This I Believe

I believe in planning ahead.

Planning ahead has always been apart of my family. By the beginning middle school I was thinking of what high school I wanted to go to. This year, I am preparing to do community service and to look into where the best place to get a job is. My goal is to try to stay one year ahead mentally. Planning ahead has always been an important part of my life because of advice that I have gotten from people who are close to me.

This belief started with my mother. She told me a few years ago that I was going to have to start thinking about my future soon if I wanted to have a good one. At first I thought she was was crazy but as I got closer to high school I realized that she was right. Soon after, I began looking at high schools.To this day I thank her over and over for giving me the knowledge about something that has been one of the most important things I have ever believed in. After her, many other family members and friends gave me similar advice.

My grandfather once told me something that I will remember forever. “You have to look into college before you think about any high school”. This meant a great deal to me because when I did as he asked, I realized he was correct because I saw that some college requirements seemed very difficult and I saw that I would have to get into a good high school. It made me realize that if you wait too long to look into things you are going to feel pressured and won't be able to make the right decision.

Planning ahead changed my life in a big way. It made me see that you could do anything as long as you prepare enough and plan long term. Even though sometimes I do wait until the last minute to do things, I still feel that planning ahead takes up a chunk of my life. Fortunately, I have family to support me the whole way.