You made it! And I couldn’t be prouder of you! The work that you’ve done, the lessons you’ve learned, the character you’ve built, were not feats attained overnight. You worked for every one of them. Both your mistakes and your achievements carry great value and contributed to your success today. Because of both of them, you are smarter, wiser and stronger than when you first began this journey.
And still, your journey is far from over. This is not an era that has ended but a new chapter that is beginning – a new chapter that will be filled with its own challenges, hardships and celebrations.
Honor your moments of hardship and challenge for that is when growth and learning is best achieved; and revel in your moments of ease, you deserve them!
It took Michelangelo 4 years to paint the Sistine Chapel… a lengthy project for one ceiling. And one he was not excited about taking on initially. The technique he used, Fresco, was a new art to him. The work was back-breaking, literally. He encountered multiple set backs in the process. And sometimes, he had to ask for help. Anyone who has been to the chapel can tell you that its exterior is simple and unassuming, not the venue you’d expect to hold world-famous art for almost 500 years.
Don’t be fooled by unassuming people, many of the world’s most brilliant minds are housed in the simplest of appearances. Have humility.
Not every project you take on will be exciting or one you feel perfectly suited for, take it anyway. Growth comes with challenge. And new experiences sometimes yield surprising results. Take a chance.
Greatness is not achieved by mediocrity. Don’t ever stop working hard.
Complacency leads to the death of the spirit. Don’t ever stop learning.
And never mind, the physical aches and pains that come with old age and hard work- It’s the strength of the spirit that moves mountains.
The world’s greatest accomplishments are a balanced combination of talent, hard work and opportunity: Uncover your talents, search for opportunity, keep trying- even when you fail and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Like a properly balanced palette, there is a use for every hue. Highlights and shadows require different colors and placements but are equally important in a piece of art. Every part of you has a purpose. Both the good and the bad, the light and the dark, can be used to better this world.
Use the goodness to achieve more goodness, the world needs it!
And use the bad to understand and to improve yourself and to sympathize with the shortcomings of others. But do not let those shortcomings or other people define you.
Be yourself and give the world someone to reckon with. You are Amazing!
Have respect for yourself and for others. And uphold honor in all the things you do. Power and intellect mean nothing if your morality is lost. Don’t be afraid to stand up for what is right, even in the face of adversity. Don’t be afraid to be alone, if being alone means standing with dignity.
The world is your canvas and your palette is endless, paint the hell out of it!
And don’t stop painting, don’t stop achieving, don’t stop reaching, until incurable physical fragility makes it impossible to pick up the brush.
Then, and only then, will you be lowered from your platform, to lie back and look up at the immense and beautiful art you’ve created and appreciate it for all of its complexity. And you’ll realize it was all worth it.
Your vision is your own…go pick up a brush and make it happen!
This is an amended post first published on 6/17/18.
