Graduation has come or is at least quickly approaching, and it's finally time to start thinking about the next step. While you're mulling it over, don't forget these important things about both the life you're getting ready for and the one you're leaving behind.
1. You may never see these people again.
This fact is both good and bad depending on the people that came to mind. The truth of the matter is that for a lot the people who have surrounded you for the last few years, the only things tying you together was a mutual need to get an education. Once that's over, you may never see each other again.There is a good chance that while some people may keep up with at least a social media presence, others may drop off the face of the planet altogether. Be prepared for that and in preparation, make the most of these final goodbyes. This could be the last time you see that kid that stole your highlighter freshman year, for instance, so now is your chance to give them a piece of your mind.
2. You have to make an effort to keep in touch.
Starting now, you're going to have to start making a lot more effort to keep in touch with your friends. As you move apart and adapt to different places, states and lifestyles, it might become a little bit harder to remain the bosom buddies you once were. A lot of relationships depend on proximity and consistency and when you lose one of those things, you have to strengthen the other. If you're not going to see a lot of your friends, make sure you reach out to them every once in a while or you won't be invited to the wedding. With Facebook, Snapchat, Skype, Google Hangouts, FaceTime, email, postcards and cellphones, you have every opportunity in the world.
3. You have a lot of life ahead of you.
This is the beginning of anything you want and all the Dr. Seuss quotes in the world couldn't make that more evident. The next few years of your life, whether spent in college, in a job or traveling the world, are completely up to you. No matter how terrible or fantastic your high school/college career was, find solace in the fact that there's a lot more life to be lived. You're going to make new friends, have new experiences and find out more new things about yourself and the world than you thought possible. This universal truth discovered as you take that diploma is one of the most exciting things in the world.
4. Keep your future in mind.
While you're out there enjoying life, making choices and meeting people, don't forget to set yourself up for a decent future. At some point you will need to be able to support yourself and if you lose sight of that, you may not be able to. It's OK to have your life defined by pajamas and a series of solo cups. Just remember that one day your parents will take you off their health insurance and it will be every man-child for themselves.
5. It's OK to have no clue what you're doing.
That being said, it's perfectly alright if you don't know how you're going to support yourself. Few around you will really no what to expect from the next few years and it's impossible to know without a doubt exactly where you're going to end up. Don't be afraid; that's the beauty of it. One day when you have a stable job and a mortgage to pay, your life will be all to predictable. Don't wish away these few moments of divine uncertainty.
6. Call your parents.
The fact of the matter is that your parents are probably going to miss having you around. For some it'll be the second you close your dorm room door, whether that's on your first or last day of college and for others it will be two months later after the thrill of freedom has worn off. You're their kid and for a long time they've been partially defined by having you as a major part of their life, so don't cut them out completely as you move on to the great big world.
7. Take pictures.
It's amazing how quickly high school will go from reality to memory. One day you're living the life of a snot nosed teen and just nine months later, you're looking back feeling old and slightly nostalgic. When the nostalgia hits you, you'll want to look back at your old life and even further down the road, you'll want to share that far away part of you with people that matter. Take a gazillion pictures.
8. Stay in the moment.
As you're probably realizing, life goes by kind of fast. This isn't because the days are actually going by quickly, but because hindsight is 20/20. At any given tie you're quickly moving from a moment to memory and so it's important not only to capture the moment, with pictures as mentioned before, but also to devote yourself to the moment. Graduation and a new life will come fast enough, so enjoy each and every laugh, tear and hug you share with your friends. Before you know it, you'll be driving away from the building in which you've spent a couple hundred hours of your life.
9. People change.
People will grow, find new interests, be inspired by new people and find different paths in life. The kids who always smelled like onions may go on to become the most dashing bachelor in the world. This doesn't necessarily affect you, of course, but it is something to keep in mind and a good enough reason to go to reunions one day and figure just what happened to everyone you used to know.
10. Some things will stay sort of the same.
Don't fret. While nothing lasts forever, there are still some things that will remain pretty darn similar. The place where you used to hang out after classes, the relationship you had with your favorite (or least favorite) teacher and the bonds you made over all those years with your closest friends. Even after they knock down the building, your teacher retires and your friends move even farther away, you'll always have...the yearbook?
Now go on, get out there and take on the world. You did it, graduate, so it's on to the next adventure.
