Anne+S’s+Final+AmEx+2014+Speech

=Title of Speech= I'm Lazy

=Text of Speech=

Yesterday I went home, ate a grilled cheese, took a nap, watched three episodes of Mad Men, and then decided that I would have to start my speech at some point, and so I did, reluctantly and slowly due to many breaks to take trips to the kitchen and a few more Mad Men episodes. I had put off writing my speech because nothing came to me right away but then I realized that my problem was the solution. I’m lazy. If I am asked to do something I will most likely complain about it and then put it off, complain about it more, and then maybe, finally complete the task.

My room is a disaster, my parents like to remind me everyday to clean it, as if I can’t already tell that its not clean. Same goes for my car. I’m not very efficient, or motivated, or excited about doing homework, so most of the time I do the least amount of work possible, or turn things in at the latest time possible. A few of my teachers have become frustrated this year, and I have listened to a few lectures that went along the lines of “I want to see you put in a little more effort.” Sorry teachers, I understand that the hardworking students are the one’s you want to work with, the ones that you will adore, but school isn’t the center of my life and I don't want it to be, I don't care enough about it.

So you, hard working american experience students, may be looking down at me from your high horses just like my parents, coaches, and teachers, thinking that I am ungrateful and that I need to work harder, but WHAT’S WRONG WITH BEING A LITTLE LAZY? what’s wrong with a little rest and relaxation? So what if I want to come home after being at school all day and sleep for a few hours instead of going to the gym? So what if I haven't cleaned my room in a month? I know where everything is! So what if I could never show up to practice on time? I still came to practice. So what if that assignment wasn't turned in on time? I still did it.

The thought of making school the center of my life scares me to death and I don't know why any teacher, administrator or parent would expect a child, or teenager, to do this. I like learning and school is pretty alright but I’m not going to sell my soul to the college board, or Mr. Geib, or the SAT. Yes, I chose to take AP, good for me preparing myself for college and all, but I haven’t put my entire heart and soul into this class. If I was extremely passionate about school, and receiving straight A’s on my report card, this year would have been stressful and a whole lot of work. I still got decent grades, and most likely passed the AP tests, without pulling any all-nighters and without gray hair inducing amounts of stress. To me, school isn’t worth the stress and the worrying. Why would I spend all my time caring about school? So I can get into a “good” college? One of my best friends, Ryanne just graduated from La Reina and is going to Stanford next year. She worked super hard in high school and usually got home around 9:00 every night and then left for school around 6 in the morning. Her hard work has payed off and she’s going to a super great school, great job ryanne, but when you really step back and look at the big picture, what difference does it make that she is going to Stanford, and I will probably end up going to some little private school that no one has ever heard of. She will probably work super hard in college and be a successful person. Where does this leave me? Just because I’m not super school driven and hardworking I will not be successful in life? I will not be happy because I am not going to graduate from Stanford? I think that even though people that work hard should be appreciated, things like straight A’s and an acceptance letters from Stanford should not be so heavily weighted with importance.

Even though I am a lazy student I am not wasting my life away. Maybe I’m not super school driven, but I spend my time doing other things. This year, although my grades haven’t been so hot, my relationships with my friends have strengthened, and I have realized that there will be a school out there to me, and that stressing about colleges will get me nowhere.

I have learned that drama and stress aren’t worth my time and I hate to see other people waste their time with this nonsense. STOP CARING SO MUCH! stop caring about how obnoxious you think he is or how bad her outfit is today. Stop caring about the number of followers you have or how many likes you got on your last picture. Stop obsessing over grades and standardized test scores and colleges. Stop overbooking yourself with extracurricular activities that you don’t really want to be doing. Focus on what’s really important. Make quality friends. Build relationships. Experience life, and ENJOY IT.

In the America I grow old in, I want too see people focusing on what’s really important. I want to see less people caring just about themselves, or about the Ivy Leagues. I want to see less people worrying, complaining, stressing and more people living. I want to see people make the most of everyday and maybe, be a little more lazy.

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