Hello everyone!
In high school, most students are very overbooked between school, homework, extracurriculars, and (hopefully) some social activities, among whatever other commitments they may have. Almost everyone will come to a point where they’ll have to drop certain things in order to prioritize others. How do you choose what to drop and what to continue? It depends on the type of person you are, and what your strategy is.
Often times, people will say to drop the things you aren’t particularly talented at, or you have the least potential in. This makes sense if you like all your activities equally or you really don’t know what to get rid of, but I think it’s a bad idea to consistently put this advice out there. You can love something you’re not too great at, and you can hate something that comes naturally to you.
However, I have taken this advice to heart many times because personally, I find activities a lot less fun if I know I’m not good at them, especially if I realize I’m not even improving while I spend time doing them. Maybe it’s my perfectionism, but I enjoy things a lot more when I know I’m doing them well or have the potential to if I keep working.
The point is, it’s all about your personal priorities. If you’re in love with everything you do (in which case, lucky you!), I would probably recommend the classic advice of dropping whatever you’re least talented in. Otherwise, your natural talent doesn’t really matter. Even if you think you’re bad at something or it feels like you’re not improving, you will get better if you continue with it.
I know it’s a tough concept- believe me, I need to work on my attitude towards this topic as well. Figure out what means the most to you and make sure you stick with that; in the long run, your personal fulfillment and happiness means more than any superficial achievement.
-Brooke
adventures of a typical high school student 