Why do some of our community’s most intelligent teenagers focus merely on what’s in front of them, but not on what’s to come?

Teens often succeed throughout their high school careers, but commonly find themselves in an abyss of unknowns after high school.

Every day I observe students who are depressed because they lost a single point on a homework assignment – but what does that lost point really mean? Perhaps that point made the difference between a B+ and an A, but does it matter?

Students fail to realize that a grade does not define them, but that they define themselves. Possessing the ability to do something, having an interest, and being good at it is the sole quality needed to succeed. Grades have a tremendous amount of importance, but the priority that many students give to them is outrageous.

Students care more about a letter than what they want to pursue in the future such as a possible profession. Often times students forget that life has more meaning than six letters on a report card and tend to ignore the greater things that revolve around their lives. However, how does someone reevaluate their standards and adjust their approach towards the many aspects that they feel are important?

Teenagers can begin by grasping the present and the future as a whole. Teenagers should start to create long-term goals while retaining the short-term ones. Most importantly, teens should develop a sense of direction with their goals before realizing something did not matter as much as they originally thought.

To solve this problem, I always keep in mind that whatever I truly desire to become in the future will always remain definite. Although my grades will change, going up and down, my actual wants will not.

Therefore, even if my grades go down the drain, I will still possess the potential needed to succeed. For students, that moment of realization may be the time where self-evaluation will occur and true standards will be ingrained.

I recognized this concept last year as a sophomore while my grades were going in a downward spiral. One day I finally went over the edge and asked myself why am I stressing so much? The answer was obvious; my grades were not what I wished them to be. Then I asked myself what the importance grades were. Maybe they are capable of ensuring me a spot in a good college, but why does that even matter?

If I grasp what I truly love, then anything is possible. Everything is always set as a potential and when I wield and utilize those potentials I can do anything I want.

Staying focused on this mindset is easier said then done. Along my high school career, I have kept telling myself that grades are the only thing that matter in my life. I often perceived emotions and unnecessary desires as second to my grades. To stay focused, I remind myself that I am still young, only having lived a fraction of my whole life. The grades I earn in high school will definitely open doors of opportunities, but in the long run it will be me who controls what doors open and what doors shall remain closed.

Teen Talk is a monthly column written by local teenagers. Tony Le is a junior at Redmond High School.