Did you end up being more successful than your HS classmates?

Some sure. Hard to tell what's real on social media but several are doing quite well that I wouldn't have guessed.

 

Based on my facebook feed, many have done well for themselves. There is so much more to life than just traveling or making a lot of money, etc. Some people have a totally different perception of "making it".

I've made it. I am happy with the way life has gone. Done a little bit of traveling, have some great friendships and memories. I've accomplished many goals I set for myself. Financially, I guess I am doing okay.

From what I see posted on facebook, a lot of my classmates are super happy with their family. A lot of them seem to be grilling every weekend and drinking and just having a good time surrounded by loved ones. Others are traveling, whether all over the world or within the US or within the state. Others seem to be happy with the material stuff they've acquired.

Honestly, I don't speak to most of them, so don't really know if they are truly happy or if they are fighting demons. I do keep up with some close high school friends that I've known since elementary and middle school. Those friends are doing well for themselves as well. I can't really say I compare myself to them, I don't personally care. I'm just happy they are happy.

 

thanks for your explanation.

i guess my point is it is natural for one to be near to the place they are from. or want to be near it.

many 'successful' people still end up living where they started. i guess its just a strange mark of success but you said it and i think it underscores how it can be so openly defined.

devils advocate and army brat will tell you living in many places can be a drag and living in beautiful places can get old too

 

I guess it depends on what you mean by "natural".

Just because something is natural does not mean it is always good for you.

If you're a motivated, conscientious person you will create success wherever you end up, whether you're stuck there (family obligations, etc) or you chose to be there.

It's not a "mark of success" as much as it is a common corollary. One does not guarantee the other, but they do often coincide. In other words, being a motivated and conscientious person is not a prerequisite for staying close to home and not achieving secondary education, but it almost universally is a prerequisite for leaving home and achieving secondary education.

Being dragged around by your nose when you're young is a totally different experience than voluntarily moving yourself from place to place as an adult.

 

Has anyone who has graduated in the past 20 years (approx Facebook era) gone to an actual in person class reunion? If so, how was everyone's flex game?

 

i dont know..
i guess i know a lot of nomadic pro couch surfers that live place to place. lots of degrees /education but I would call them more bum- burnout then successful.

so i find it curious but you have your data set too.
i think well rounded and traveled is great but it doesnt make one more successful just maybe more well rounded and more traveled? living other places either..i dont know..

i dont consider people who live further to be more.. i find it to be curious but again we all have our criteria.

i think to an extent if you think you are successful and lead a decent clean existence then you are successful.

bezos is richest dude in world yet his new girl looks like she ate a box of monster cookies.. im sure if he wanted to as well he could get a hotter girl than mine... its all whats important to the person. with that i consider myself more successful than bezos lol... OR i just value beauty maybe?

 

My HS tried to organize a 10 year reunion and it resulted in the most ridiculous drama ever. Watching people bicker about the money, time, location, etc was hilarious. Nothing 'official' ever happened and everyone just ended up going to someone's house for a bonfire & kegger. Typical.

The people who are very active in my "class of" facebook group are type A extroverts who never met a social project they didn't want to take to the moon, but after that flaming failure the discussion around a 20 year reunion never even happened, lol.

 

Short answer: Yes, but I don't live like I did better than them. I live comfortably but well beneath my means.

I was sort of a loner in that I hung out with everyone. I didn't have a 'click'; I got along with everyone. I a good looking, funny kid who had girlfriends and surfed so I checked the 'cool' box. But I was weird, too, I liked video games and comic books way before the nerd counterculture.

The older I get, the less I talk to my HS classmates. It's just boring because they live in the past, especially the ones that peaked in HS, Al Bundy style.

America now, my friend. What was 'Fat' in your day (and mine) is now normal. This is every 3rd kid in High School now:

Smart kid trap. There's a ceiling for brute-force braining things. It's why we make our oldest son work hard even though he's in 'gifted' classes and will push the little ones when they get to homework age. If you don't get pushed when you're younger, you find out what your natural work ethic is real quick at some point.

No place like H-Town. Love the people, the culture and the vibe. Easy to stay or move back.

 

Im assuming you never scored 4 touchdowns in a high school game.... Tisk Tisk....

 

I'm Gen X but I know the feeling. I brought this up comparing my life to George Floyd's but I feel like I was both pushed into better classes but by my Senior year it was just expected I was one of the top students and a lot of teachers gave me a break on class work. During my first two years of undergraduate I really struggled but by junior year was back on track and doing well. Career wise since l've also had a lot of up and downs too and adjusting to the work environment was hard to from school.

 

I haven't kept much in touch with many people from high school especially not living in Houston make it harder to keep in touch with many so I'm not sure overall where I'm at regarding the people I graduated with.

Recently though because of COVID-19 I've gotten back intouch with a group of friends that I knew from high school and early college. Among them I'm not doing as well. This though is an exception group of people who are children of scientists and as such already had a pretty big advantage in academics. Among this group are people who not only doctors but head departments at prestigious hospitals. University professors recognized in their fields and a couple who have made a lot of money as tech entrepreneurs.

You can drive yourself crazy though comparing your life to compatriots. While maybe I'm not as prestigious or rich as others that I knew younger I still done a lot that is interesting and unusual in my life and one thing I've got going for me is that I still look much younger than my years are otherwise. It's very difficult to avoid regret especially looking at people that started about the same as you and seem to be doing much better. For most people life can always better but it cal also be worse. The only real measure of success is how we think about ourselves.

 

Put me in

 

In retrospect our class was/is pretty successful. These are our best earning years (early 40s) so it is still TBD. Lost a few, some are incarcerated, but overall the group has excelled in this crazy world. Although I live 30 miles away I actually drive there everyday for work after living/working in the big city for a decade. Sometimes I just drive around during my lunch break to see my old stomping grounds.

 

we had a reunion through whatapps , despite a bitter history of fights , bullying and acting foolish , we pretty much looked after the less fortunate classmates ,aka raised funds , paid rent , allocating job opportunities . one guy in particular who was bold since 5th grade, who beaten the crap of me over and over , when i had the chance to meet him ,I thanked him for disciplining my behavior and taming my attitude , I could't done it by myself , he co-raised me well so to speak.

 

I have many leather bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany

 

Only if you ****ed...

 

I’d like to say that my high school days were super awesome.. had a blast. Live it up to the fullest , yeah there’s a couple people who I know are prob doing way better than me, but I mean, isn’t life meant to be enjoyed without regrets?

by the time I was old enough to go to the bars and clubs I had already partied my self out of it. I got a family now, making decent money, ( enough to survive) and my chick just graduated from UH.

I guess I got lucky enough to party thru HS
And still managed to be living the good life..

 

Congratulations!

DD

 

I did and 20 was cool, but 25 everyone divorced and Baytown still being mostly redneck, not much to talk about, the best part of my life was after high school.

DD

 

Meh, really? High School?

Yes, banged, but then college happened.

College was really fun. The years after college were even better.