This article is for all my fellow college seniors graduating this fall or this spring. I don't know about you all, but I can not believe I'm a senior. I can't believe I'm going to be apart of the real world in 6 and a half months. Here is my list of things I think we need to learn before we graduate.
1. Not everything is going to go your way.
Life is full of chaos and it is full of ups and downs. You need to be flexible and adaptable. You have to be willing to compromise. Sometimes you are going to fail. Life isn't about how many times you fall, but about how many times you get back up.You can't control everything.
2. You have to treat your body with respect.
I know we are young and we feel invincible, but we aren't. We can't expect our bodies to do what they need to do if we don't treat our bodies with respect. Adults need 7-9 hours of asleep a night;generally at the same time each time. Adults need at least 2 and a half hours of exercise a week. So start worrying about getting enough sleep, exercising enough and eating healthy. We need to take care of ourselves. Our bodies can only take so much.
3. Life is about balance.
There are 6 components of health: physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, social, and environmental. We have to make sure we have things in our lives that satisfy the needs of those 6 components. Those components do affect each other. So make sure to balance work and play. Mental illness affects you just as much as physical illness.
4.You are never going to stop learning.
It doesn't matter if you go on to grad school or law school or medical school or starting your career; you will keep learning. You will learn how to do your job right and you will meet new people who will teach you new things. You have to be open to learning though. You have to know you are never going to stop learning or growing or evolving. You are always going to be a work in progress.
5. Life can be crazy wonderful.
Life is a gift. Everyday that you get to wake up in the morning is a gift. You are going to have your bad days and your good days. Somedays you are going to wish you could go back to bed, but the good days make life worth it. So live like you could die tomorrow. You don't want to have any regrets. Work hard. Play hard. Enjoy your life.
To my fellow seniors, good luck! Keep your eyes on the prize. Enjoy your senior year...I promise you I'm going to enjoy mine.
