Commencement

I love this time of year. Check that, as in the time of year a few weeks ago. After all, the eager and anxious college grads received their hard-earned diplomas, ready to enter the "Real World." I love how it's called commencement, as in new beginnings.

I vividly remember my graduation at Lafayette College. David McCullough, author and Pulitzer Prize winner, was the speaker and his words resonated loudly within. Profoundly saying that we have yet to experience the most beautiful artwork in the world. We have yet to meet people who would stir our souls. We have yet to lay our eyes on foreign literature of the world. You know what? He's right and here's the beauty of it: I don't think we're ever "done." Sure, since that day I've seem amazing artwork, I've met incredibly motivating people (I've also observed the type of person I never want to become when encountering unsavory people), and he's right - that's all part of the journey. My mentors have changed, I've evolved, my career has progressed. Here's the beauty and it feels just like traveling sometimes, you know how the more you travel it makes you want to travel that much more? There's so much more to learn, more to accomplish.

As my company hired college grads who are excited for their very first official day in a few weeks coupled with orientaiton and a week of training, there's a lot we can learn by observing that fresh-spirited enthusiasm. The "green" factor. The hunger. For instance, in a few weeks from now at the Women for Hire Boot Camp I can't wait to share some words of wisdom with the fabulous audience and my guest, a recent grad. Funny thing is, I'm extremely excited to talk to students and well, become a student again myself. Learn from them. Their goals, their dreams, straight out of their own pomp and circumstance.

When it comes to circumstances of 2008 though, things seem very bleak. The economy, gas prices, the real estate market. This is why I think we have so much to gain by sharing our wisdom with recent grads, essentially our former selves. Their entire career, not to mention adult life, is ahead of them. Their possibilities are endless.

And when you think about our own possibilities, our strengths and how we ended up in a specific job or career path or company and where we want to go, well, what could be a better time for us to embrace our own possibililties and forge ahead than our very own commencement as well.