Well I officially graduated from college this weekend. It’s
extremely weird. This semester I had an insane amount of homework, assignments,
essays, projects, and exams. I was seriously constantly either at work, school,
studying, or sleeping. So it hasn’t been a very fun semester. I couldn’t be
happier to be done however strange it feels.
To me, graduation meant freedom. It’s no secret that Tyler
hasn’t been my favorite place. I mean I spent half the time planning trips to
get out of there and the other half on the said trips. I definitely did
everything in my power to hurry up and graduate so I could move on with my life
and not be tied down there or anywhere. Don’t get me wrong, Tyler has been good
to me and provided me with a lot of great opportunities and experiences. I’ve
made some great friends and enjoyed my time there, it just wasn’t where I was
meant to stay.
Although I’ve learned tons in the last four years, I feel
like I’ve learned more about myself and the world than any school subject. I’ve
actually been feeling like an adult lately and it’s strange. The past few years
I’ve kept asking myself what it means to be an adult, because I definitely don’t
feel like one even though I basically am one. I’ve also kept asking myself “Is
this what life is actually like?” And as I struggled to maintain a full-time
job, a 4.0, a social life, and myself, I felt the world moving around me. As I
traveled the world and met amazing people and saw incredible things and places,
I feel like I got a better grasp on life. They say college is where you find
yourself and I can definitely attest to that.
So here are four things I’ve learned about life in the last four years that have nothing to do with school:
1. Life never goes how you think it’s going to.
It's safe to say my life hasn’t
ended up how I pictured it at all, and that what I wanted in life has changed
multiple times as well. I look around at my life and my friend’s lives and
literally none of us have the life we planned on having five years ago. But
that’s okay. Just something I’ve had to learn in the past few years. Crazy
things are going to constantly happen that are out of your control. Life just
kind of has a mind of its own and it’s more about how you adjust to it that
actually determines your fate. It’s okay if things don’t go exactly to plan.
2. Happiness is a choice.
This goes off of the first point. I used to
think “If ____ will happen, or if I can just get to ____ point in life I’ll be
happy”. But when life hands you lemons you really have two choices, suck on the
lemon and let it make you bitter, or make lemonade. Each day you wake up you
have the choice to be happy. Yes, things may happen in life out of our control
but it’s up to you how you handle it and what you make of it. And it’s okay to
be sad or angry for awhile, but ultimately it’s important to wake up and decide
you’re going to be happy. I also think our choices determine a lot of our
happiness. So make sure you choose correctly because a lot of the bad things that happen are direct results of the choices you've made. I’ve found that its crucial when
you’re unhappy, to ask yourself why, determine what would make you happier, and
go out and do it. It’s really kind of simple when you break it down. Life is
way too short to be unhappy for even a day.
3. Kindness is everything.
This is definitely something I’m always working on. I’m not exactly the nicest person on the outside and I know that.
But I want to be. Sometimes I’m too caught up in my own problems or too lazy to
take the extra step to show kindness. I’ve realized the past two years
specifically just how important this really is. The world can honestly be a
pretty crappy place. I know I can’t fix the world, but the least I can do is be
kind, it costs nothing and gives everything. So build up those around you, tell
your friend she is pretty, have a conversation with the lonely elderly man in
the grocery store, smile at everyone, see your parents more, encourage people,
go out of your way for people and expect nothing in return. Not only will it
make you feel happier, but each small act of kindness makes the world a little
bit better. I know it’s impossible to
always be kind, but if you treat it as a daily reminder and goal, I promise you’ll
see the difference.
4. Friends and family are everything.
This continues off of the last point as
well. Being gone so much and juggling so many responsibilities these last few
years has been hard on my relationships with the people I care about. It’s hard
to keep in touch when you’re thousands of miles and many time zones away. It’s
hard to make time to see people when you’ve already so much on your plate. But
I regret that. Life isn’t all about work. Whether that’s schoolwork or
job-work. It’s important to set aside time and effort for people. One thing
that I’ve realized is that I would be nothing without my friends and family and
people to come home to. It’s great to go out into the world and see and do
amazing things. But without the people you care about behind you, you’re still
empty. Relationships with family and friends are just as important as
accomplishing goals and doing the things you’ve always wanted to do. It takes
an intricate balance of both.
So there you have it. The four biggest things I’ve learned
that have nothing to do with financial markets or differential equations. I try to remind myself of these things everyday. College does a great job in preparing you for a career, but also tests you and
teaches you other things that are important in life. I’m excited for the future
and surprise-surprise, I’m actually feeling prepared and like I can handle
anything. I’m still trying figure out when this whole adult-thing happened?!
Bonus: Here are some Grad pictures with my family.
