Voices: Advice to graduates from an older graduate

I graduated in 1976. Here is some practical advice I’ve learned in the 50 years since.

You will want to decide where you don’t want to be, then make decisions to avoid getting there.

Things will happen to you that are out of your control. Your success will depend on how you respond to what happens to you.

Develop good habits in all areas of your life.

You will want to make choices based on reality, not on perception or what others may think.

You will need to be a good steward of your time. You are beginning your journey, and it seems you have lots of time. If you don’t use your time wisely, then others will certainly place demands on your time.

There are four things that will help in this new chapter in your life: the Rotary Four-Way Test, a three-legged stool, two very unusual characters, and one question.

Rotary Four-Way Test

The Rotary Four-Way Test was developed in 1932 for Rotary International and is extremely useful today.

1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

What a difference would be made if people asked these questions at least occasionally. Or before something is said, posted, printed, or broadcast.

Things should only be repeated that are true.

Three-legged stool

All three legs of a three-legged stool are important. If one is weak, it will fail, and then the stool topples over. There must be growth in all three areas to have success in our lives.

The first leg is mental.

You have heard the expression, “You should never stop learning.” More importantly, you should never want to stop learning.

You may feel you are through with learning for a while, and you have lots of time to do as you please. A desire to learn should continue to motivate you.

Learning will be a long process, and there will be setbacks, obstacles, and even detours. Those are opportunities that cause us to grow.

Some continue their education with more degrees, while others continue their education with experience and learning skill sets.

There is more knowledge and information available at our fingertips than ever before in history. And we know less. Unfortunately, we do not access knowledge and information as we should.

We need to make priorities daily that will cause us to focus on what is most important that day in our lives.

You will want to make choices that will impact your life in a positive, long-term way.

To grow mentally you need to be a good steward of your time. Whatever you want to do in your life is going to take time. Time should be well spent in every area of our lives, every day.

The second leg is social.

Social skills need to continue to be developed and nurtured throughout life. Without social skills, your life is an uphill battle that will not get better.

Your success in life will depend on your ability to communicate with people on a one-to-one basis, without going through a device.

Marriage and family are some of the first opportunities where social skills are needed. Marriage is dependent upon your social interaction with another person.

Social media has destroyed our interaction with each other. It could be called anti-social media. It is ironic that people want the anonymity of social media, yet daily make decisions based on what other people think or will think. Socially, they are at a disadvantage.

More jobs in the future will be done without a person being involved. This makes your social development more important. If a job requires social skills and you have them, you have an advantage. For one, the job will require an in-person interview.

Social relationships cannot be taken for granted between anyone. Social skills, like everything else, are a choice we make. Developing socially requires time and effort.

The third leg is spiritual.

There are two unusual characters in the Bible who exemplify the spiritual leg very well. The first is Samson, the strongest man who ever lived. The second is the thief on the cross beside Jesus.

Both lived their lives doing what they wanted. Both prayed, “Lord, remember me” at the end of their lives and for the future.

Don’t wait until the end of life to pray, because there is no way to know when that time will come.

Both had nothing good to offer the Lord in their lives. No accomplishments, good deeds, or even trying to be good. Both needed forgiveness for what they had done in their lives. Both did not deserve that forgiveness.

Both experienced God providing what they did not deserve and could not earn because of those failures. God answered their prayers despite all their failures in their undeserving lives.

Both prayed the impossible and God answered their prayer. Both needed God’s forgiveness, his unmerited favor, and his incredible power. Both received God’s forgiveness, his unmerited favor, and his power.

Both had a personal encounter with the living God.

We need God’s forgiveness, his unmerited favor, and his power. We need a personal relationship with the living God. Have you had a personal encounter with the living God?

David Vernon grew up in a pastor’s home, then spent 25 years in the pastorate in Southwest Texas, worked in an Austin gun store for 16 years, and is currently retired. He is the author of Lord Remember Me: A Fresh Look at the Life of Samson. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.