Graduation may open doors, but only goals and hard work can bring success
We have a few words we would like to say to this year’s high school and college graduates: Real life starts now; participation trophies are no longer relevant.
Of course, we would also like to congratulate them on a job well done and an important task completed. It’s time for a well-earned celebration. Enjoy and remember the good times and good friends you encountered along the way.
But, it is also a time when graduates do more than cross the stage; they cross an invisible line that takes them from childhood to adulthood. The decisions are now in the hands of these young adults; if they are wise, they will still listen to the wisdom of the adults in their lives that they don’t have to anymore.
For the graduates, we sincerely hope the years before your graduation prepared you for the real life you encounter. It’s an exciting and hopefully fulfilling journey that you are beginning, but the good life and its successes don’t happen by accident. They happen because of dreams and dedication, hard work and commitment.
That diploma you now have in your hand will open some doors for you and may help you get a job. It won’t, however, get you a raise or a promotion. It doesn’t guarantee you won’t be fired. It doesn’t buy you respect. That all comes from inside you and from the way you do your job.
You will not be rewarded for just showing up, nor will kudos be given for being on time. Those are the minimum expectations and what you are being paid for; rewards, raises and promotions come from doing more and for showing commitment and dedication. You have outgrown participation trophies.
The decisions you make now could very well determine your future. If you decide to get more education or training, you will be choosing to open more doors. If you decide not to, we hope you have a strong goal to work toward and the commitment to reach it. Whichever way you go, we hope you end up with a job you enjoy and that challenges you to be all you can be.
Success doesn’t happen by accident. Happiness doesn’t happen by accident. Both require hard work, focus, commitment — and a whole bunch of other things.
This is your time; use it wisely, and don’t be afraid to seek advice from those who are older and wiser than you. They may have ideas that will help you reach your goals but, even more importantly, they may guide you away from common mistakes. Also, listen to your heart and discover what you feel passionate about. And commit to making your dreams come true.
It’s almost a cliché to use the word commencement as a reminder that this is the beginning of the next phase of your life, but it is true. There’s a whole world out there, waiting for you to conquer. We are waiting to see what mountains you climb. Even if the great things you achieve don’t make the history books, we hope the history your life will write includes success in the professional arena and happiness in your personal life. If your hard work and love brings you both of those, you will have been successful.
Congratulations, graduates.