Viewpoint by Gary Collins/managing editor

I remember a high school coach saying we would make three mistakes in an upcoming game … and he was right; we lost the game.

Just like that game, since high school, I have made some mistakes too. Here are my top three.

Shortly after high school, I got a part-time job at a grocery store. It’s not the best, but what else can you do when you’re just out of high school?

I knew everything I wanted and needed to do after high school, yet somewhere I dropped the ball. I let money take priority over what I knew I needed to do—finish school.

So here I am, 19 years old with a fist full of cash and making at least $200 a week (a lot of money at 19) with not too many bills to pay.

With the money and a little recognition at a job I didn’t really want to do, I let money warp my judgment. I don’t know why, but I paid for it later.

Mistake No. 2 came when I didn’t go to school full-time when I could. Being 19 and finally free during the day to do what I wanted instead of going to school full-time, I chose to just relax at home.

Looking back, I probably wouldn’t be here now if I’d realized how fast the two years would go by. But suddenly I was approaching two years and still not close to graduating.

I was on a money high and was talked into working nearly 40 hours a week while going to school. Not a good idea when I didn’t have to. 

I was happy with my money, so I wasn’t worried about much else. But soon I was miserable in the job. I wondered why I wasn’t going to school, so I quit working so much at a job I didn’t like.

My third mistake was not studying enough.

I knew I couldn’t just breeze through college like high school, especially going to school full-time. But I chose to go out instead of studying enough.

Taking four classes back-to-back from 8 a.m. to noon wasn’t very smart either. I must have thought I was Superman. I was usually too tired to go to my 8 a.m. class and barely made it to the 9 a.m. Plus, I was falling behind in school.

Why did I let this happen? The money.

Money might bring immediate enjoyment, but it doesn’t always make you happy in the long run.

So now with less money, I’m a lot happier where I am now.