The Monday After Graduation

The excitement of graduation weekend has come and gone. You proudly wore your cap and gown. You walked across the stage. You received your diploma. You took more photos with your friends and family than you can scroll through in one sitting. You moved the tassel on your cap from right to left. You graduated college.?

Today, your feelings of pride are likely accompanied by feelings of "where did the last four years go?"

It's a time in your life where excitement and uncertainty go hand-in-hand. Now, you have to put everything you've learned over the past four years into motion.?

It's time to jump into what people deem as the "real world."

According to society's standards, you need to get a job in your field of study. You need to work in that industry until your skin is wrinkled and your memory of the person you are today is as foggy as your memory was when trying to remember a night out with friends.?

It's the hamster wheel of our careers. Once you get on, it's off to the races.

Now, I like to think I'm not that far removed from college. My mind tells me I'm not, but with each passing year, my diploma hanging over my desk tells me otherwise.?

It's been 10 years since I've been in your shoes and I'm not sure if this post is some therapeutic way for me to look back at what I wish I would have known/done.?

But, no matter my internal intent for this article, what I want to do is encourage you.?

I want to encourage you to make the most of this time and create a strong foundation you can build a career on.?

Here it goes...

1. You don't have to know everything.?BUT, you do have to leverage humility to admit when you don’t know something.?Ask questions, listen closely, and keep your eyes open to see what people are doing. Knowledge is power.?

2. Familiarize yourself with failure. This is a never-ending course of life. Failure is a given. Even professionals with decades of experience still fall on their faces. But, it's how you handle those failures that ultimately determine your future success.?

3. Don't let the fear of "no" stop you from trying. Avoiding "no" in life keeps you tucked away in your comfort zone. But, as we all know and have been told by more inspirational quotes than we can ever consume, growth takes place beyond our comfort zones.?

4. Ask questions. But, try not to ask questions that can easily be discovered with a quick Google search. Do your due diligence in searching for the answer first and then ask for help. Pointed questions are portals to knowledge. Think before you ask.?

5. Put in the effort. I heard a quote once that said, "You need to work hard to be 'lucky.'" I love that. I believe luck is predicated on the work you put in to change your situation. Whether you have a job or are working to get one, when you put in the effort, you'll be pleasantly surprised at how "lucky" you are.?

6. Stop comparing yourself to others. Thanks to social media, it's so easy to get lost in the sea of comparison. Everyone's posting about their new jobs. Their brand-new cars. Their lavish vacations. Falling victim to comparison adds undue stress to your life. Social media is a highlight reel of people's lives. Don't let what you see cloud your vision of the future you're creating.?

7. Enjoy what you do. Earning your stripes?or grin and bear it are two common phrases people will tell you. We're conditioned to believe we have to struggle to get to where we want to go. Of course, life isn't butterflies and rainbows. Our careers are hard. Our days can be stressful. But, I don't think we should settle for unfulfillment and strife just because we think it's part of the process. Don't give up when the going gets tough, but don't stick around in a toxic work environment because you think you have to.?

8. Avoid office gossip. Some workplaces feel like a continuation of high school. Did you hear this? Did you see what she's wearing??It's like all the gossip from our teenage years got a really bad TV spinoff. Distance yourself from office?drama. As Rhonda Byrne said, "Gossip is not harmful to the person who is being spoken of; gossip harms those gossiping."

9. Put yourself out there. Let's be real, rejection sucks. It never feels good to be told "no," especially when you stepped out of your comfort zone. When this happens, it makes us feel like a turtle retreating into our shells for protection. But, there's a quote from Heather Monahan that I absolutely love..."Rejected is actually being redirected." Seeing rejection as a redirection forces us to look at these surface-level failures as stepping stones of growth.?

10. You're still a student. Although the academic chapter of your life is closed, school is always in session. Each day brings with it opportunities to learn something new. Open yourself up to these learning opportunities and be a sponge that soaks up new lessons every day.?

11.?Put money into your retirement. I'm not a financial advisor. BUT, just do it. You'll be happy you did.?

12. Become a practitioner. Yes, Allen Iverson, we're talkin' about practice. For those in marketing (that's my world), create content. Share posts on LinkedIn. Send connection requests (with a note) to people who work at your "dream" companies.?Show don't tell?people you're honing your craft. The more you create, the more reps you get, and the stronger you'll become as a marketing professional.

13. We all feel like imposters. I don't know anyone in this world that at some point in their life hasn't felt the feelings of imposter syndrome. Even billionaire Sara Blakely (the founder of Spanx)?still struggles with self-doubt and questions her abilities from time to time.?Rather than give in, she combats that voice in her head by acknowledging when it’s happening and adjusting her thoughts accordingly.?We’re all human and struggle with self-doubt.?But instead of letting it run our lives and play a negative role in how we approach situations, we need to recognize and replace those thoughts with confidence and courage.

14. You'll get there. Maybe you didn't land your "dream job" just yet, but if you stay focused on what you want to achieve and align your actions to your goals, you'll eventually get there.?

15. Enjoy the ride. Again, I like to think of myself as relatively young in life and in my career, so I may not be as full of wisdom as some of my counterparts. BUT, I realize I wasted A LOT of time in my early career hating what I was doing and in turn doing nothing about it. I let myself stay stuck on the hamster wheel. I fell victim to office politics. I let other people's lives on social media negatively affect how I saw mine. I gave my negative self-talk a microphone and turned up the volume. I allowed myself to marinate in self-pity.

Most people will work for the better part of their lives and I don't think it's too farfetched to find something that doesn't make you dread getting out of bed in the morning or pine for the weekends.

Life is what we make of it and if we commit ourselves to growth both personally and professionally, the path towards happiness will line up before us.?

So, on this Monday after graduation, take some time to reflect on the past four years, write down some goals for the future, take a deep breath and truly believe to your core you're going to do amazing things.?

Oh, and congratulations! :)