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Fast Facts About Alex
Age: 16
Residence: Long Island, New York
Class Year: Junior
School: Kellenberg Memorial High School
Interests: Surfing, Alternative Music, Aldous Huxley
Top Stressors: Grades, Balancing Extracurriculars, Time Management
Top Stress Relievers: Skateboarding, Running, Watching Indie Films
Finding your Mission in 30 Minutes
(column one in a monthly series by Alex Jordan)
 Hello everyone! As a junior preparing for the SATs, taking numerous courses, and balancing a social life with extracurriculars, I've seen how stress can disrupt a person's life. Although the typical "perfect students" produce flawless transcripts and a laundry list of activities, too often, these teens experience the unbearable pressure to maintain excellence.
Something I wrote over the summer that helps to realign my thoughts with my values is a mission statement. Though it's still the beginning of the school year, I've already read my mission statement several times over.
To begin, take out a clean sheet of paper and find a quiet place in your house. With a pen or pencil, write these words at the top of your paper: "The mission of my life right now is..." Underneath those words, write anything you value, not what others think you should value. This is private, so write from your heart. Remember to make your mission statement your own. All forms of self-expression (drawings, photographs, quotes) are encouraged.
For example, the first lines of my mission are: To think freely and openly, be present, and know that letting go is necessary for growth.
Nobody's will be exactly alike. We’re all here for a different, but equally important reason; it's great to have different goals than your friends have. After finishing your statement, read through what you've written. Do you agree with all the values you defined? Is there anything you would include or remove? These are the things you value the most in life. Never let anyone debase them.
Once you've finished, put it in a secure place and refer to it often, especially when you feel those AP classes, football two-a-days or band practices stressing you out. Your mission statement should give you the perspective needed to overcome these situations.
High school comes only once, so make the best of it, without sacrificing your values.
With my campus calm e-mail address, alex@campuscalm.com, I open up my inbox for all stressed out and worried college and high school students, especially any guys, who feel like they have no one to talk to. Good luck everyone!
© 2010 Maria L. Pascucci /Campus Calm.
About the author:
Maria Pascucci is the President of Campus Calm –
the international online-community for today's stressed-out students, and
their parents and educators. Download your Stress-Less Kit with 4 FREE
gifts at www.campuscalm.com.
Want to reprint this article in YOUR own website?
You can as long as the article remains complete and unaltered (including
the "about the author" info and link back to
www.campuscalm.com), and you send a copy of your reprint to
maria@campuscalm.com. You're also welcome to use my photo here.
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