Criggerpalooza!

As school graduations are occurring in droves, I’m reminded of my own college graduation a few years ago. I had such high hopes for the speaker. He was a fellow Transylvania University graduate, a good 40 years my senior, but a Transy grad nonetheless! And Transy people love a good hall party, the kissing tree, raffling off chances to sleep in a tomb, and other Transy people. I expected to hear all kinds of inspiring words:

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

“Marry adventure!”

“Take the road less traveled.”

“Write your own story.”

Cliche, sure. But inspiring nonetheless.

I heard none of that. Instead we got to hear all about the research our speaker had done on the Holocaust. While not usually a subject covered during graduation it is certainly fascinating under normal circumstances. However, he managed to make learning how sand becomes glass the enthralling topic I wish he’d been speaking on. He might have saved his lecture, because it wasn’t a speech, by saying something like, “Don’t be a follower! Always be a force for good.” or something meant to spur graduating seniors to action.

But he didn’t.

So I’ve decided to write down what I would have liked to have heard at my graduation instead of what I got: a solid 20 minute nap.

1. Don’t sleep too much. Everyone needs rest, but you can miss half your life sleeping until noon. Get up. Go for a run. Read the paper. Get to your office early. I get more done between 7:00 and 10:00 than I do all day. Mostly because no one is there to bother me. And I get to leave for happy hour earlier.
2. Have conversations. Talk to strangers. You never know who will be sitting beside you on the airplane, bus, or bar stool. Take out your earbuds and talk to them. They might be crazy, but more often than not, they will be interesting. They may not complete you, but certainly your afternoon will be better for learning about someone new. And who knows, they might be the love of your life, your new best friend, or you might be their next boss.
3. Dwell in possibility. One of the best things my parents ever did was encourage me to imagine all the possibilities that could arise. I got a degree in sustainability because I believed it was possible, maybe not probable, but possible that I could convince businesses that sustainability was good for their companies. And I’ve managed to do just that, miracle of miracles!
4. Read. I don’t care what you read, just that you read. Reading expands your mind! It transports you to another place and exposes you to different people more quickly than the Concord (do people still know what the Concord is?)  You’ll never regret the hours you spent lost in a book, but you will regret the days you lost to Kim Kardashian’s wedding drama. I know, because I spent at least a month after graduating sitting around watching reality TV.
5. Save your money. I know it isn’t sexy, but open a retirement account and ACTUALLY put money in it. At first you might think, I could have bought a new dress with that $50 I put into my IRA, but in a few years, you’ll have a nice little pile of money that you can swim around in like Scrooge McDuck (figuratively of course, because it is all in the bank). Also, keep an emergency stash. You never know when you are going to dump a cup of water on to your keyboard and have to buy a new computer. Twice. In three months.
6. Hang out with your family. They wont always be around. You’ll eventually be parted by distance, busy schedules, health, etc… And you will miss being able to swing by just to say “Hey!” or meet up for dinner. If you are lucky your actual family is awesome and you like hanging out with them. If not, create your own family. Families come in all shapes and sizes and none of them are perfect, but they will always have your back.
7. Don’t be stubborn. If you are going down a path that isn’t working, change it. There is no shame in making a course correction. Don’t be so foolish as to think that just because you have chosen one way, that you have to keep struggling if it turns out you made a bad decision. You don’t always have to be right. This applies to relationships, careers, hobbies, education, hiking, everything.
8. That being said: Be strong willed. Don’t give up just because something is challenging for a season. Challenges build character and give you the skills to navigate rough waters. But be smart enough to know the difference between a challenging season, and an immovable boulder that you’ll just keep pushing against, but never be able to move.
9. Don’t expect praise. Its the real world and people aren’t going to praise you for doing your job. They probably wont praise you for going above and beyond your job either. But they will reward you with raises, promotions and bonuses. Talk is cheap, but raises are not.
10. Accept responsibility. If you mess up, own it. Say you are sorry and do what you can to make it right. If you’re lucky enough to have a team that works for you and they mess up, own it. Don’t blame them, even if the mistake was their fault. You are in charge. Act like it.
11. Give credit. One of my biggest regrets is not giving credit where it was due. When people work hard, they should be recognized, and unfortunately, they wont often be. You know it feels great when someone sees how hard you’ve worked. Do that for someone else when you can.
12. Use good grammar. If you didn’t pay attention in elementary school, I suggest you buy a book that will teach you grammar, and that you reference it until exceptional grammar becomes a habit. I automatically assume that someone is stupid when I receive something written with poor grammar or hear an “I” when it should have been “me”. You aren’t stupid. Don’t write or speak like you are.
13. Have fun. Not all aspects of life are fun. Taking out the garbage is decidedly un-fun. But most of life is fun, or at least it should be. Laugh with your friends. Wear weird wigs. Drink bourbon. Call your Mom. Do yoga. Travel. Tell the funny stories. Play with your pets. Read books. Eat chocolate for breakfast occasionally. Celebrate Tuesdays. Get lost and find something cool. Smell flowers. Run through the sprinkler. And be the kind of person with whom you would want to be friends.