How to Be the Main Character in Your Life: Senior to College and Beyond
If you’re a high school senior or a parent walking alongside one, this is your season of transition. For years, you’ve followed someone else’s script: wake up at 7 AM for school, take the classes your counselor recommended, apply to schools or jobs others approved of, and follow the timeline society laid out for you, step by predictable step.
But here’s the thing: you’re not an extra in someone else’s story anymore. As you step out of high school and into what comes next, whether that’s college, work, trade school, the military, or a gap year, this is your moment to grab the pen and start writing your own narrative. It’s time to learn how to be the main character in your life.
What Does It Mean to Be Your Own Main Character?
What does it mean to be the main character of your life? Being the main character doesn’t mean being selfish or dramatic. It means taking ownership of your choices, your growth, and your direction. It’s about shifting from a passenger mindset to a driver mindset.
Think about your favorite movie or book. The main character doesn’t just react to everything that happens. They make decisions that drive the plot forward. They have goals, face obstacles, learn from mistakes, and grow throughout the story. That’s exactly what you get to do with your life as you move into your next chapter.
This season of transition—out of high school and into adulthood—is the perfect time to make this shift. Everything is changing. Why not use this clean slate to become the person you actually want to be?
How to Be the Main Character in Your Life: Senior to College and Beyond
1. Recognize When You're Playing Small
What makes a person a main character? First, you need to identify the moments when you're relegating yourself to a supporting role. Are you choosing your major based on what others expect? Are you staying quiet in group discussions because you're afraid of standing out? Are you saying yes to things that don't align with your values just to keep the peace? Are you thinking about accepting a job because someone said it’s the best decision for your future?
These patterns often start small but can shape your entire experience after high school if you’re not careful. The good news? Once you recognize them, you can start changing them. Listen to your intuition and follow it…even now, during senior year.
2. Stop Waiting for Permission
One of the biggest shifts in becoming your own main character is realizing you don’t need anyone’s permission to pursue your interests, express your opinions, or make choices that feel right for you.
Want to join the debate team even though you’ve never done public speaking? Do it. Thinking about a gap year to explore your interests before jumping into the workforce or school? That’s your call.
This doesn't mean ignoring good advice or being reckless with important decisions. It means trusting yourself enough to take calculated risks and understanding that you're capable of handling the consequences, both good and challenging.
3. Choose Your Own Adventure
Life after high school is a buffet of opportunities, but you get to choose what goes on your plate. Don’t just drift into activities, jobs, or friendships. Instead, be intentional with your time and energy.
Pursue opportunities that genuinely interest you. Try electives, side projects, or hobbies that spark curiosity. Apply for internships, apprenticeships, a summer job, or programs that align with your goals.
And don’t forget to celebrate who you are becoming along the way. A photography experience is a powerful way to pause, reflect, and step fully into that main character energy. Capturing this season of your life isn’t just about photos. It’s about remembering the confidence, growth, and identity you’re building right now.
Every choice you make is a chance to steer your story in the direction you want it to go. Think: main character energy.
4. Build Authentic Relationships
Main characters in great stories have meaningful relationships, but they don't sacrifice their authenticity to maintain them. This is your opportunity to form friendships based on who you really are, not who you think you should be.
How to be the main character in your life? Be the person who suggests the group activity you actually want to do. Share your real opinions in conversations. Set boundaries when you need to. Support your friends' dreams while also pursuing your own. Authentic relationships will support your growth as the main character of your life, while superficial ones will keep you playing small.
5. Embrace Your Unique Perspective
You bring something to every classroom, workplace, and friend group that no one else can: your perspective. Don’t hide it or try to blend in completely. Your viewpoint might be exactly what sparks a new idea, a meaningful conversation, or an unexpected opportunity. The possibilities are endless when you begin accepting who you are.
The same goes for capturing this season of your life. Your photos should reflect your individuality. Think outside the box: bold locations, creative props, or 10 unique senior photoshoot themes that will make your session unforgettable.
6. Practice Decision-Making
Main characters are constantly making decisions that shape their story. Start flexing this muscle with smaller choices and work your way up to bigger ones.
What classes will you take if you go to college?
How will you spend your summer break?
What kind of person do you want to become?
What trade do you want to incorporate into your life?
The key is to make these decisions consciously rather than defaulting to what seems easiest or what others expect. Ask yourself: "What would the main character version of me choose here?"
7. Take Ownership of Your Mistakes
Here's something they don't tell you in high school: main characters mess up. A lot. The difference is they own their mistakes, learn from them, and use them to grow stronger.
Bombed a test? Figure out what study habits you need to change. Had a falling out with a friend? Reflect on your role and how to repair it. Took a job you don’t love? Use it to clarify what you do want.
This isn't about beating yourself up. It's about taking responsibility for your part in your own story and using every experience as fuel for character development.
8. Invest in Yourself
How to be the main character in your life? Main characters are always growing, learning new skills, and pushing their boundaries. Make investing in yourself a priority.
This might mean developing new hobbies, improving your communication skills, learning to manage your finances, taking care of your physical and mental health, or even booking a photoshoot that captures your confidence and reminds you of how far you’ve come.
You’re not just getting through high school or whatever comes next. You’re becoming the person who can handle anything after it. Every skill you develop and every bit of self-knowledge you gain is an investment in your future. Allow yourself to blossom and thrive.
9. Define Success on Your Own Terms
Society has a lot of opinions about what success looks like, but main characters define success for themselves.
What does a fulfilling life look like to you? Maybe it’s running your own business. Maybe it’s excelling in a trade, serving in the military, or becoming an amazing parent while working part-time in a job you love.
There's no wrong answer, but there is a wrong approach: letting others define success for you. Start thinking now about what would make you feel proud in ten or twenty years. Imagine your life with main character energy in the long haul.
10. Build Your Own Support System
As you transition into adulthood, you'll need to create your own support system rather than relying on the one your family and high school provides. This includes mentors, friends, professional networks, and even practical support like finding good doctors, therapists, or financial advisors.
Main characters are proactive about building these relationships rather than hoping they'll just appear when needed. Don’t hide who you are from a world lucky to have you.
Your Story Starts Now
The beautiful thing about learning how to be the main character of your life is that you can start right now, today, with your very next decision. You don't have to wait until you're older, more confident, or more accomplished. You just have to decide that your story matters and that you're the one who gets to write it.
Your post–high school years will be full of plot twists, new characters, challenges that shape you, and victories that feel even sweeter because you earned them.
And here’s your first plot twist: I’m offering a FREE consultation where we’ll talk through your vision, style, and ideas for a photoshoot that captures your main character energy. Your story deserves to be seen and remembered. And a photoshoot is the perfect way to showcase this transition.
The only question is: are you ready?
Your story is waiting. Make it unforgettable.