Article: Mind and heart don't have to be mutually exclusive. That is, you can find ways to make them work together. Start with your values. The heart often speaks to a sense of deep-seated values that don't always get included in your rational thought process. The reconciliation starts here. You need to be able to identify what your deepest values are and let them guide your rational thought. Try to deconstruct your values, if you have never really thought about it before. How were you raised? Ask yourself what values your parents emphasized wealth, education, status, appearance? Were you rewarded for high achievement in school, for instance? How do you live now? You should be able to see how your values have shaped your life. Do you live in the city, the suburbs, or the country? What led you there? What do you do for a living? Someone who teaches probably values money less than someone who is a banker. On the other hand, a banker may put less importance on education than a teacher. What do you spend your money on? This more than anything else says a lot about what values drive your behavior. Do you spend money on cars? Travel? Clothing? Or perhaps the arts and charity? The aim of thinking in terms of your values is not to tame your rational mind, but to work with it. Since values usually lie behind your heart, you should try to harness them and use them within your rational thought process. Who should you marry? Where should you work? These are things that need rational consideration, but that should also align closely with your most cherished values. Gain as much information as you can about choices. What is the probable benefit of a decision? Will it be something you'll ever regret? Your rational mind and heart may be giving you conflicting thoughts about a decision, and you will need to seek out all possible detail and evaluate it. Identify problems: what might go wrong? Say that you are thinking of getting married and really want children. However, your girlfriend has said she isn't interested in having a family. While your rational mind may say that you love her, you should also listen to your heart and recognize that the importance you place on family does not align with her values. Explore options: think carefully about what's best for you. Sometimes, your first intuition will be right. However, at other times your heart needs to be balanced with a rational decision. One way to help you come to a good decision is to consider the problem in terms of your highest values. How do the possible solutions relate to your values? You may have to make a map of your values going from most important to least in order to see where they land in your personal hierarchy. Back to the problem of marriage. If family is a make-or-break issue for you, marrying someone who doesn't want children could be a disaster, even if you love her. But if you value close bonds with your partner more than having children, there might be room to negotiate. It seems strange, right? Thinking rationally about the heart? Just remember that the two are not contradictory. You only have to learn to listen to your heart and discover what lies behind it. Think carefully and let your values play a big role in decision-making, but do so rationally. Make choices that best serve your values and that prioritize the ones that are most important to you. Keep practicing. Eventually, you'll start to find personal power in your decisions and create a marriage of your heart and mind. By listening to your heart, you can train your mind to work in harmony with it.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Identify your core values. Think about decisions in terms of your values. Consider your highest values before deciding. Make a decision based on a rational look at your intuitive values.

Many students think that it isn't important to start doing your best until your first year in high school, but this is far from the truth. If you want to start off your freshman year with Honors classes, you have to make As (or high Bs) in your 8th grade year; otherwise you likely won't get accepted into these competitive, impressive, and highly sought after Honors classes. Every school is a bit different. Some schools require tests to be admitted to Honors classes, some take students based on teacher recommendation, while others will put you in whatever classes you feel like taking. To make sure you can start out high school ahead of the curve, it's best to be impressive during your years in junior high, too. If you want to excel in extracurriculars in high school which is a great way to get scholarships, attract attention to colleges in general, and show you're well-rounded you need to start now. There will be some really good athletes and performers in your high school, so keep up with them by starting early. Experiment with a few activities while you're still young enough to drop them if you don't like them and pick another. And don't just stick to one area if you're big into sports, branch out to dancing or a musical instrument. If you're more artistic, find something athletic to give a try. You could be great at it! Read the class descriptions and talk to other students who have taken the classes you're interested in. Taking a class just because a friend is taking it too won't help you and, what's more, your friend will probably just be a distraction. Instead, look for classes with students and material that is slightly above your level as the best motivator is competition. If you're looking to be valedictorian, one of the ways to cinch that is to take loads of Honors classes (provided you can still get As). Straight As in Honors classes are even more impressive than straight As in regular classes, so take as many difficult classes as you can handle without compromising your GPA, of course. A great GPA in normal classes is better than a poor GPA in Honors. Keep in mind the subjects necessary to pursue your intended career. If you're considering becoming a psychologist, for example, take psychology and sociology over Metal Shop and Ceramics. If you can, look at the textbooks for the various classes. Oftentimes the rigor of the textbook will reflect that of the class. Ask your teacher or office staff if you can get the textbooks during the summer most schools have last year's textbooks in a closet somewhere just waiting to be read. Unless the books are new and they're being shipped, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to get yours to read for the summer. Ask your teachers, older students or consult the Internet to find the best sources for supplemental readings. Use several reference books that will augment your understanding of the material. This way you'll be able to truly wrap your brain around any concept your teacher presents you. Don't be afraid of seemingly difficult material. Think of it as a challenge and face it head on. It may be confusing now, but when your class is covering it, it will all click into place and you'll be that much further ahead.
++++++++++
One-sentence summary --
Make the best grades you possibly can in your 7th and 8th grade years. Start your extracurriculars now. Pick the classes you enroll in carefully. Obtain the textbooks early, and supplemental ones, too.