Dear Uni Graduates,
Congratulations! No matter how scared or nervous you may be, this is a celebratory moment. You made it through all of your hardships, your struggles and more to be here: graduated with the whole world waiting on your next move! Whatever you have planned next, taking some time of to figure yourself out, med school, masters degree, a job, traveling, or absolute anything else, just remember to put yourself first.
If I had to pick the single most important lesson I learned during my university degree, it’s that I can, should, and need to put myself first. I lost three relatives and a close friend on four separate occasions during my study and I still put my grades first. I went through the worst year of my life dealing with anxiety and I still put my career first. Don’t do that. It is 100% necessary and okay to be selfish by putting yourself first. It’s part of taking care of yourself. And this is the best time to do it.
It’s the best time because the world awaits your next move. You get to choose what the coming years of your life are about. And it’s true, having an unpredictably blank canvas ahead is what a lot of us are afraid of, I definitely was and still am, but I realised the blankness isn’t the main feature of the canvas. The main feature is that it’s yours - yours and yours entirely. If you’re afraid of the blankness of the future make a mark – don’t let it be blank for another second. And if you like what you’ve done, keep going and make it art. But if you don’t like it, paint over it! It’s your canvas; do with it as you please. Do what you want, do what’s best for you, and do it with all the life you have.
Remember, there is no correct path in life. The common “school to uni to job” is not a must. Plenty of people take gap years before uni, change schools and courses, decide the job they have isn’t the one they want, and so much more. Life is not a race, there isn’t a course to follow and you aren’t competing with anyone. Make your own path and get off it if you don’t like it, keep going if you do. This is the best time to do it. Be selfish and be okay with it, because it absolutely is.
Sincerely,
Image by K From the Mountain.
