I just began the "rest" of my life.
This past weekend, I flew back up to Utah to attend my college commencement and convocation from Brigham Young University. (Technically, I graduated in December, but they don't have commencement then because it's too cold. So, they have it in April instead.)
Seeing Utah in April was just like I remembered it: plush green landscapes, snow-capped mountain tops, light rain, and tons of smiling Mormons. I enjoyed seeing all of my friends again, and talking about old times. Sadly, many of them do not have jobs yet because of the economy, but I'm sure they'll find something somewhere.
Besides seeing my friends, I was impressed by what was said by the graduation speakers. There seemed to be a common theme with all of them: In a time where we are all so busy with excelling to the next level in our careers, and making more money, never forget that family is most important.
Things I learned from the talks given: 1. Your job is only a means to an end. I love my job. I love talking to people and hearing their stories, coming back, writing the article, editing video, and seeing the impact is has on people. But, in the end, my job is still just a job. It's not my life. I learned that what I do for a living is not as important as the person I become.
Use your time wisely. What do I spend my day doing? Do I let my day get cluttered by meaningless things? We must set goals for ourselves, and use our time wisely to accomplish them. We shouldn't bury our talents either. If we are good at something, we should exercise it the best we can to do our contribution to society.
Continue to learn. We can all broaden our experiences with the world around us. We can learn from our mistakes, as well as others' mistakes. What is most important about life is the decisions we make, and how we choose to respond to them. By our decisions, we can either be blessed, or face the consequences.
Strengthen family connections. As our parents have told us, family comes first. From a Godly perspective, our success as people comes not from what we do in the office, but but on what happens in the home. No other success can compensate for that. We can think we're happy with a job we love, but if we have no support of family or friends, we really don't have much of a foundation to fall back on.
Maybe I don't know much about life. I'm only 24. But, it was good hearing these things at my graduation. It will help set the tone for the rest of my life. Hopefully it will with yours too.
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Those are wonderful lessons to learn so early in life.
Who knew anyone paid attention during graduation ceremonies? :)
April 30, 2009 at 9:16 a.m.