Take a second in your busy schedule, Seniors, for a couple lines that could stick with you forever.
1.) “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...” –Dr. Seuss
This quote is perfect for those ready to move on or move out. Only you know whats best for you and the choices you make from here-on-out reflect those decisions. Just don’t be afraid to take the first step!
2.) "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition." - Steve Jobs
Courage is the one thing any graduating senior needs. There will come a time when you are thrust into situations you aren’t expecting or know how to face alone, and that’s okay. Never be afraid of the unexpected or else you will be stuck trying to figure out if the choices you made were the right ones, this is what life is all about.
3.) "We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.” - JK Rowling
For those of you who have grown up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, you know exactly what JK Rowling means. We all go through the motions in our lives, hoping that someday we will be able to live our dreams and imagine a life much different than what we are told to live. We have the power to live our lives however we wish, you just have to know that your mind is your greatest weakness and your best ally.
4.) "Follow your passion, stay true to yourself, never follow someone else's path unless you're in the woods and you're lost and you see a path then by all means you should follow that." - Ellen Degeneres
Ellen knows all so it is easy to take her advice to heart. So many times we preach about being ourselves and following our own dreams but sometimes, it is okay to follow in someones footsteps. Maybe she was just trying to be funny but a message is a message, it all depends on how you interpret it. All I’m saying is, don’t be afraid to ask for help sometimes. There will always be someone who cares for you and who will help you along your own path, you just have to know your own limits and admit when you need a hand.
5.) “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." - Eleanor Roosevelt
Your dreams are always a hot subject to think about when you take one of the biggest steps in your young life, graduation. But all exaggerations aside, have you ever truly believed that you have the ability to pursue your dreams, no matter how outrageous? Even thinking of being able to achieve our dreams today is next to impossible because of this cookie-cutter society and the fear of the unknown. No matter what you want to be, where you want to go, or how you want to live is crazy or dumb. It only becomes so when you are too afraid to achieve them.
6.) “Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do." - Ella Fitzgerald
What if what you wanted to be when you were little wasn’t impossible. Who cares of you come from a small-town or a city, if you really wanted to be a singer or an astronaut, you would find a way. All of the people who you’ve looked up to as a child, who you wanted to be, how do you think they got to where they were? They took risks and never gave up on what they wanted to do. If you really want to be like them, why don’t you do the same?
7.) "You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world's problems at once, but don't ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious, and hope can take on a life of its own." - Michelle Obama
Who doesn’t love a good bit of advice from the First Lady? There have always been people who have changed the lives of so many. Do you have to be one of them? Only if you want to. If you think you are too small, too weak , or not popular enough to make a difference in this world, then you won’t. You never hear about a coward in a good way, so why be one?
8.) "Now go, and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here. Make good art." - Neil Gaiman
Everyone I have ever known has made a mistake because it is humanly impossible to live in this world without making them. Don’t even get me started on breaking rules. If you are going to be thrust into an unknown situation, wouldn’t it be a lot more interesting if you stopped worrying about what you are going to do wrong if doing something wrong is a lot more interesting than doing something right?
9.) “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” – Walt Disney
If you know me as a person, it was only a matter of time before I would use a Disney quote! Of all the inspirational quotes and movie dialogues out there, this one has always stood out to me the most. Maybe it was because of the presentation using “Little Wonders” by Rob Thomas at the end of Meet the Robinsons that made it stick but either way, it will always be relatable. While the choices we make in life will lead us all over the place, who’s to say that is a bad thing? Curiosity is what drives us as human beings, it allows us to discover so many new people, places, or things. That alone is truly magical.
10.) “The true secret to seeking the unknown is in the looking, not the finding. The journey is what matters.” - Josh Gates
From the wise words of the most inspirational man in my life, it truly is all about the journey. With the previous chapter in your life ending, and a new one waiting to begin, you will never know what lies ahead of you. Don’t let your life be the result of getting from point A to point B as fast as possible, take in the scenery as you go. Don’t take what you have now for granted and don’t wish it away so fast. Sooner or later, you will be sitting in your dream job and thinking back on all the fun times you had. Don’t let your fondest memories be a number you can count on one hand because when you run out of stories to tell about your journey, you have reached the end of it.
