Dear High School Graduate,

              You’ve achieved a life milestone – graduation from high school. Pat yourself on the back, enjoy your new status then prepare to enter your next life phase. What you do from here out will be largely up to you. Don’t panic! Opportunities are all around you. The next phase can be one of the best times of your life.
               People suggest high school graduation is a time when individuals should consider earning a living. This is appropriate. But please, think beyond income. Think about how you want to spend the next 50 or more years of your life. What lifestyle and experiences do you want? Where would you like to live? What do you want to do?
              Choose things that excite you and don’t worry about making mistakes. Choices at this time especially are not cast in stone. You can change them as you go along. Take time to explore and, if possible, try out options. When you’re comfortable with a choice, commit to it enthusiastically by setting specific goals. Goals are life’s road map. Just as no thinking traveler would set out on a journey without a map, goals will make your life journey both effective and easier.  
              Creating goals is a three-step process. First, make a few decisions. What do you want to be or do? Where do you want to live and why? When do you want to begin? Once you’ve made these at least temporary decisions, move to step two. Step two may sounds so simple it’s often overlooked. It is the most powerful of all goals however and the one most often overlooked. Believe you can have what you decide you want. Many people pull back when they encounter resistance in their goal seeking. Successful people believe in what they are doing and push forward. Step three is action. You must do what it takes to achieve your goals. Don’t skip any steps.  
              In step one; write out exactly what you want. Be as specific as possible and identify what schools, college/universities, apprenticeship, trade groups or other programs can help you learn the information and skills needed for success. 
              In step two, picture yourself actually working at the job you’ve chosen as a goal. I had many moments when picturing myself as the university professor I was training to become got me through difficult tasks. Belief provides drive and minimizes fear. Many great inventors, statesmen, writers, artists, astronauts and engineers claim they had to reject doubt to move on to success. 
              Step three is the action step. You must do the work necessary to achieve step one goals. Get the knowledge, skills and information required for success in your chosen area. Don’t let laziness, degree of challenge, cost or other worries stop you. You demonstrated you have learning ability by earning your high school diploma. Use it now. As to finances - look to scholarships, grants, loans and/or part or full time jobs. Many people who worked while in school claim they discovered knowledge gained on the job was just as valuable as the curriculum they were studying.
              You are a high school graduate. Celebrate your accomplishment. Then, when you’re ready, decide what you want in your future. Set goals, believe you can achieve them, do the necessary work, and then add one last thing - joy! Joy is that wonderful feeling you get when you appreciate something you’ve done, a fascinating person you’ve met, an experience that made you laugh or stretched your imagination. Joy makes the difficult bearable and living more fun.
              Your future is in front of you. Choose goals, get into action, know you will succeed and enjoy the ride now and throughout your life.