Class of 2013, each of you is about to embark on a very exciting time in your life. It is sure to be a time of discovery and a time to challenge yourself. Whether you are attending college, entering a career or serving and protecting our country in the armed forces, you are venturing out on your own for the first time. You are embarking on a journey into a complex world that is moving at ever quickening speed. For the past 11 graduations, I have tried to impart some life suggestions and challenge the thinking of each graduating class. I would like to do that one last time for the Class of 2013.
I recently finished a book entitled The Noticer by Andy Andrews. I have read several books by this author. His books usually tell a fictional story about ordinary people that are in need of a life lesson or two. In The Noticer Andy Andrews writes of life lessons that are grounded in the reality that sometimes in life, as we all live life from day to day, we fall victim to losing perspective about what’s really important. I hope to give the Class of 2013 a little perspective on what I believe is important in your future.
Seniors, soon you will be graduates of Prairie Ridge High School. And while many of you have an idea, a big picture of sorts, of who you are and the type of person that you want to become, keep in mind that each day you are learning and evolving as a person. How do you see yourself as a person? How do others see you as a person? Andrews calls this our big picture of who we are, and each of us has one. He challenges the reader to consider that big picture of how you see yourself, and how others see you, as a large canvas on which you are painting a picture that represents the person that you are becoming in life. Like most paintings, from a distance the image is clear and recognizable. However, move closer to your painting—move very close to your painting—and what you will see are the tiny brushstrokes that have been applied to your canvas. You see, every painting, every great masterpiece is ultimately nothing more than a combination of carefully placed brushstrokes.
Andrews asks the reader to imagine that our choices in life, our actions in life, our attitudes in life, our beliefs in life, our character in life, are the tiny brushstrokes with which we are painting on our canvas. It is these small brushstrokes that are painting the big picture of the person we are all becoming in life. Graduates, it is those seemingly inconsequential things we do and say in life that are the tiny brushstrokes on your canvas that will impact the person you will become. Sometimes, when we lose perspective in life, it is these small brushstrokes that we fail to monitor. So, graduates, I have a question: Are you painting a masterpiece, or not?
As each of my three children started their individual journeys after graduation from high school I shared with them several tiny brushstrokes that I hope will help them to paint a masterpiece. I would like to share three of them with the Class of 2013. These are some of the same words I have written for my own children:
Brushstroke number one – Strive to set high standards for yourself and act with integrity each day. Integrity is one of the rare things in life that you, and only you, have control over. Consider it your most prized possession and protect it. Understand that one sure way to weaken your integrity is to say one thing, and do another. People will always listen to what you say, and compare it to what you do. If they are the same, people will believe in you; they will trust you; they will follow you. If they are different, people will not trust you; people will not follow you. And without followers you will never be a leader.
Now, being human, understand that there may be those times when you have not lived up to your standards. Learn from your mistakes; learn from the experience. Everyone stumbles in life; everyone makes mistakes. It’s what you do after you have made a mistake that matters most. How do you make it right? Sometimes, it requires you to have the courage to apologize.
Brushstroke number two – Take your time and be thoughtful when you have to make important decisions. Think it through with me: very few decisions in life are emergencies that must be made quickly or in haste. Remember that the decisions and choices you make today will determine the person that you will become tomorrow. Now I’m not talking about decisions like where to eat lunch today or what movie to see. I’m talking about those decisions, those choices in life, that will set a direction for you. Always be thoughtful in your decision-making and seek the guidance of those around you whom you trust during those times that you need help. And, never be afraid to ask for help! It’s a sign of strength.
Brushstroke number three – How you treat others is so important in life. I believe it’s paramount to a successful life. This is the brushstroke on your canvas that matters most. It is the people that you will encounter each day that truly make life an adventure. It is a rare individual that succeeds without the help of others around them. Andrews writes that it is the people in our lives that are the source of opportunity and encouragement. Just yesterday, one of our graduates wrote me a beautiful note about how the people that she encountered at Prairie Ridge the past four years were a source of optimism. Opportunity, encouragement, and optimism…we can accomplish anything together with opportunity, encouragement and optimism. That’s what people can bring to us in our lives, if you let them. Simply put, always treat people with kindness and an open mind. You will be respected for it, and wonderful things will happen for you! People will want to be around you because you make them a better person.
So, class of 2013, step back from your canvas with me this afternoon. Let’s look together at your canvas and the painting that is beginning to take shape. Oh yes, if you haven’t figured it out yet, you’ve been applying brushstrokes to your canvas for years. It represents the person that you are today… and it is beginning to reflect the person that you will become tomorrow. So, I ask the question again: Are you painting a masterpiece? If not, get a new canvas. Start over with carefully placed brushstrokes. Remember, no one ever said we get only one canvas in life. If you don’t know where to start, I suggest that you start with integrity, careful decisions about your direction in life, and treating people with kindness and an open mind. Many a masterpiece can be painted with those three brushstrokes alone.
