Thoughts from Graduation
Last week, I sat in a large auditorium at Utah Valley University, looking on as my school's class of 2016 officially ended their high school careers in their graduation ceremony. I felt sad that they were leaving, but also very much excited for them as I realized that they would have the chance to go out into the world and take real control of their lives. I don't know what every member of the class of 2016 is planning on doing, but I know they have the potential to create incredible things.
And so as I thought about the sad/exciting thing that is graduation, I couldn't help but wonder: is graduation an end or a beginning?
Conclusion: it's both.
When the students walked out of the building with their diplomas in hand, their high school experience would be finished. Over. Done with. But so much is going to be starting so soon for them! College! Living on their own! A new path in life!
Isn't that sweet?
And so I kept thinking about endings, and beginnings, and life, and I ended up here, writing a blog post.
The truth is, I think most people view "endings" in the wrong way. People fear the end of things because they're just afraid of what comes after. They fear not being within the comfort of the usual and trap themselves in the denial that every good thing should be everlasting. They don't want to break away from the pleasant and expected normal into the breaches of the unfamiliar new.
My opinion? That mindset is just limiting and boring.
To be fair, I'm no brilliantly perfect guy that always loves every single ending in life. But I've come to realize that things are going to end in your life whether you want them to or not. So you can either accept the end and excitedly press on to the next adventure, or you can get stuck wishing that things always stayed the same.
I think that endings aren't just transitional, but transformational. The end of things should help define who we are, as we come to understand that better things are headed our way. We should not shy from the ending of good things, but remember that those ends allow us to grow and become better.
For me, the biggest thing that's ended recently was my junior year of high school. Junior year was awesome, but I don't want to be stuck there! I can't wait for senior year to start, because there are just so many things going on that I can't wait for. And I know that senior year ultimately necessitates some endings by nature, but I'm not afraid of that. I'm just excited to take each new challenge as it comes at me.
Go ahead and call it cliché, but I think that endings are the things that make life worth living. If things always stayed the same, then what would the point be? Why would we want to do anything if things never changed?
I know I can't speak for everyone, but endings excite me and here's why: the completion of one thing allows other things to start. And often, those new things are better than the preceding ones. But I guess that maybe my perspective is determined by my attitude and my naïve optimism. I look forward to things changing because I am determined to make each new thing good. And I always look to the future with the belief that things will keep getting better. I have no reason to believe that things are as good as they're going to get, so I continue to look excitedly into the future, knowing that I have the power to make things better and happier and more enjoyable than they already are.
And truthfully, maybe this post should have been about "change" instead of "endings" and "beginnings". But I think that they're kind of the same things. As things conclude, change is destined to follow. And I think that you have two choices: you can either run from the new thing, afraid of its scary and unknown potential; or you can jump in, arms open, and make that new thing in your life exactly what you want it to be.
It's all up to you. YOU have the power to hold onto things, or you can let them go and excitedly press on towards the new beginnings presented to you. The power is all yours.
As for me, well, let's just say that I don't like to hold on to the past for too long.
In the words of my good friend Edna:
"I never look back, Darling. It distracts from the now!"
And so as I thought about the sad/exciting thing that is graduation, I couldn't help but wonder: is graduation an end or a beginning?
Conclusion: it's both.
When the students walked out of the building with their diplomas in hand, their high school experience would be finished. Over. Done with. But so much is going to be starting so soon for them! College! Living on their own! A new path in life!
Isn't that sweet?
And so I kept thinking about endings, and beginnings, and life, and I ended up here, writing a blog post.
The truth is, I think most people view "endings" in the wrong way. People fear the end of things because they're just afraid of what comes after. They fear not being within the comfort of the usual and trap themselves in the denial that every good thing should be everlasting. They don't want to break away from the pleasant and expected normal into the breaches of the unfamiliar new.
My opinion? That mindset is just limiting and boring.
To be fair, I'm no brilliantly perfect guy that always loves every single ending in life. But I've come to realize that things are going to end in your life whether you want them to or not. So you can either accept the end and excitedly press on to the next adventure, or you can get stuck wishing that things always stayed the same.
I think that endings aren't just transitional, but transformational. The end of things should help define who we are, as we come to understand that better things are headed our way. We should not shy from the ending of good things, but remember that those ends allow us to grow and become better.
For me, the biggest thing that's ended recently was my junior year of high school. Junior year was awesome, but I don't want to be stuck there! I can't wait for senior year to start, because there are just so many things going on that I can't wait for. And I know that senior year ultimately necessitates some endings by nature, but I'm not afraid of that. I'm just excited to take each new challenge as it comes at me.
Go ahead and call it cliché, but I think that endings are the things that make life worth living. If things always stayed the same, then what would the point be? Why would we want to do anything if things never changed?
I know I can't speak for everyone, but endings excite me and here's why: the completion of one thing allows other things to start. And often, those new things are better than the preceding ones. But I guess that maybe my perspective is determined by my attitude and my naïve optimism. I look forward to things changing because I am determined to make each new thing good. And I always look to the future with the belief that things will keep getting better. I have no reason to believe that things are as good as they're going to get, so I continue to look excitedly into the future, knowing that I have the power to make things better and happier and more enjoyable than they already are.
And truthfully, maybe this post should have been about "change" instead of "endings" and "beginnings". But I think that they're kind of the same things. As things conclude, change is destined to follow. And I think that you have two choices: you can either run from the new thing, afraid of its scary and unknown potential; or you can jump in, arms open, and make that new thing in your life exactly what you want it to be.
It's all up to you. YOU have the power to hold onto things, or you can let them go and excitedly press on towards the new beginnings presented to you. The power is all yours.
As for me, well, let's just say that I don't like to hold on to the past for too long.
In the words of my good friend Edna:
"I never look back, Darling. It distracts from the now!"
