This is the last installment of the Life Lessons I Learned after college Graduation series. Check out Part 1 here and Part 2 here. It’s not quite easy to put these down on paper. But I sure hope you pick up a lesson or two. Or maybe all 25! 🙂
And if you also have some life lessons after College, do share them in the comments below. 🙂
I need milestones for my life. One of my favorite poems is “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot. There’s a line in that poem that says: “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons”. Since I love coffee so much, then that line might as well be my mantra. If I use coffee spoons as the measure of my life, then I am a very rich man indeed because I drink coffee (home made and not some expensive coffee from a shop that starts with S.) at least twice a day. 😀
But really, I need milestones (or KM posts) for my life. A way to measure my journey through life. And yes, I’m glad to say that I know what I want to do with my life, and I know how to measure my life.
Choose ONE Major Pursuit. My interests are very diverse. Just take a look at my bookshelves and you’ll see works by sociologists such as Erich Fromm, business books, a guitar book manual, Science Fiction and Fantasy, and a couple of religious books. That pretty much shows my diverse interests. Although I haven’t fully learned this lesson yet, it really pays to choose ONE major pursuit, instead of multi-tasking several different ones.
Multitasking is overrated and has been discounted by scholars in recent years. If you want to become a TRUE professional and expert, choose your pursuit and be an excellent professional in that area
Pursuing Your Passion is Just Half the Equation. Passion is one of the most talked about topics in self-help books, personal development blogs and even leadership blogs. Yet, it is only half, or perhaps a third of the equation. You also need to look at the “market” or the needs of the people you want to target, as well as the sustainability or financial viability of your passion.
To change the world, you need a good platform. A professor of mine, back in College, said that when he was young, he had half-understood feelings and idealism. Which is to say that he had zeal but not enough knowledge. A lot of young people want to change the world. It’s a strong feeling; a strong sense that something’s wrong and broken in this world.
But that feeling alone is not enough! A good idealist will find a way to channel these feelings and emotions to something good and constructive; he or she will come up with a workable strategy and a good platform with which to try and change the world.
I’m blessed to have several people in my life who make me think about my platform. And so, this year, I want to come up with a concrete social enterprise, or social outreach project.
God’s Directions Sometimes Isn’t What You Expect It to Be. When you’re in the mountains, the most direct path is the one that goes in circles. I learned that when I was in Benguet with friends and an American guest. We went to a town called Kabayan and saw the native mummies buried there. We kept going in circles. It was a bit frustrating because the journey was long and winding. Yet, I knew then that our path is the most direct one.
God’s directions and plans for your life may not be what you expect it to be. We sometimes have grand expectations about God’s plans for our lives, but we end up being frustrated with ourselves and where we end up. Don’t worry if you go through frustrations, God is at work in you. You may not even realize it at times, but God’s provision and guidance will be with you as you traverse the circuitous path to God’s grand plans for you.
There you have it. Those are the lessons I’ve learned so far. I know I’ll learn more lessons in the future. Knowing that, I feel excited for what is ahead and what the future brings!