Dear future self,
Promise to always remember how you feel right now. Whatever right now is.
It might be a routine Monday as you wake up for class, a night out with friends, or it could be the fateful day that you adjust your cap and gown in the mirror before receiving the most expensive and earned piece of paper of your life so far.
Remember how joyous you feel today and how beautifully happy and content you are in this moment.
Remember how little money is in your bank account and how little it is impacting your satisfaction with life. Remember how you are slightly naive to not be phased by that small number - and embrace that, too, because it's a freedom you'll want to recapture someday.
Remember how on fire you are for the life you have ahead of you.
You might have stars in your eyes, but you surely don't see the walls of a beige cubical and the monotonous routine of making money just to spend more money in your future. You are heading out into the world determined to make change - and you will, so long as you can hang on to your optimism about the intrinsic goodness of human beings.
Know that the real world is going to be a lot harsher than the safety net of this campus, but instead of becoming harsh like the world, bring the safety net with you and extend it for others who are lost or hurting.
Don’t ever lose your giving heart and always remember that you have the power and the skills to change the things that you know are wrong.
Even when you feel like the underdog who lacks experience and lines on your resume, remember how much you have accomplished and know that you will only accomplish more.
Don't forget the people you met along the way.
Some of them will go their separate ways, and some of them will go really, really far away. Regardless of where you end up, always keep them with you in your heart, although honestly, it would be impossible not to.
These years together have been so formative. If it weren't for late night talks about life's big questions and unexpected revelations with your classmates during that religion gen-ed class that was way more work than you bargained for - you wouldn't be who you are today.
These people and their stories are a part of you now, so hold onto them tightly and always remember the laughs, the tears, the frustration, and the big hugs from the people who know you the best as you are at this moment.
Don’t forget how much you have changed in the past few years. Remember that change is possible, probable, and a lot of times positive. Remember all of the wonderful information that college has taught you (but maybe forget the details of game theory) and definitely remember to always question why things are the way they are.
Never allow your beliefs or opinions to be stagnant. This is part of being a lifelong learner. Never get too smart, too important, or too old to take in new information and hear new perspectives.
Life is about two things: learning and experiencing, and if you aren't doing both of those things daily, re-evaluate because you owe it to yourself.
Lastly, know that this is not the end of the road.
Graduation does not signal the start of your gradual downward slope of happiness on an upward climb towards wealth. It may be the close of one journey, but it's the beginning of a new, equally beautiful one, as long as you make it that way.
