It is that time of year again as our high school seniors finish their primary school educations and move into the workforce or onto college or trade school. We often hear things people wish they’d known when they were this age, so we asked our Chamber members to share words of wisdom for the young people embarking on their next adventure.

Here’s a list of some of the incredible advice submitted.

 

• Take responsibility for your actions, even if the outcomes are not your fault.
• Practice an uncomfortable level of honesty.
• Don’t take yourself too seriously. None of us are nearly as important as we think in our own heads.
• Don’t be too hard on yourself. You probably remember more of your mistakes than anyone else does.
• Don’t be too easy on yourself. Discipline and “just showing up” accounts for alot.
• Develop a certain amount of comfort with being disliked. But not too much comfort.
• Look at experiences and challenges in life as opportunities. The greater the challenge, the greater the reward. Education is valuable, but experience is priceless.
• Be curious, test out a wide variety of opinions.
• Always be willing to change your mind when shown new evidence.
• Also, get comfortable simply not knowing certain things.
• Get good at apologizing. Get good at forgiving, too.
• Exercise at least a little bit, every day.
• When you think something nice about someone, let them know.
• Develop a healthy relationship with food — use it to nourish, not numb.
• If nothing seems to be working, sleep. You probably need it.
• Don’t blame others for your problems. Don’t blame yourself too much, either.
• Never complain. Ever. It solves nothing and only makes a bad feeling worse.
• When in doubt, err on the side of generosity.
• Don’t make assumptions about people. You don’t know who they are or where they come from.
• Similarly, don’t take other people’s assumptions about you personally. They don’t know you.
• In all things: consistency over intensity.
• Define what success means for yourself. Then, never stop questioning that definition.
• Try to make everyone you associate with a better person. Don’t associate with people who make you a worse person.
• When stuck on a decision, ask yourself, “What will I regret not doing?” Then do that.
• Don’t borrow trouble — you’ll find enough along the way, don’t waste time and energy creating it in your head.
• You never look good trying to make someone else look bad.
• Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s recognizing the fear and choosing to go forward anyway.
• Caring and serving is the new way to lead.
• Being accessible 24/7 is unnatural.
• People don’t always talk nicely to you or about you. It’s up to you how you respond to criticism.
• Once you stop trying to be right about everything, you’ll find the freedom and beauty in being wrong.
• If at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try again.
• Listen more than you talk.
• Changing the world starts with raising your children well. Thank your parents for their efforts.
• Just because someone hurt you, it doesn’t mean you have the right to hurt someone else.
• Being nice to yourself makes everything easier.
• Traditions are just peer pressure from the past.
• Find a mentor. Invest in a professional resume. Research, research, research. Form meaningful relationships & network. Be proactive and creative. (read full submission from Penciled IN Resume Writing & Career Services)
• Don’t wait too long to start working toward you career goal. Remember to consider your interest, your aptitude, and projected job availability when deciding on a career. Just keep moving forward and you will finally get to your destination.
• Use your first year of college to try out new classes in various fields. You may find something interesting that rings true, that you enjoy and that utilizes your strengths.
• Put yourself out there! Invite yourself to events, gatherings, and be the first one to make a move! If you’re feeling nervous about a situation, I guarantee someone else there is too. Being approachable and welcoming makes all the difference for creating new opportunities!
• Make budgeting a habit and start saving and investing!
• If you make the commitment to go to college, be determined in the pursuit of the chosen degree. Focus on the outcome that you want, set YOUR goal, track YOUR goal, and don’t let anyone deviate you from that goal. Great job getting through high school, but now the “life” preparation begins. All the control of achieving YOUR goal lies within you! GO FOR IT WITH PASSION!