We have spent the last four years reading textbooks, taking tests, and fighting with our teachers and peers. But what have we really learned? Not much. The things most of us learned right out of high school are how to memorize answers long enough to pass a test, how to use a calculator, how to navigate SparkNotes, and which teachers will give extensions to projects. For the most part, we haven't taken the initiative to discover much for ourselves. Many of us expect to learn the skills we will need to succeed on our own: creativity, compassion, innovation, independence. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay But here's the thing: No one can just give us these things. Over the past four years – and our entire lives, for that matter – we have received almost everything. We've been promised that if we do all our homework and do our best, we can one day become rock stars, astronauts, or presidents. We've been encouraged to dream big, but we haven't really put into perspective how much work it takes and how unlikely it is that all of our dreams will come true. The truth is that we are not all special little snowflakes who are unlike anyone else; rather, we are like drops of water in an immense sea of ​​humanity, indistinguishable to the eyes of the masses. Our dreams are no exception to reality, and the world will not work out for us just because we are “special.” These American individualistic values ​​benefited us as children with big dreams, but we used them to justify unrealistic expectations; They didn't do us any favors that way. When we cross this stage, we leave the shelter of big high school dreams for the hard-working realities of the real world. In reality, we probably won't see any rock stars, actors, or NFL players at our class reunion. But that doesn't mean we can't succeed; This means we may need to rethink our definition of success. As Albert Einstein once said: “Try not to become a successful man, but rather a man of value.” » The value he speaks of is not monetary, but the personal fulfillment that comes from adding something positive to society. Don't just seek wealth; seek opportunities to do good to others. Simply attending secondary school allows us to be better educated than most of the world's population. Just by living in this country, we are richer and luckier than billions of people. We will encounter difficulties in our adult lives, but overall we will always be incredibly lucky. We are better equipped to help the less fortunate than people in any other society; why let it go to waste? We can help people who don't have money to feed themselves or who don't have a place to live, both in our own country and in others. And we should do it. By serving others and improving our society, we use our time and resources in meaningful ways. By doing good, we find value in ourselves. This is what true success is. I'm not saying we should start nonprofits or personally feed all the starving children in Africa; it's simply unrealistic. But nothing stops us from improving our environment. As cliché as it may sound,) ,.