Dear future me,

Today is the day when your life begins. You have graduated from college and it is time to take your education to the career field. With four long years behind you, and many more in front of you, I know you might be scared. I know you don’t feel like an adult even though a diploma says you are supposed to be.

I know you better than anyone, so I know that you are going to be okay. While I know many things, I’m sure you know more. After all, you are older and have more experience than you did the summer after your freshman year.  But in case you forget any of these things in the fast pace of your new life, or in case you just need someone to remind you of these things, I wrote them down for you.

Never forget who you are. Life is going to beat you down,
test your limits and sometimes make you think the worst of others or yourself. Never forget the love for life that you have today and have had all of your yesterdays. Optimism is key and always has been. Your values define you. So does your lack, there of. Do not compromise your values for any relationship, whether it is business or romantic.    

Always remember the people who helped you get where you are. Your family, no matter how ridiculous, loud or dysfunctional they can be, is still your family. Linked by an unconditional love, they are the people you can truly call your backbone, support system or any other cliché you can think of.  Remember your friends – the ones who stayed and  the ones who left. The ones who stayed taught you to trust and love, taught you that there are people out there who genuinely care about more than just themselves. The ones who left taught you that there are people out there who don’t. Every lost friendship is a lesson learned; every one gained and kept adds a blessing to your life.           

Don’t doubt yourself. If you don’t have faith in yourself and your abilities, don't expect anyone else to. Yes, we all have our moments. Everyone does – weak moments of doubt where we worry if we are doing the right thing or if we even know what we are doing. The defining factor of this feeling is that it is only for a moment. If you go your whole life questioning yourself, you’ll never have any answers for anyone else.            

You can’t always be right and you can’t always do everything alone. Good advice, whether we ask for it or not, can be helpful. Take words from those whom you deem credible and apply them in ways you see fit. If you don’t like the applications, simply remove them. Remain open-minded and never close yourself off to any possibilities. Doing so limits your potential.            

Today is the day when your life begins, or so you thought. A life isn’t defined by your successes or failures, your level of education or who is paying your bills. You have been living your life every day, learning and growing, making mistakes and accomplishing goals. Graduation is another milestone, an incentive to keep working hard. You might be scared, but based on your track record, I know you are going to be okay.