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My Life Then and Now As a college student now my life has changed dramatically since my high school days. For me high school was all about having fun and extracurricular activities. I took almost nothing seriously and looked at it as a game almost. It was all about popularity, prom, cheerleading, pep rallies, bonfires, and football games. My main worry was how many times could I come in late before my mom was called, or if my shorts were up to dress code standards. Although those days were unforgettable, I knew that they wouldn’t last forever. And now I’m facing the real world that I knew was fast approaching. My outlook on life and even I have changed so much. Back then I never thought about my future, or what decisions I would have to face, but now I’m always thinking about what’s to come. I take every decision I have to make seriously because I know that it may affect my life, either in a small or big way. To be honest I wasn’t even good at making decisions. I relied solely on my mom to make the big decisions. Now with college, my job, and even my personal life I have to decide and make choices on my own. Of course my parents are always there to back me, but as an adult now I’m own my own. My values and priorities are very different compared to back when I was a high school student. I will admit that I was more selfish and only worried about my social life. I spent much of my time going out with friends instead of spending time with my family. I took for granted all of the things that they did for me and all of the times that they were there to support me. It seemed as if I was always expecting something without giving anything in return. I wish I could go back to all of those times and thank them for everything. Now I make sure that I spend lots of quality time with my family and give thanks for what I have been given. I see so many people or unappreciative of the life that they have been given. I have grown so much over the years. And my experiences have shown me just how important my family is to me. Time has also shown be just who my true friends are. I no longer worry about petty drama. I only worry about the important things, and the people I value most. When I was younger I never stopped to think about life and time. I was rushing through life, just wishing for the next day, month or even the next birthday. I was slowly just wishing my life away. Now I make sure I stopped and take my life day by day. Our lives are short and so fragile so I now make sure I’m appreciative. Another difference is that I was so concerned about what people thought of me then. I fed into what others ideas of what perfect was and formed myself to that. Whatever decisions my friends would make, I would do the same even if I wanted to be different. In high school it’s all about clique’s popularity, and winning pretty crowns, but when everything is said and done that stuff fades fast. It’s not like you can wear a crown into a job interview and automatically get hired. I now know that all of those things that I believe were so important, mean close to nothing in the real world. Life isn’t a popularity contest. You have to have skills, personality, knowledge and drive. Not crowns, fashionable clothes, and materialistic items. The next big difference is how much more responsible I have become. Before I was handed everything and life was so simple because I had nothing to worry about. Even when it came to school, I would slack and wait until the last second to do homework or even study. Looking back I defiantly could have been more prepared and instead of just getting average grades I could have applied myself better. Now that I am a full time college student and also work a part time job I have learned that being responsible is very important. I have to make sure that all of my work and studying is complete while also making sure that I arrive at work when scheduled and on time. If I fail to keep up on these things then my grades will drop and I would possibly lose my job. Not only do I have to keep organized and make sure these aspects of my life re in order I also I have keep up on things in my personal life. Such as my relationship, housework, family ties, and also remembering to take a second and enjoy my life. I believe that I am a much stronger, independent young woman compared to the selfish naïve girl that I previously was. It’s true that time and experience is the key to knowledge. Sometime I wish that life was like the movie “Benjamin Button,” where you go from old to young instead or young to old. That way we would know how exactly we want to live our lives. I think this would make for less regrets and our experience would help us to make better choices. It seems us if our lives are half way through before we know just who we truly want to be. Older people try to give adolescents advice so we don’t make the same mistakes that they once had, but we never seem to take that advice into consideration. If only we would listen, then maybe we wouldn’t have to encounter those hard times and fall flat on our face once or twice before actually grasping the concept. I guess we just have to figure it out for ourselves. All that said I’m thankful for the obstacles that I’ve had to overcome and the changes that I have made to myself. I believe that I am a better person then who I used to be. Hopefully these changes for the best will only continue to change my life for the better.