It’s graduation season!
I remember the day I graduated from college as a moment of great joy, excitement, and optimism.
and yet….
Despite all the wonderful training I received, I was woefully unprepared to navigate the next few years of my life.
Here are 20 bits of advice I wish I had been given the day I graduated.
- Focus on the things you can control.
- Schedule time for email. Set limits.
- Look for opportunities to use your art to create an impact.
- Find a daily, 2-hour block of time for personal projects. See how far you get in a month.
- Find a thought partner. Have weekly discussions without an agenda.
- Create for at least 30 minutes every day.
- Continue to invest in knowledge. Enroll in that course, buy that book, hire that coach.
- Take time for friends and family. Everyone is lonely and a quick visit for coffee or a Zoom call goes a long way!
- Meditate.
- Find an exercise routine you enjoy and get a group of friends to join you.
- Finally create a budget that makes sense. Track your income.
- Understand your debt and come up with a plan for paying it off.
- Invest your first $100.
- Give money or time to a local non-profit organization.
- Financially support artists you love and share their art with your community so they can grow theirs.
- Purge/mute people who bring negativity to your social media feeds. This goes for in-person relationships as well.
- Start a blog, podcast or YouTube channel if it will advance your career. The time to start is now.
- Pick one social media channel and build a community.
- Plan a trip.
- Send a note of gratitude to a different, unsuspecting person every day for a month.
What would you add to this list?
Photo Credit: Pang Yuhao
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