It's been exactly two years since I graduated college! Since this Sunday lands on my exact grad date, I thought it'd be fitting to do a “Grad Talk” post and share some things I'd tell recent grads. Congratulations, class of 2014~

1. Be excited to start your life!  

You can take your life anywhere you want to go. That’s super exciting!  Don’t take it for granted.

2. Take the time to invest in yourself.

Learn about what you really want to do. Look within, figure out what you really want to spend your life doing, what impact you want to make on this world. Create your life’s mission statement or purpose statement (I will go further into this later). Live as closely aligned with that statement as you can.

3. The best time to take risks is now.

You have nothing to lose while you're young—you have minimal responsibilities and burdens at this point in life. It will only get harder to take big risks. If you have any giant goals you want to accomplish in your life, start now. There’s no point in waiting.

4. Find ways to live your ideal life.

Make a list of things you’d like to do: your ideal day, how you want to spend your weekends, how much time you allocate to friends, family, working out, reading, etc.   Know that your life is in your hands and you have the ability to create your ideal lifestyle now.

5. Be Aware of Time.  

You have to own time or it will own you.  Be aware of how much time you’re spending, how much is passing by—you don’t want to waste time & be left wondering what happened in the past x months.  Cherish time; don’t let it pass by without a second thought. Also, don’t get complacent or too comfortable, it's a sign that you're not growing as much as you should be. Never feel “secure” or “set”—always ask “what’s next?”  and always be pushing yourself.

6. Don’t worry over comparing yourself to others.

It can feel like a race with your peers around this time, but don’t be so short sighted. People move and grow at different rates—it’s not that straight forward and the rates will change throughout time. Everybody is on their own path, so just focus on your own.

7. Read. Learn how to learn on your own.

School has ended but that doesn’t mean your education has. Be a lifelong student & always be learning something new.

In the end, make your life your own. Be interesting, do interesting things, do what you want to do. Now is the best time to start building yourself and the life you dream of!

xoxo,