Graduation time is around the corner! It’s an exciting time because of all the possibilities ahead. But sometimes thinking about the future can be really daunting and overwhelming. That’s why we have collected five quotes to help ease your mind so you can look forward to the journey ahead.
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1. “If I am worth anything later, I am worth something now. For wheat is wheat, even if people think it is a grass in the beginning.” -Vincent Van Gogh
We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be successful right away. It can be disappointing and unnerving when we feel like the expectations we have for ourselves aren’t being met. But it’s important to remember success or achieving goals isn’t an instantaneous process and that sometimes things need to start out small and stay that way for a little while before they can fully grow and mature into what you want them to be.
2. “I don’t care who likes it or buys it. Because if you use that criterion, Mozart would have never written Don Giovanni, Charlie Parker never would have played anything but swing music. There comes a point at which you have to stand up and say, this is what I have to do.” -Branford Marsalis
There may be a lot of people right now trying to give advice or tell you their opinions on what your next step should be. While they may not mean to pressure you into doing what they think is best, giving in or trying to justify your decisions to people can be a futile undertaking. Sometimes, you have to put your foot down and go with what you know and what you have decided for yourself even if that means people disagreeing or not liking your decisions.
3. “The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be.” – Marcel Pagnol
We’re not going to lie to you: postgraduate life can be difficult. It can be easy to get caught up in reminiscing about all the fun memories you had while in school or looking ahead to the future in hopes it will be better. While there is nothing wrong with being nostalgic or hopeful, it’s also important to be mindful and appreciative of where you are now even if it’s difficult or not going fantastic.
4. “Being at ease with not knowing is crucial for answers to come to you.” -Eckhard Tolle
The biggest reason why thinking about the future is daunting is because of so many unknowns. Our minds can get caught up in all the possibilities of how a situation might go or what things may be like. While it’s always smart to plan ahead, overanalyzing or ruminating over things that are out of our control makes for a lot of unnecessary stress and cloud your judgment about what is going on now. Sometimes it’s better just to take a deep breath and be okay with not being in control or knowing everything.
5. “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” -Arthur Ashe
Now is always the best time to start something that you want to do, even if you think things aren’t quite right yet. You might not have everything you want or need at the present moment; however, the best thing you can do for yourself is to do what you can given the circumstances you are in.
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Graduating is a huge accomplishment. Don’t like anxiety about the future detract from all you’ve done. Congratulations, collegiates! You did it!