The Most Important Things to Remember after Year 12

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I’ve learnt so much since my last day of high school… There have been so many occasions where something has clicked in my brain and changed my perspective on a range of different things. Most of which revolve completely around that immature perspective that you graduate with.

The hardest thing for me to come to terms with since finishing school is that the real world ain’t all it’s hyped up to be! School is heaven compared to the real world. I mean that in the very essence of the school organisation, not necessarily the classes that you’re forced to take.

School is a place where you’re encouraged to fail, encouraged to make friends, taught to laugh, taught to forgive and forget, and so much more. The classes themselves are just a requirement.

In times were the real world gets real, and I mean times where I feel like just giving up totally, buying a van and living on the beach for the rest of my life, I often think to myself:

“Life would be so much easier if someone just told me these things before I graduated…”

Like why did I have to figure them out on my own? It’s not like they’re some secret!

Anyway, here’s what I wish someone just told me before I finished year 12…

WARNING: These opinions are RAW AF. Please don’t get scared or offended and take each one with a grain of salt :))

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The Real World Is F**ked

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I don’t like to swear on this blog because it’s not just aimed at young people, but also their parents. And who’s going to tell their kids to trust a guy on the internet who calls himself ‘Uncle Nathan’ and swears a lot?

But in saying that, I wouldn’t be myself if I didn’t keep shit real! I am me, I am young, I am naive and I am Aussie. I swear, okay. Get over it.

Anyway, back to the episode…

The real world is f**ked! I mean that in the rawest sense of the word. It’s literally just a mosh pit of people pounding each other to get ahead.

Now, I view the world as an optimist. I am optimistic about the future, I am optimistic that most people have good values and mean well by others. I don’t believe the world is out to get me, I don’t believe each and every person wants to see me fail.

But, I do believe that the real world is not at all what school conveys it to be.

The real world is hard.

Everyone is running their own race and the sooner you realise this, the better. No one does something for you just because. There’s always an ulterior motive. Unless it’s your parents or siblings (these are the only people on the planet who will genuinely expect nothing from you in return for their good deed).

The point I’m getting at here is that nothing is going to just come to you. If you want something, you’re gonna have to climb a damn mountain to get it, and even then you won’t be satisfied.

Just trust in the process, don’t take those small moments of success and happiness for granted, and rest assured that if you’re working towards something, you will get there in the end.

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Just because classes are over, doesn’t mean you stop learning

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I remember that feeling. Walking out of English for the very last time. My god was it good.

I felt reborn, liberated, ready to take on the world. Like finally they’d let the horse free. I was both horse, and jockey and the Melbourne cup trophy was in my sights.

Then I realised I didn’t actually have legs yet…

Don’t understand the analogy? That’s fine. I’m just saying that school isn’t the only place you learn. You don’t graduate as a master of the universe, and you sure as hell don’t know as much as you think you do.

I love this quote:

“The more you learn about a topic, the more you realise how little you actually know.”

It’s a crazy little nuance we find ourselves entrapped in. School simply brushes the surface of a few interesting and fundamental topics that the higher-ups consider to be worthwhile studying. After that, it’s fully up to you whether you learn more about the subjects that interest you or go on a different path completely.

I’m not just talking about study either! You learn so much more than book knowledge after high school.

With every day you learn something new about the world around you, yourself as a person, your relationships, your perspective, your destination and everything else ingrained in the fabric of our universe. It’s literally impossible not to learn.

Think about it…

Even if you sat in your room 24/7, with no windows, no sound, no connection to the outside world, you’d still learn stuff. You’d learn that you get bored when you do nothing. Or you’d learn that you get hungry when you don’t eat. Or you’d learn that your skin goes whiter the longer you stay out of the sun.

Learning is everywhere, even if you aren’t looking for it.

So, my advice is to seek out the learnings that interest you, over simply floating through life learning what you don’t like about it!

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You are Nothing.

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This one is deadset raw. You are nothing. Nothing at all.

What am I talking about?

During school, you might be something. You could be the sports captain, head of the choir, the class clown, the teacher’s pet, the school captain, etc. You are someone. People know your name.

After school, this all changes.

You aren’t 1 of 150 in your year group anymore.

You’re 1 of 7.7 billion adults trying to make their life as incredible as possible.

