A MODG Alumnus' 12 Rules for Life

      Hello! Welcome to my first ever blog post. This is just something I wanted to try out on my summer break, since I do enjoy writing and because knowing how to make a blog seems like a useful skill to have. With that said, please accept that this won't be a well-polished reading experience. 

      As you might guess, the title above is a play on Dr. Jordan Peterson's wildly successful book of life advice. I wanted to communicate my own advice from the lessons I've learnt so far in my short life. This post is aimed at Mother of Divine Grace highschoolers, though most of it applies to everyone. Why should you heed my advice? Great question. No doubt, there are many professionals out there far better qualified than me. However, when I was in highschool I never found online advice from someone who had been through exactly the same program as I, and who shared exactly the same values. Hopefully this blog can fill that gap for you current highschoolers. 

      A quick bio of me: I am a 19 year old man from southwest England named Anselm Harrold. I have a devout Catholic family with 6 siblings (like many readers, I'm sure). I was educated with MODG all K-12. I maintained a 4.00 GPA throughout and scored in the 94th percentile on my first SAT attempt. I received a full ride scholarship at Ave Maria University in Florida and just finished my freshman year with a current GPA of 3.96 + honors and dean's list. 

Now, to the list! Note: I am obviously not professionally affiliated with MODG. If you would like me to expand on any point please comment or email anselmharrold@gmail.com.

1. Get a part-time job and learn to drive as soon as you can

It seems a more common expectation that young people do these things in the US, but in England at least it's quite rare for a 17 year old to be proactive enough to start driving lessons and apply for jobs. They are a lot of hassle, but definitely worth it. If you're willing to work low-grade jobs such as cleaning, it's very easy to find convenient part time work. Having your own income (however small it is) will make you feel significantly more confident and independent. Spending all the money on driving lessons and tests now may seem like a big investment, but learning to drive only gets harder as you get older.

2. Meal prep

In my house, dinner was the only meal we ate as a family, while breakfast, lunch, and snacks were a free-for-all. I wasted a lot of time everyday trying to put together food for myself that was healthy, tasty, and cheap. Eventually, I decided to ask my dad to start buying some extra cooking ingredients so that I could meal prep for myself. Every Sunday I would cook a big pot of black bean chili or something similar for my lunches, and flapjack or something similar for my breakfasts. Then throughout the week all I had to do was take a portion of my pre-prepared delicious food. Meals took 5 minutes! If you don't know how to cook, you should learn now. 

3. Podcasts

Listening to podcasts and audiobooks is an incredible way to educate yourself while you're doing monotonous labor or on long car drives. There are countless good options to choose from. Also, many of your MODG homework books are classics that have free audiobooks on Youtube, which can be very efficient. Don't go overboard though, because constantly having someone else's thoughts played into your headphones is not healthy. It's important to also have times of music, silence, and chatting with family.

4. Make sure you understand qualifications

It's no secret that Catholic homeschooler parents are very busy people. They generally have a lot of children to manage, and it's easy for one to fall through the cracks, to miss some important informational talk. Personally, I don't think it was ever explained to me what happens after graduation until I enquired about it in my last year. You need to make sure you understand what qualifications you’re getting, what a high school diploma actually is, what each standardized test qualifies you for, and what the process is for getting into a university.

5. Dress well

This one's pretty simple. Homeschoolers aren't known for their style. I think that needs to change. How we present ourselves is inextricable with how we are perceived and treated. Whether you like it or not, people judge you on your looks. It's important to know how to look your best when you need to. 

6. Travel

I'm lucky enough to have travelled all across Europe. Of course I also got the incredible opportunity to move to a new continent for my studies! The experience both of the journey and of being in a new culture is greatly enlightening and formative. As St. Augustine said: "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page." And, if you play your cards right, travelling won’t break the bank. I’ve taken weekend trips abroad for less than £100 before.

7. Practice martial arts

Martial arts are superpowers. Not only do they teach you self-defense and athleticism, they teach many life skills too. Once you get good there is also a great feeling (especially as a man) of knowing that you can handle yourself against 99 percent of people you meet if things ever go south. It's a strong and silent kind of self-confidence. 

8. Learn how to talk to the opposite sex

This might seem a strange point to include, but it is important. For whatever reason, at many homeschooler meetups the boys and girls naturally end up completely segregated. Of course, keeping male-only spaces is important sometimes, but that should be a choice you make, not something that just happens because you're scared to talk to girls. There is great fun and beauty in opposite-sex conversations, even when it’s a platonic friendship.

9. Use digital tools

The more busy you get, the more important it will be to have efficient tools to manage and save your time. Start practicing using systems such as Google Calendar (+Google Tasks and Google Sheets), flashcard programs, and Microsoft Excel. AI assistants can also save a lot of time on certain tasks. Of course you shouldn’t use ChatGPT to write your essay for you, but I often used it legitimately to help me understand concepts when I was studying for my AP exams. You should also find apps and browser extensions to help reduce your screentime. I have found Unhook and Onesec excellent.  

10. If life seems messy, be patient

You're aware of the stereotype that teenagers often go through an identity crisis and an agnostic phase. But, if you haven't already, you will soon realize that the stereotype is entirely accurate! Nearly every teen will have a difficult period where they question everything. If that's you, you just have to trust that things do eventually start to make sense as you get older. Keep pursuing the truth and accept God's timing. 

11. Don't beat yourself up

One of the biggest lessons I've had to learn as I mature is not to beat myself up when I make mistakes. For the longest time I have had a standard mistake sequence where I plan to get up at 6am and be productive, instead snooze until 7:30, then waste 2 hours checking social media. I feel awful afterwards every time, as I should. But eventually I realized that to win back the day I would have to break the negative spiral and choose not to let myself get upset. No matter how unproductive you have been, the only way to improve your situation is to look on the bright side and move on. Ultimately, the only way to really "love yourself" is to learn to accept God's love for you. For more wisdom on that I would recommend Reverend Jacques Phillipe’s Searching for and Maintaining Peace. Another aspect of this is setting reasonable expectations for yourself. If you commit to too many things, you will inevitably fail and lose your morale.

12. Be a proactive learner

This is the clear way to improve your educational experience. Take ownership. Start researching ways to better understand your subject matter, whatever it is. Participating in classes is very important. Try to form connections with teachers and fellow classmates. If you have a standardized test coming up, find Youtube videos on the best way to prepare for it. Use flashcard programs and try different study techniques. Even things like improving your writing speed will benefit you on timed essays. Try to do anything and everything that will improve your education.