Ryan's graduation
My son Ryan graduated from college this weekend.
And as I heard the commencement speaker give his (delightfully succinct!) 5 pieces of advice to the graduating class, I thought of my own words of advice for Ryan.
I had already written my book, 50 Words , for my boys...my effort to pass on the values and principles I hold dear.
And as I thought of what I wish for Ryan it came down to this:
1. Keep space in your life. Time is not your enemy. Embrace it and keep a little bit of time open - create that space - to allow opportunity to present itself. You don't know what you don't know. Let it come to you and learn to recognize it. Be present, be self-aware. Always.
2. Don't be in a hurry. Reflect, Learn and understand what is important to you.
3. Learn to understand your values, what you stand for, your non-negotiables and remain true to them.Take accountability for the decisions you make.
4. Understand your passions. If you don't know them yet, set on a quest to discover what makes you happy, what has you getting up at 6 am with the energy to conquer the world. Understand yourself and bring all of you to the table...always.
5. Remember that everyone has a story. People are interesting. Just like you want to be heard and understood, be present to yourself and to others.
6. Know who you love and let them know it every day.
7. Life throws you curveballs. It just does. How we learn to deal with them is the mark of our character, our resilience.
8. Life throws you opportunities. Don't be too busy, be present enough, to recognize and embrace them when they come.
9. Love yourself. Have compassion for yourself, and you will love others, and have the empathy that makes life worth living.
10. Try in your own way, every day, to make the world a better place.
And as I heard the commencement speaker give his (delightfully succinct!) 5 pieces of advice to the graduating class, I thought of my own words of advice for Ryan.
I had already written my book, 50 Words , for my boys...my effort to pass on the values and principles I hold dear.
And as I thought of what I wish for Ryan it came down to this:
1. Keep space in your life. Time is not your enemy. Embrace it and keep a little bit of time open - create that space - to allow opportunity to present itself. You don't know what you don't know. Let it come to you and learn to recognize it. Be present, be self-aware. Always.
2. Don't be in a hurry. Reflect, Learn and understand what is important to you.
3. Learn to understand your values, what you stand for, your non-negotiables and remain true to them.Take accountability for the decisions you make.
4. Understand your passions. If you don't know them yet, set on a quest to discover what makes you happy, what has you getting up at 6 am with the energy to conquer the world. Understand yourself and bring all of you to the table...always.
5. Remember that everyone has a story. People are interesting. Just like you want to be heard and understood, be present to yourself and to others.
6. Know who you love and let them know it every day.
7. Life throws you curveballs. It just does. How we learn to deal with them is the mark of our character, our resilience.
8. Life throws you opportunities. Don't be too busy, be present enough, to recognize and embrace them when they come.
9. Love yourself. Have compassion for yourself, and you will love others, and have the empathy that makes life worth living.
10. Try in your own way, every day, to make the world a better place.
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