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Commencement: The act of starting out, or blazing a new trail.

    In the spirit of college and high school graduation season I want to explore the ties between commencement ceremonies and life changing perspectives.  

    I sometimes get clients that are experiencing a new part of their journey. They are moving from one experience to another one. Just as a graduate finishes their studies and is ready to take on the new challenge of using what they have learned over the last few years. There are many emotions associated with this accomplishment. Some feel energized and others feel uneasy and maybe even unsure of where to begin. 

    The same could be said of those who are transitioning in other parts of their lives. This could be a new job, a new career path. They could be looking for a fresh start due to an ending relationship or even a start of a health journey due to past illness. Either way they are “graduating “ from that life experience and taking what they have learned to use in their new path. This will also bring some excitement and for others the unease of what to do and where to start. 

    The challenge for me as a life coach is to help these graduates navigate through their transition with fresh new perspectives. Every single thing that they experienced prior to the transition is an extremely valuable lesson. For some they will look to try and forget about the tough challenges and only focus on all the positive experiences.  I would say that they need to take both in and use it for the betterment of their own future. 

    The point is not to live in the past but to use those experiences to make better decisions and create a life of exciting possibilities and opportunities. Sometimes people give up on their dreams and goals because of the limiting beliefs created in those past experiences. Maybe they were told , “ that’s crazy”, “that will never work”, “ you will never succeed “, “ dreams are not real”, and on and on and on.  

    After a long period of believing your own limitations soon you become associated with them and the downward spiral begins to take a hold. The desire to make a change or make a decision to go for your goals shrinks and eventually disappears.  For some of these life graduates they will move along with the flow and endure years of uncertainty but for those that breakthrough it will be one of the greatest moments in their lives. 

    Commencement is the start of something new. It doesn’t specify if that something is positive or negative.  My hope is that you will choose to begin in the former and not the latter.  Take that positive step forward in your new journey and do not be afraid to put both feet in. Maybe you will dip your toe out of fear from past experiences but rest assure that you are ready to take on that next challenge because you have been through the gauntlet of those specific life experiences. The only way to live a purposeful fulfilled life is to jump right in and enjoy the ride. To all you graduates I say “ congratulations , you got this , nothing can stop you !”  

Love your Journey….

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