To The Graduate

A year from now, you might face the same sinking feeling that's been nipping at my heels for the past month… It's been a year since I graduated? Already?! What do I even have to show for it?

You might feel the need to report on what you've been up to out there in the real world in a nice succinct "I'm going somewhere with my life" manner. Accountability, to put a positive spin on it. Social pressure, to spin it in the other direction.

When I graduated, I felt the pressure to have an awesome answer to the question "So, what's next?" But that question never leaves. A year later, the big picture is still ambiguous. I highly doubt it'll resolve into crystal clear clarity anytime soon.

In other words, it's completely okay to not know what you're doing next or what "The Plan" is.

So go explore. Read. Meet people. Talk to strangers. Enter their worlds. Expand your world. Do stuff.

But stop for stillness and reflection.

And though I'm giving advice, take advice lightly. Don't discount it. But take it lightly.

It's a balance.

Because we need the guidance of others. But we also need to understand how their paths parallel or intersect with our own, even if we don’t have a clear picture of where our path is headed.