When you separate yourself from the bubble of living on a college campus for four years, you realize that you are capable and in control of your own goals and destiny.
Here are the top 10 things I have learned after College:
1. You are in charge of looking after yourself and making sure YOU are okay. Your friends might have moved on and are looking after themselves. Now it's up to you to be a little more selfish than normal and make sure you are secure in your own life plans.
2. You are your own boss in life. No one can tell you what to do, where to go, or how to interact with others. You are the one who initiates that conversation within yourself. You have to build self confidence and motivation to get things done without someone telling you.
3. It is important to infuse yourself into a group of people that has similar interests as you. Just because you are no longer sitting on a college campus with the 20-30 closest people in your life does not mean that there aren't more people out there just like you. But, it's your job to find those people and stay engaged.
4. You need to remain positive, even if things don't go your way at first. It's hard to go from having the end goal of getting a degree to having the eternal and everlasting goal of living a happy and fulfilling life. There are always ups and downs, but the more you remain positive the better you will feel.
5. If you don't have a job right after college, DO NOT feel embarrassed! You may not realize it, but more people than you think are dealing with your same situation. Keep your head high and just envision how you will feel when you land that dream job.
6. You don't have to give up the fun things that you did in college. You can still go out on the weekends with friends, play the sports that you once considered your full-time job, and have relationships with people that are still in that college environment.
7. Be Free. Have Fun. Stress less.
8. Have conversations with people that you don't necessarily know or you feel are different. You might be pleasantly surprised as to how much you actually have in common.
9. Life is no longer measured by semester or class schedule. Life just is!
10. The only way to be happy is by being your authentic self! No one likes a fake human being who says things they think people want to hear. If you are completely yourself, people will appreciate you 100 times more than if you were to hold back your true sense of humor, feelings, and ideas.
I'm sure that I will learn much more in life, but for now, take these 10 lessons and look forward to your own self growth and happiness.