3 Insights For the Class of 2022

By Linda Fisher Thornton

I have a special message for our 2022 graduates. The pandemic risk may be lower than it was at this time last year, but sorting out the way forward as a new graduate is still going to be a challenge.

How can you gain a clear focus on your future to move ahead?

““Successful people maintain a positive focus in life no matter what is going on around them. They stay focused on their past successes rather than their past failures, and on the next action steps they need to take to get them closer to the fulfillment of their goals rather than all the other distractions that life presents to them.”
– Jack Canfield

Here are three insights that may be useful in staying focused as you transition into and define the next chapter of your lives.

Insights For the Class of 2022

1. Know Your Values – Values should always drive our life choices, but many people haven’t identified what their values are. Now is the time to know your values and use them as a guidance system in your day-to-day decisions. They’ll help you choose from multiple job offers, decide which friends to spend the most time with, and choose volunteer and community service activities.

2. Reach For Objectivity – We’ve learned during the pandemic that our lives may depend on getting good information from objective sources before we make decisions. With social media algorithms sending you more of what you already believe, and many “news” sources twisting, spinning, and omitting important facts, objectivity won’t automatically present itself to you. You’ll need to go after it. Find objective sources and use them to understand what’s really going on in the world.

3. See Challenges and Stumbles For What They Are – You are on a journey of human growth, and challenges and stumbles are a required part of the process every one of us has to go through. Seeing them as part of the human condition, you will be less likely to get discouraged, and will more easily move through your challenges to forge ahead.

Let your values focus you and keep you on track as you navigate the months ahead. Reach for objectivity so you’ll know your decisions are based on reliable information. And be ready to accept challenges and mistakes as part of the process.

You can do it.