Do you know how many zeros are in 7.7 billion? This many: 7, 700, 000, 000, 000!

If there are 7.7 billion adults on the planet and approx. $37 trillion USD in circulation, that leaves us with about $5,000 each.

It makes sense that people are so self-centred. They’re simply trying to access more than their allocated $5,000.

You’ll realise very quickly after high school that no one really cares about you other than your inner circle of friends, partners and family. Other than that, you won’t get a whole lot without giving a whole lot more.

If you understand this concept, you’ll succeed in life. And honestly, it’s quite reassuring knowing that in order to succeed, you have to give more than you get.

That’s how I like to look at it, anyway.

Uni and school are very different. You don’t really meet your teachers at uni, you might make a few friends but you’ll never know the name of everyone in your cohort. Everyone has different schedules with different classes and subjects at different times. You are now an individual in the most real sense of the word.

Enjoy the ability to do whatever you’d like to do, without having any severe impact on the world at large. Embarrass yourself often, learn from it always, try again, take risks, enjoy the success and reflect on the failures, it’s the only way.

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A good life is the biggest thing holding you back from a great life

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I’ll repeat it…

A good life is the biggest thing holding you back from a great life!

Let’s break it down.

So, you’re living a pretty average life. You’d rate it say 4 or 5/10 and would love things to get better. What do you do?

Recognise that your life ain’t the best and do something about it.

Now, let’s imagine that you’re living what you’d consider to be a good life. Something like a 7 or 8/10. What do you do?

Absolutely nothing because you’re content with what you have. This is dangerous. You have the potential to be living a great life. A 10/10! But you’ll never get there because you fail to recognise that your good life isn’t actually great.

Just remember to reflect on your life often and take notes on your happiness. If you’re happy, but want to be happier, go get it!

Don’t settle for mediocrity.

Anything less than a 10/10 is a waste in my opinion.

Like, think about it… you live one time (depending on what you believe). Why would you not try to make that life as incredible as you possibly can? Regardless of whether you’re a glass-half-full or glass-half-empty kind of person, you owe it to yourself to put everything you’ve got into the short life you’ve been blessed to have.

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Money isn’t everything, but it does make life a little easier

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Now this one is certainly an objective truth. Meaning it’s true for me and what I believe, but may not be true for everyone.

I wouldn’t say I’m money-driven. But, I have a rational understanding of reality whereby in order for me to live, I need to make enough money to purchase the basic necessities.

I’m also a man who enjoys nice things, nice experiences, a lil bit of luxury here and there. That’s just my personal preferences.

So, if I want to 1) live each day at a basic level, and 2) enjoy some of the nicer things in life, I know I need to make a substantial living.

I understand this and as such, I strive towards it.

Being rich ain’t easy. If it were, there would be many more rich people on the planet than what there already is (and that wouldn’t be good for anyone). But being poor ain’t easy either.

Rich = hard

Poor = hard

I know which hard I’d prefer…

Just keep in mind that while money shouldn’t be a motivator for you, it should always be considered to some degree before you decide to alter the course of your life in some way.

9 times out of 10, the decision you make will find a way to produce enough money for you to live. But, wouldn’t it just be easier if you didn’t have to worry about losing your income? That’s the main reason why I invest the money I make. I want that money to be there regardless of my job in the future.

Anyway, that’s a whole other wormhole. Just remember money is important and you should learn about it on at least the fundamental level.

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Final Word

That was a lot. I mean reading back over it, it’s clear to me that I had a lot of thoughts in my head that I needed to get on paper. But nonetheless, everything I have said above is learnings that have come to me since finishing school.

School is a special place, a place that fosters creativity and risk as well as rewarding mainstream book smarts. The real world is not. It’s scary, dangerous and downright hard.

However, if someone just told me those 5 things a few months before I finished school, I think the first year out would have been a hell of a lot easier to come to terms with.

Anyway, I’ll let you get back to figuring life out now. I hope I’ve helped in some way or another, or at the very least put into words the feelings you’ve had since finishing school.

I’ll leave it there.

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Further Reading:

• What is compound interest?
• How to plan out your life after school
• A bedroom study setup for ultimate productivity

Find Uncle Nathan on Instagram @unclenathanco

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Until next time,

Uncle N.