September Doesn’t Suck! – 4 Ways to Have a Great Year (Part II)

So Neo didn’t have the best advice in part one. In fact, I am still not too sure what he was talking about.

Here’s Part II, enjoy!

PART TWO

Decision 2: Decide where you will go.

When I talk about the school year, I am not only talking about the time you are in the classroom. I am talking about from the first day of school until your last day of exams. This includes your weekends, evenings and holidays.

Where do you want to go this year?

Think about taking a road trip with some of your best friends. Maybe you could take a graduation trip to Europe or a spring break trip to a different city nearby. Why don’t you jump on the bus and go visit your grandparents in Chicago or uncle in Seattle. Get together with your friends one weekend, go stay in the city and volunteer for a group that builds houses for low-income families. Go to a state/provincial leadership conference to meet new people and get revved up for whatever club you belong to.

Decide to go somewhere.

It’s so important to get away during the school year. Taking a little weekend trip or spring break adventure can help rejuvenate you and help get you refocused on the things you are working towards. These trips can give you opportunities and experiences that you wouldn’t get anywhere else. Depending on where you go and what you do, it could be something you are able to flaunt on your resume or college application.

These trips have the potential to completely change your perspective.

Decide now, where you will go this year.

Decision 3: Decide what you will do.

Will you try out for the basketball team? Will you run for student council president? Are you going to study Spanish or enter the dance competition?

How will you leave your mark on this year?

School has so many opportunities for you to get involved. There is something for everybody. It doesn’t matter if you’re quiet, loud, artistic, technical, creative or organized, there’s something for you to do, some way you can us your skills and passion to do something cool.

Push yourself to go outside of your comfort zone a little. If you are deathly afraid of public speaking, maybe running for student council president isn’t for you. But you could always volunteer for the prom committee, where you may have to present an idea to a small group of your peers.

Decide to do something.

So many people go through high school without contributing. And by not contributing to your school, community or your future you are robbing yourself of experiences that could change the path of your future.

Decision 4: Decide who you will be.

This is the most important decision you could make.

When I moved to Japan, I had the opportunity to be whoever I wanted to be. Nobody knew me. I could’ve walked in my office on day one and been as cool as Jay-Z, as loud as Dane Cook or as personable as Ellen. I got to decide who I would be and how I acted and that in turn would affect how I was treated and remembered.

This school year, you get to decide who you will be. It doesn’t matter if you weren’t a leader last year, you can be one this year. If you were introverted and quiet last year, you can be more outgoing this year. If you were rude and obnoxious, you can decide to be polite and helpful. You can be whoever you want to be. I am not telling you to be a fake, I am telling you to be who you want to be.

Every school year (actually, every minute of every day) you get to reinvent yourself as the person you want to be.

Decide now, who you will be this year, then, be that person.

Leaving the school year up to chance or destiny is lazy. The only way you are going to have a great year, is by deciding to have a great year. The only way you are going to get what you want, go where you want, do what you want and be who you want, is by deciding and cutting off every option until you do.

Decide now to make this year the best year possible. Don’t do it for me, do it for Neo.

Neo, any final thoughts?

My name is Neo

Umm thanks…

You were right. It was inevitable.

Tags: how can I have a good year, Make Your Own Lunch, ryan porter, school year, september, youth motivational speaker

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 at 9:45 am and is filed under I Made My Own Lunch, Make Your Own Lunch. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.