How my High School life Uncovered and Honed my God-given Talents

Most people say that high school is the most exciting and happiest moment of a student's life. Others say that it was the best 4 years of their lives. Do you agree? Well, I do. I had great memories during my high school years. Aside from gaining more friends and academic achievements, the best part was discovering some of my God-given talents and honing the ones I already have.

When I entered high school, my primary goal is to excel in class, get high grades and graduate as an honor student to make my parents proud. Yes, I was a "nerd" back then. Unlike other teenagers, my passion is studying, getting all the knowledge that I can master and become one of the best students in school. Though I ended up successful in getting these goals, my high school journey has been tough and challenging. For 4 years, I braved long travels from home to school and back, endured late nights finishing my homeworks and reviewing for my exams, and poured out a lot of sweat & efforts in finishing my projects.

More than the academic achievements, one great part of my high school years was discovering my other God-given talents. Back in grade school, I've been active in several dance presentations in school so I know that I can dance (if you consider that as a talent). But it was in high school where I discovered more.

My third and fourth years in high school were the most memorable for me. Being quiet and shy, I found joy in writing stuff during my free time. It was in my third year when I had the courage to join my school's writers guild for our school's newspaper. I was a contributor back then, sending in my amateur-written poems and literary pieces with a hope to have at least one of my works get published. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. That's when I felt challenged and started gaining more interest in writing. In our school's library, I read books related to writing and learned the techniques on how to write more effectively. I wrote quite a lot of pieces based on my moods and inspirations at that time. I didn't stop writing even if my works are not being noticed. After all the hustle and bustle it was in my fourth year when my talent was finally recognized and I was finally given the spotlight. I became the editor-in-chief of our school's newspaper. I soon joined interschool writing competitions and represented our school. I won some and lose some, but the experience I gained was priceless. That was the start of my writing journey.

Apart from writing, music has also been my passion since I was a child. My grandmother used to tell me that she was a "kundiman" singer during her younger years so I remember her always singing to me those songs as lullabies to make me fall asleep. I somehow inherited her love for music and singing. When I was a kid, I enjoyed listening to music on the radio and sing along with my favorite bands and singers.

Every Christmas day, our small neighborhood community holds an annual Christmas party for kids. Aside from the typical novelty games such as sack race, egg relay, trip to Jerusalem, etc, one of the highlights was the singing contest. And yes, I have always been a contestant. I had to overcome my shyness to be able to sing in front of a lot of people. It was nerve-wracking at first but as I grew older, I became more confident in singing. I know that I don't sing like a pro but my goal back then was to share my talent and of course, win the cash prize. With God's grace, I was able to win 3 consecutive years until I decided to stop joining and give chances to other kids.

My interest in singing pushed me to audition for our school's glee club in high school. Luckily, I got accepted as a member. Being a member was challenging. I had to extend post my classes to attend the rehearsals. Our musical director/ choirmaster back then was also a music teacher and he was so strict. He hates members who miss rehearsals or those who are coming to the rehearsals late, those who are slow in getting the right notes, those who sing out of tune and out of tempo, and those who sing too loud or too soft. He sometimes loses his temper when he sees those happening during our rehearsals. His approach in teaching was fairly brutal and was a shock to me at first but I got used to it eventually. Sooner I understood that his main goal was just to make us better in what we're doing and make the group stand out. My interest in choir singing flourished and soon I dreamt of being part of one of our country's premier choral groups.

Unfortunately, in my fourth year, a few months before our graduation, I was kicked out of the chorale group because of conflict of interests. I was busy in our school's newspaper works at that time apart from balancing my academics (being a graduating student and running for honors). I had a hard time balancing all my school activities and so I missed attending some of the rehearsals.

It was the first time that I felt disappointed with myself. I felt really sad for not being able to achieve a balance on all my dealings. Eventually, I have accepted the fact that I am only human, I have limitations and that I would not be able to do everything that I want simultaneously, even if I wanted to. I learned that sometimes, I would need to make sacrifices and focus on what's really important and what I really wanted to pursue. I realized that everything happens for a reason and that there's a right time for everything that we want to do in life, we just have to prioritize what's important and find the perfect time to do the rest. If we're passionate about something, we will surely find ways, resources and time to do it.

***

Thanks for reading my blog. Did you find this helpful? Did it inspire you? Please leave a comment, click "follow" and "subscribe". :)