“Don’t peak in high school.”

I know you all have probably heard a ton of jokes about peaking in high school. Heck, I used it as my answer for Mr. Viking, but in actuality, this quote has guided me through my time in high school. Yes, high school is very important. Yes, you should give your full effort in classes. And yes, you should try to get involved. But, high school is not the end all be all.

Oftentimes, we all get stuck in the moment. Say we get cut from a sports team, or we don’t get elected to a StuCo position. At the time it can feel like the end of the world. It can be very hard to bounce back from these types of events. As cliché as it sounds, the road to success is full of speedbumps. High school is a time for figuring out what we want to do with the rest of our lives, so naturally there are going to be some failures.  

That is where the idea of not “peaking in high school” comes in. You should always have in mind that your best days are yet to come. If you don’t accomplish everything you want to in high school, don’t let it discourage you. You should just translate it into motivation for college or whatever you choose to do next.

No one wants to go through life thinking that their best times were while they were in high school. High school should be a great time for you, but ultimately it is preparing you for what’s next. If you take an AP class and get a B, you may not have the grade you want, but if you retake the class in college you’ve already been exposed to the material. If you don’t get the leadership position in a club you want, reflect on it and run for it the next year or run for a similar position in college.

Since I’ve told you when not to peak, you’re probably wondering when you should peak. The best answer I have for this is that it differs from person to person. For some people, it might be when they reach the height of their professional career, others when they retire or maybe you try to never peak. The last option there is one that I tend to agree with most. It is important to become comfortable with your life, but daily improvement is imperative.

High school will be some of the best years of your life, but they shouldn’t be the best. Enjoy them for all their worth, but don’t get discouraged when you fail. Just remember: “don’t peak in high school.”