High school graduation is just around the corner. Your life is about to change in ways that you can't even fathom; change in ways my feeble words could never explain. You are about to step out of an old life and into a new one. Before you take that step, there are several things you need to do. You need to do them now, before high school is over; your life is depending upon it.
The first thing that you must do is learn to love and respect yourself. You must learn to do this unconditionally. Part of loving yourself is discovering your strengths and weakness. Respecting yourself is working daily, sometimes moment to moment, to improve yourself. It is also accepting those areas where you know you are lacking, despite your best efforts. No one will ever spend as much time with you as you will. Develop a relationship with yourself, full of love and respect.
Develop your self-confidence, self-esteem and your sense of self-worth. Learn to forgive yourself and move on. Tell yourself daily, several times a day, that you are the head and not the tail - you are above only and not beneath. You are special and unique. No one else is like you. No one has ever been born and no one who will ever be born who could take your place and do what you are meant to do. You have a purpose and a reason. You are capable of doing much more than you could ever think you are. Believe in yourself.
Learn how to ask for forgiveness and accept forgiveness. This applies to forgiving yourself just as much as other people in your life. Life is too short to hold grudges and harbor guilt over the past. That will hold you back more than almost everything else. Set your past mistakes and the past mistakes of others free; don't carry them around with you for one more moment. Asking for forgiveness isn't just saying, "I am sorry" or "I apologize." It is meaning those words with ever fiber of you being and striving to never have to ask forgiveness for the same thing again. This is hard work, but remember you can do it.
Start thinking for yourself. Don't be swayed by your peers or even your parents. Yes, listen to advice from those who love and respect you, but make your own decisions based on your beliefs, your ideas and your priorities. Know your boundaries and stretch them, after careful consideration. This is not free rein to do whatever you feel like. You will have to make difficult choices and live with the consequences of those choices. This is your opportunity to prove to yourself that you are capable, to know for yourself that you have a sound mind and you are not afraid of moving forward.
Set up a plan to live your dream and begin to work plan. Without a dream you will die. Perhaps not physically, but you will die inside. Discover what you want to do and then figure out a way to do it. Once you have a plan of action, that dream becomes a goal and the only thing that will stop you is you. Again, you have so much potential. Don't waste it by having a dream, but no plan of action. Take those first steps to make that dream a reality.
Develop your personal management skills. You will need to know how to budget your time, your money, and your effort. None of those things will be in endless supply. Set your priorities of how your want to spend your time, money and effort. Follow those guidelines, consistently moving forward, learning new things - constantly improving yourself.
Accept responsibility for yourself, your actions, your reactions, and your thoughts. You aren't a child anymore. In fact, you haven't been a child for a while. Put away your childish ways and become a responsible, productive adult. No one can do this for you. Your future is out there for you to grab a hold of and take full advantage of. Do so responsibly.
Put past failures behind you and leave them there. You can't change yesterday, but yesterday can change tomorrow if you hold on to it. Learn from the past, remember those lessons and keep moving forward. Understand there is a difference between living in the past and learning from it. Forget your errors, yet remember the lessons your mistakes taught you.
Think positively about everything. Say positive things. Talk to those problems you are facing, letting them know that they will not stop you - that they won't even slow you down. They aren't mountains, but tiny and insignificant speed bumps that will disappear if you believe they will and are willing to accept that they are gone.
Establish a relationship with God. His only job, His only desire, is to love you. Accept His love and love Him back. He is your Abba Daddy. He has an entire kingdom full of blessings meant for you. Accept those gifts and be willing to share them with others. Part of loving you, is protecting and guiding you. God isn't some control freak with a long list of "do this and don't do that." Everyone of God's commandments were specifically set up to protect you and allow you to receive love like you have never experienced before.
As high school ends, you will be starting a new chapter of your life. It is known as "the rest of your life." Follow these simple suggestions now, before you begin that new chapter, and your future will be the better than you ever imagined.