Worth It
Weekly Report 09/05/2017 to 09/11/2017
As Marcus Buckingham put it, “Many of us feel stress and get overwhelmed not because we're taking on too much, but because we're taking on too little of what really strengthens us.” This past week was quite frankly insane. Junior year is said to be the most difficult year of high school, what with balancing so many AP classes, lots of extracurriculars, studying for the SAT and ACT, and trying to stand out among your peers. I have always felt that challenging yourself is good for character-building, and it is important to take advantage of the educational opportunities we have in America, and even just in Frisco, that other students around the world do not have. However, this week was undeniably one of the most stressful weeks I have ever experienced, so I knew something had to be changed. I am not a very anxious person, and I do not easily feel panicked in stressful situations, however, in the past week, I found myself getting less than three hours of sleep a night, feeling constantly uneasy, and not having an adequate amount of time to dedicate to the things which I most care about, particularly this class. Over the weekend, I spent a good amount of time reflecting on the courses I am taking this year, and figuring out how I could make my schedule more manageable. After extremely careful consideration, I decided it was important to let go of AP Physics and instead take an early release period to focus on the classes that matter more to me. This decision was one of the hardest choices I have ever had to make, but already I feel much more relieved and excited to spend my time working on subjects that interest me and relate to the career path I am following.
In addition to focusing in on what really matters, this week, I completed the career outlook research assessment. After reading more into the difference between each type of law, it has become evident that my interests lie more in constitutional law with Supreme Court cases than in criminal justice systems that are very localized. I found various sources regarding sentencing terminology, plea bargains, and pro bono cases, which I had initially assumed would fit perfectly with my passion for service. However, I have come to recognize my love of ethical questions and political issues is better satisfied with federal law and the Supreme Court where the issues are disputed, not the details and facts of each case. Unfortunately, only lawyers with years and years of experience have the opportunity to participate in these types of cases, so it may be difficult to find an abundance of mentors who work in this field relatively close by. Nonetheless, I plan to work on restructuring my contact list to fit this new area of interest.
Although this week was overwhelmingly busy, I am glad that this stressful experience occurred early enough to where I could still make changes to my schedule and career plans. That seems to be what the ISM program is all about: trying things out and being open to change.