We are here. It is here. He is here. I am here. However I phrase it, I still can’t believe the year 2025 is imminent. I can remember holding my newborn baby in 2006 and doing a quick math calculation to see what year he would graduate from high school. “Class of 2025” had a nice ring to it. It also felt like millions of years away. Yet, here I am sitting in 2024, looking forward to the school year ahead, the year where a lot of firsts become “last firsts” for lack of a better term.
Are we ready? Absolutely!
I am so stinking excited for my son to be a high school senior. Maybe it’s because my senior year of high school was one of the best years of my life. Maybe it’s because I see so much potential in him and I cannot wait to see what he does with his life. Maybe it’s because I’m actually pretty dang proud of how I’ve raised him (minus a few hiccups every now and then because he’s human) and I feel like I am actually starting to enjoy his company and who he is as a person. Regardless of the reason and regardless of him leaving the nest, I’ll always be his mom and I’ll always continue to remind him of certain values.
I know he knows them. I know he’s heard them. I also know one more year of reminders won’t hurt him.
#1: Work hard
Work so dang hard. Hate your job? Work harder at it until you find something else to try. Love your job? Work harder at it to keep it and open up even bigger opportunities for yourself. Sick? Work hard to get the job done. Tired? Work hard to push through it. Don’t like your boss? Work harder for them. Don’t like your co-worker? Work harder than them. Struggling financially? Work. Bank account overflowing? Work. There is nothing you can’t do with a little (or a lot of) hard work.
#2: Don’t burn bridges if you don’t have to
Life is filled with mountains and valleys and plateaus. You learn in the valley, you thrive on the plateau, and you celebrate on the mountain. Don’t burn bridges with the people in the valley and on the plateau as you make your way to the mountain. You never know when the valley will reappear, and it may be the deepest valley you encounter. You never know when you have to take a step back to the plateau to regroup and begin thriving again. Who will you need? You’ll need the people that were there for you in the valley and that supported you on the plateau. Mountain friends are fun to look at the bridges you’ve built together, but the real bridge builders are made in the valley and on the plateau. Don’t burn those bridges if you don’t have to.
#3: It costs $0 to be respectful and kind
Zero dollars. Kindness and respect go hand in hand and are the signs of a successful human being. Kindness and respect have nothing to do with liking someone. They have nothing to do with preferences or agreements. They aren’t signs of weakness. They don’t make you a pushover. They are key ingredients to opportunities, success, and leadership. It’s completely free to give, and the rewards can be exponential.
