My first two years of high school consisted of undeniably crazy endeavors including (but not limited to): excessive partying, skipping school, and just a general zeal for having fun – regardless of the consequences. I found myself in a situation where fun was all I was looking for, thus confirming the meaning of the classic adage “too good.” It was the moment I found myself in the back of a police car when I realized I had to change direction. I realized that if I continued to live life without abandonment, I would be sacrificing my future; Deciding to avoid adhering to the social contract of being a law-abiding citizen wasn't doing me any favors, and sitting in the back of a police car on a child possession charge, I realized I needed to take a look careful about my life and I decide to change my ways in an effort to strive for a potentially successful life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay At 16 I had no career prospects, my main goal was to have fun in any way I knew how. I became entrenched in a crowd that, to put it kindly, was not known for academic merit or achievement. The desire to have fun was too promising to turn down, thus resulting in frequent disagreements with my parents, which ultimately led to me slipping further into my lifestyle. My academic record began to suffer and I was having so much fun that I couldn't understand the warning. When living fully in the present, how could I be threatened by the prospect of a bad future? This question loomed over my mind but was masked by the influence of my lifestyle. My family relationships have suffered greatly and before my encounter with the police I was unable to recognize the damage. On the fateful day of November 16, 2016, I was in the middle of the finale of a fantastic evening with my friends (and out past the legal curfew) when the car I was in was stopped by the police. The event led to a mention for Minor in Possession and I found myself at a crossroads. For context: I was living with my mother and stepfather in my hometown of El Paso, Texas at the time; My father and stepmother lived in Florida. It was at this point that I reflected on my situation: Do I continue to live my life this way? Or do I decide to risk the life I had known and become accustomed to in an attempt to improve my future? I decided on the latter. I realized that my father and stepmother could potentially provide the structure I needed to live as a law-abiding citizen, resulting in me deciding to leave my friends and lifestyle behind for the prospect of a new life in Florida with my father. and his family. The first step in ensuring my success was to increase my GPA; it's difficult to maintain a decent GPA by considering academic achievements useless. I was enrolled in online courses and given a rigorous schedule accompanied by regular monitoring to ensure I didn't fall behind. I did my homework, so as not to succumb to characters similar to my old friends and the habits they followed. I missed my friends at home, but I knew that leaving was the only circumstance to consolidate my future. I worked harder than I ever imagined, it's much harder to raise a bad GPA than it is to preserve a good one. Additionally, I had to prepare for the SATs and ACTs, exams I had never considered taking in the past. I moved in.