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I recently attended the first high school graduation I’ve been to in about 20 years as my daughter was one of the many students to finish her time up at AHS.

The word graduation is often associated with finality and achievement, but I’ve always thought of it as a beginning. Getting through high school is the first step of many more to come, and it can often come with anxiety, uncertainty, and excitement. 

Like anything new, life after high school is an unwritten book that can only be scribed by the author.

I find often that the best way to face something new, whether it be a job, a life challenge, or even just a new day, is to face it head on. Sometimes the hardest part is getting started.

Our minds and bodies naturally resist change, especially if we are comfortable and don’t feel a sense of danger. But it’s important to get out of your comfort zone and spread your wings.

Growth does not come from sitting on a couch, wrapped up in blankets, watching a movie; it comes from a long walk through the wilderness, a job interview, or learning a new skill.

The youth are lucky, because they are a little more accustomed to change than most adults. As we get older, we tend to fall out of our growth patterns and become complacent in our daily lives.

Anything new seems so difficult, and we are always so tired. 

But once you shake off the defeatist mindset in your head, things get easier. Once the body and mind gain momentum, they tend to keep going, even against the voice of resistance. 

I challenge all of our leaders to look back on their own graduation day and look at the world as a new and promising place. Take a chance at something that you’ve never tried or haven’t done in a long time.

Whatever it is you take on, you may fail, but you will learn, and learning is always a good thing.