective and don’t blow them out of proportion. I’m the absolute worst at overthinking things, I’m also the biggest ball of anxiety ever. I walk to work for majority of my shifts and somehow in the 25 minutes between my house and my work I get all worked up over whether or not I’m working, even though I know full well that I checked that schedule fifty times before I left and wrote it in both my calendars, set two reminders in my phone and told my mother but for some stupid irrational reason I still I think that it’s all a prank, that I’m going to turn up and find out that well no actually lavinia you’re not working today like what are you doing here. It’s not a stupid fear, I’ve done it before. But even if that did happen the worst that can happen is I look like an idiot. But really what I need to work on is believing in myself that I know what to do. The thing about leaving high school is that you no longer have someone to hold your hand and guide you every step of the way, no one is going to want to babysit a world class noob. Trust your instincts and know who you are within yourself and make sure you know it’s enough. Don’t go off ‘searching’ for yourself. I hear so many people saying that they need to find themselves. UH BUDDY NEWSFLASH you are you and I am me no amount of searching is going to find you. Yes, your plans and likes and dislikes may change but your core, your morals, your beliefs there’s somethings in life that just stick with you for life. The things that make people think of you when they see them in someone else. They are you. You don’t need to find you. You’re right here reading my blog.

At the end of the day I just want you to remember one thing. Life goes on. The whole world isn’t going to implode because you finished high school, nor will it explode because you stepped outside of your boundaries. In fact try to throw yourself out of your comfort zone as much as possible. It will grow you as a person in the long run. You’ll be great, I know you will. This is such an exciting chapter that you’re about to start writing and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have been. To close I just wanted to leave with you one of my most favourite quotes of all time…

“For what it’s worth its never too late, or too early to be who you want to be. There’s no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or worst of it. I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you have never felt before. I hope you meet people who have a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.”
-          F. Scott Fitzgerald.

All the best for the rest of your life pal,
‘til next time

XO Lavinia