It seems a little strange to be writing a blog on advice for
graduates entering college as I had such a tough time figuring out everything
myself, but if I had gotten it right the first time and hadn’t made any
mistakes I probably wouldn’t have learned nearly as much.
Everyone’s college experience is different and that’s a
great thing. The experiences you have and how you react to them will definitely
play a major role in shaping who you one day become.
I’ve taken to putting a new life lesson a day on my bus this
year and although I’ve driven some of the seniors and they’ve gotten a chance
to see some of that wisdom, I have some specific advice for them that I’d like
to share now.
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating
yourself.” –George Bernard Shaw
Too often you hear people speak about how they truly found
themselves in college. I find that to be a pretty harsh criticism of what you
accomplished in your first 18 years and I also believe it diminishes the hard
work you do in creating the person you want to be.
To say that you “find” yourself in college; with a person,
place, things or any other way makes it seem like you have no say in the
matter. Trust me, you always have a say. I’m not a strong believer in fate, I
believe in hard work and conscious decisions and the difference between the two
can be summed up in whether you believe you “find” yourself, or if you “create”
yourself.
“Employ your time in improving yourself by other men’s (or
women’s) writings, so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard
for.” –Socrates.
This is the essence of college, the education part any way.
The first thing you should do when you arrive at your college is go and check
out the library. The amount of stored knowledge should blow your mind…and you
have access to all of it!
Now, I say that’s the first thing you should do because the
first thing I did was I went cruising then went to a party. It was quite a
while before I checked out the library and consequently it took me seven years
to earn a four year degree. I lacked motivation and no longer had the parents
cracking the whip. It took me several years to realize the opportunities I had
by attending a university and now that I’m gone it turns out that the books
aren’t as cheap and knowledge isn’t taught…but you never stop seeking it.
“Time you enjoyed wasting is not wasted time.” –Bertrand Russell
I had a great time at college. I pretty much paid my way
through my freshman year by having keg parties at a friend’s house, met a lot
of new awesome people (including a lady or two), and eventually earned a
degree. But it wasn’t until I actually accomplished getting that degree that I began
to not regret wasting so much time. I can look back and enjoy those moments because
I have now achieved my goal, if I hadn’t…I probably wouldn’t be able to forgive
my misdirection.
I started my college career at MSU-Moorhead, then after 5
years there I took some time off, traveled the country a bit, came back, bought
the family business and then started to get my shit together. There was still
something missing, though, so I enrolled in Minnesota School of Business and
finished a degree in Business Management. It wasn’t necessarily the degree I
had set my sights on, but it was one that I now tend to use every day. Luckily
I still have several interests that I use the knowledge gained while majoring
in English, Film, and Mass Communications that I don’t feel like taking courses
in these subjects were a waste of time at all. More than anything else, these
are still the subjects that bring forth my passion.
Once I finished my degree I finally felt like I had
accomplished something and was able to look back at my time at MSU-Moorhead as
not wasted time…at least not in the sense that I didn’t enjoy myself while
wasting it. Without the eventual degree, I may have found my sense of
accomplishment seriously lacking and self-worth as well. So, have fun. Waste
some time. But don’t lose sight of why you’re there. Knowledge is power…not
your ability to funnel beers.
“Smooth seas do not make skilled sailors.” –Proverb.
You will run into your fair share of obstacles on your
journey, some of you may even run into more than most. But know that you are
not alone. At some point you will be assigned a group project…if you’re not
bitching about one of the members of the group not pulling their weight, then
you’re probably not pulling your weight.
You’ll have teachers that may not appear to like you or that
you just can’t figure out. It happened to all of us…share your stories with
classmates, vent, and you may just find some common ground and ideas on how to
change the current circumstances.
College isn’t supposed to be easy. If it were, everyone
would do it. It’s designed to separate the strong from the weak and god
willing, turn the weak into the strong by having them develop a backbone. It
will test what you’re made of and if you’re lucky enough to come out the other
side with a degree you’ll be much stronger. If not, the battle scars can either
help or hurt you…either way, you’ll find out what you’re made of.
Along the same thoughts we have:
“Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.” –Charles
Swindoll
And…
“If you have made mistakes, even serious ones, there is
always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling down,
but the staying down.” –Mary Pickford
I wish I would have heard/read the Swindoll quote when I
started my college career, or anytime really before this year. Perhaps I would
have handled situations differently; perhaps I’d be a completely different
person. But, although I’ve certainly made my fair share of mistakes, I’d like
to think for the most part I’ve made amends and although I’ve had some awfully
low moments, I have since picked myself back up and have carried on.
You’ll make mistakes as well, it’s inevitable, but take some
time to compose yourself and decide the next best step. It’s always best to
tackle problems with a nice stroll rather than a sprint.
“What is the point in being alive if you don’t at least try
to do something remarkable?” –John Green
You’ve now graduated high school, what you do next is
completely up to you. I just hope that whatever you do, you strive to be the
best at it.
Maybe you’ll own your own business, shape young minds as a
teacher, become a doctor and save lives or find a cure for cancer, become a
pilot and take people wherever they want to go, or even one day write for
Banana Daiquiris & Life Lessons?!
Whatever you choose to do, you will find opportunities to
make a difference, opportunities to do something remarkable. Don’t be boring;
don’t just do the bare minimum. We all have an opportunity to make this world a
better place; I hope you seize your opportunities.
“We do not remember days. We remember moments.” –Cesare Pavese
Remember to seize those moments, make a difference and make
an impact.
“If you light a lamp for someone else it will also brighten
your path.” –Buddha
Speaking of Buddha, discovering or questioning your faith may be a big part of this next journey you take. It's one that I think most of us are constantly on, and really should be. Recently Rainn Wilson (That quirky Dwight from The Office) gave a baccalaureate speech which sums up so many factions of faith and to me is certainly a must watch.
One of my all-time favorite quotes about life that applies
to everyone, not just graduates is from John Lennon. Because this blog
obviously needs one more quote, I’ll leave you with this…
Congratulations Graduates, now go forth and make us proud!
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