Commence

“Graduation is only a concept. In real life every day you graduate. Graduation is a process that goes on until the last day of your life. If you can grasp that, you’ll make a difference.” – Arie Pencovici

My niece Jenna graduated from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management today. Next up, law school this Fall. To see the hope, enthusiasm and optimism in these kids’ eyes makes me feel like a kid again. Ready to commence, begin and begin again, to never stop learning, growing, embracing and engaging in each day to the fullest extent.

“The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which mean never losing your enthusiasm.” – Aldous Huxley

The past few months has been filled with a lot of challenges, of “real” life. For a few hours today, the roller coaster hit the high point. Instead of lamenting the “reality” that experience brings, I’d rather tell these young people (and not so young people) to never give up or be defined by another, believe AND work for your dreams and let faith, kindness and love to be your GPS through it all. Commence.