An ‘old sage’ offers life lessons for graduates

Dear Graduate.

Have you ever looked back and thought to yourself, "If I only knew then what I know now …" Or how about this one, when I was about 15 or 16, my mom and dad were just not very smart people but by the time I reached my mid-twenties, I was quite surprised how smart they had become. Well, this cat's been around the block so often I'm getting dizzy but here's some life advice from this old sage.

Take time to call your parents every now and then, just to talk. They won't always be there.

Be kind. Open doors for others, use words like "please, thank you, I'm sorry and you look very nice today." Genuine kindness is sometimes a rarity.

Don't lose sight of your family. Friends come and go but family is family. Love them to pieces.

Respect everyone and get to know their names.

Respect your budget and remember credit cards are NOT free money.

Ask for help when needed, and you will need help from time to time.

A good money management rule; 10 percent to savings; 10 percent to charity and 80 percent to live on (Wish I had known this one earlier).

Believe in yourself even when others don't and do amazing things with your life.

Be an optimist and an encourager.

Don't blame others, feel sorry for yourself or make excuses for the way things turn out. Your life is your choice.

Oh, and by the way, life is not fair, and it's also not Burger King. You don't always get "to have it your way."

Enjoy the celebrations of each year. Christmas, Thanksgiving, Birthdays, Holidays, Anniversaries. But don't enjoy too much!!!

Be a generous tipper.

You will fail from time to time but get back up, dust yourself off and get going again. And learn something from the failure.

Find a mentor or two and learn from them.

Always remember that the most important things in life are not things.

From time to time, life will become incredibility hard, but don't give up, ever. This is the only life you'll have.

Remember you are not the center of the universe, not even close.

And finally, live your life in such a way that the minister or preacher won't have to lie at your funeral.

Oh, one last and final piece of advice, whatever happens in your life, you'll figure it out." Let me know some of your thoughts.

John Sheda lives in Independence. (319) 327-4640; jsheda@indytel.com

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