Knowledge Is Power

One of the biggest things that I realize now more than ever is that knowledge is power. The more you know, the better. When I was in school, elementary through high school, I would wonder and ask myself why I am learning all of this material if none of it is used in real life. I never liked school, I wouldn’t want to go, and I dreaded the thought of it because it never made any sense to me. The things we would learn and the discussion we would have never really clicked. I stayed with the same mindset through it all. I kept good grades through it all, but this was the mindset I had. Now that I’m older and I go to a school where almost all of my friends aren’t at, I realized that knowledge is power more than ever. Everything that you learn is a skill that you add to your arsenal, and with that skill comes opportunities. In high school, I thought being the smart kid was lame and it wasn’t a look that I wanted to be associated with, but now I try and learn as much as possible about anything I can. I never once read a book in high school; all the assigned book that were given to me were never read. All the homework and the assignments weren’t important to me, so I either never did them or got the answers some way somehow. That was my biggest flaw and mistake, I never took advantage of the information that was presented to me when I was younger. This is what I want everybody to understand, take advantage of everything and anything that is taught. You may not need it in your life but someone you know might or a job that you didn’t know you wanted will require it. You might meet someone, and they’ll need you. If none of those, maybe you can start a conversation with someone about it. More people will want to be around you, and the more people you know, the more connections you have. They might have something you need or know someone that can help you.

If I could go back in time and tell my younger self something, it would probably be to pay attention during class. Soak up all the information I possibly can because the more you know, the better you’ll be. Knowledge is power and I realize that now, more than ever. In high school, I thought being the smart kid was lame and it wasn’t something I wanted to be known by. I had many friends and I guess you can say I was popular. Paying attention in class and doing homework weren’t priorities to me. All I did was keep my grades up, but I don’t remember anything from what I was taught in high school. I cared more about what my friends thought of me and I felt like I didn’t have to be smart because my friends know who I am, and I don’t have to show them anything. This changed really quickly once I got into college, I no longer had those friends with me, and it was time to make new friends. Being the smart kid in class is no longer a shameful thing to do, it’s now the cool thing. I quickly made friends because I was able to help others and connect with them because of all the things I knew. I read everything that was assigned and did all my work every day. The more I learned, the more I connected with others. I was able to hold and continue conversations with intellect, not just about schoolwork. Now I’m not saying being smart is the only way to create bonds and friendships but it sure doesn’t hurt. One day you’ll need a skill that one of your friends has and they may need one of yours. It’s all about helping each other and that’s why if I could go back and tell myself something, it would be to pay more attention during class and take advantage of all the information that is being presented to me. Inside and outside of the classroom.