Dear Joshua,
Starting high school you must always think positively of every situation for a good outcome. Do not doubt yourself when it comes to testing, speaking or performing because positive thinking brings about confidence and success, which starts with self motivation. You must always have the drive to achieve and move forward even during times you want to quit, being positive helps you through difficult times. Always remember that self motivation comes from within, self motivation is your desire to achieve and it keeps you going and pushes you through tasks in high school because it is what you want not just because of what you have to do as a student.
In high school staying focused is essential to passing your classes. Do not take your study time for granted like you did in 8th grade and waste your time on retaking tests. You must have the willpower and self discipline. Without this you will not do your best. Being focused keeps you on track when you have a goal to achieve. When you’re focused you have the ability to disregard things that are not important, improve in areas you lack control of. You’ll also be able to study, comprehend and understand better and not make so many mistakes along the way. It helps you pay attention and direct your energy on what you are doing. Being focused is very important in your everyday life which helps cut out procrastination (which is setting things off until later just because you don’t want to do the work at the time), bad habits and being lazy. It helps you make progress on self. Being focused helps you say no to people or certain things that try to distract you from the goals that you set for yourself.
If you think positively and stay focused you would definitely WIN by graduating with honors from De LaSalle. Over the next four years, believing in yourself, speaking up, being consistent (stay up on your work at all times, turning it in in a timely manner), persistent (not giving up on something/not believing in self), and developing good habits (take notes during class and ask for help when needed), you will be successful. As one of the old sayings goes “Winning does not mean being first, it simply means doing better than whatever you have done before”. Remember if you want to be a winner, hang around winners. Give yourself affirmations everyday “ You can do this”, “You are great”, ” You are smart” etc… , when you repeat affirmations it helps build that confidence you need to be one step closer to your goal and a big part of self motivation. So no matter what obstacles you may come across, remember to always THINK POSITIVE, FOCUS and WIN by graduating high school with good grades and being one of the successful students in the Class of 2026!
“Believe in yourself. You are braver than you think, more talented than you know, and capable of more than you imagine.”― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
Sincerely,
Joshua Gage
De La Salle Institute – DMSF Class of 2026
Photo by By Wesley Eland on Unsplash