Project Reflection

For my project, I decided to talk about something that means a lot to the development of my high school years and my character. I have been involved in many different situations in my life so far and some were not very good. I found myself getting in trouble, getting low grades and making decisions that I knew were not me. The main reason for all of this was because of the people that I was hanging out with. I had a lot of friends, many good, but some bad. They influenced me to participate in stupid things because they considered it cool. I found myself drifting away from them because in the end they were not true friends but instead temporary, and damaging. It took a lot for me to realize that these people did not mean anything, for I always thought they were always going to be there for me. Once I made my shift to Hamden Hall, they completely flaked and turned on me. I then knew they were never really my friends. I learned that figuring out who to trust and let influence you is one of life's hardest skills to learn. I learned how truly powerful peer pressure is and how no class or advisor can prepare you enough for it. It is a psychological fact that in our teenage years we spend more time with our friends than with our parents, causing us to worry and care more about what your friends think than your parents. It is sad to think that in a time period where you need guidance the most you shut your parents down because you think you don't need them anymore. Once I realized how important the opinion of my family was, it enabled me to realize what type of characteristics I needed to look for in a good friend. Another thing I learned was to not let other people influence who you are and to always stick to your roots and be yourself. If you spend your time worrying about what other people think, than you have no time to worry about yourself and ask if you are doing the right things. While it is good to make sure people like you and have a good opinion on who you are, you should create that positive judgement by being yourself. One of the worst qualities a person can have is being fake. Fake people are crippled with fear that their real personality is not good enough, and that they cannot be themselves. You need to focus on evolving your true character, and not a fake one. High school is a breeding ground for fake people, so it can hard to dodge and decide which people are right for you. But once you have learned how to do that, you will find yourself in an extremely content place. Knowing that you are involved in a good group of people who bring out the best of you means that you are succeeding in being you, and that should never change.