School’s out! I’ve had five grads myself down through the years finishing up with Cameron a few years ago at this time. I continually tell parents with young children, “You better wake up….’cause that part of your life is incredibly short!” Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to speak at quite a few graduation ceremonies. There are some things that I think will help the new grads to take on the world. It’s not a conclusive list but it’s a good start.

1)  Live – Live is short! Learn to ‘live’ it with zeal and excitement.

2)  Give – The world has two kinds of people, givers….and takers. Givers live a much more fulfilling life!

3)  Forgive – You’ll have a lot of opportunities to forgive…..resolve to not miss a single one!

4)  Laugh – Enjoy the trip as much as possible. You’ll have to work at this one but you can do it!

5)  Learn – Resolve to be a learner. “When you think you know it all, you’re as smart as you’re ever gonna get.” Cliff Taylor

6)  Love – Learn to relate to God as Father! As you’re exposed to His kind of love…..you’ll learn to love like He does!

7)  Relationship, Relationship, Relationship – It’s really what life is all about. Value your relationships!

8)  Get Back Up – You’re gonna get knocked down; to be successful  you just have to get up one more time than you get knocked down.

9)  Be Courageous – Swing for the fence! You have the faith for it so it’s up to you!

10) Destiny – God has a plan for your life and He’s willing to disclose it to you. Go after it!

11) Purpose – Find those things you’re good at and put your effort into those things.

12) No Regrets – Older folks say they don’t regret the things they did as much as the things they didn’t do. Do it!

After thinking about it, maybe this advice is not ‘just’ for the grads. Maybe it’s for all of us. Even if you’ve gotten a slow start…’saddle up’ and move on! It’s really never too late!