Congrats Grads!!!
Seriously, congratulations! It is a huge accomplishment to complete college. You had put in hours and hours of work to receive this diploma and I want to say I am proud of you. Love an educated Queen. For those who are graduating college and moving onto the next season of life here are 5 pieces of advice to help you fully enjoy this new season.
1. Find a church immediately
It can take MONTHS but you need to find a good church that preaches the Bible. Don’t stop looking until you find one. Look for a church that sticks with the Word. Here is an article with some tips https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/5-questions-church-search/
This is important because your relationship with God completely relies on you. That should be the number one relationship in your life. If you aren’t attending a church there is a lot of room for sin to creep in without accountability. Now that you’ve moved to the next season you will definitely need accountability. I am very grateful for the Bible-centered church I attend. It took me a long time but it was 100% worth it. Find that church and get involved however you can immediately!
2. Put yourself out there.
Go to events! Show up to things you’re invited to and if you have to, go by yourself! Don’t be afraid to meet people wherever you go. It can be nerve-racking but that’s how you meet friends. That’s also how you have unforgettable experiences. I can tell you confidently if I did not just put myself out there and do things I would have missed out on some amazing experiences.
3. Figure out what makes you happy.
Your life will be mainly working and unless you really like your job, it’s not fun. You need to decide what activities make you happy. Examples can be writing, making music, painting, hiking, swimming, or whatever it is that you do that puts a smile on your face for hours. Once you find it, do it as often as possible. Look for moments that make life a little better. Life is going to be filled with a lot of ups and downs and you should set yourself up to have moments of happiness!
4. Get control of your finances within the first month
It’s hard. Trust me I know it’s hard. I personally put it off because I thought I would be married so my husband would handle it. Well that didn’t happen. I know some of you reading this feel the same way. Do NOT wait and rely on that. Eventually when I realized that wasn’t happening, I had to sit down and actually learn how to manage money. I would recommend the book I will Teach you to be Rich by Ramit Sethi. He talks a lot about how to manage your finances from budgeting to credit cards to investing. His method has helped me a lot. Lastly, be honest with yourself. What can you do and not do? Another thing I learned is to not compare my financial situation with someone else’s. You might not realize it but your friend who owns a house had family money given to her for a down payment. That’s great! Maybe you can even do that for your future kid, but stop comparing and taking advice from her. You need to decide what your priorities are and make your financial decisions around that. But start it now. It sucks. It’s overwhelming. But it needs to be done.
5. Make a health plan and get support immediately
My biggest regret was not taking my weight help seriously enough and not getting the help I needed immediately. Sometimes you need help and that’s okay. I could tell my 18 year old self anything, it would be to get control of your weight. Ladies, I’m telling you now, you do not want to waste your 20s being overweight and/or with health issues that you could have fixed. There can be many reasons you aren’t losing weight fast. There could be many reasons you have acne or your hair is falling out. Don’t waste time. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. You don’t want to spend your 20s in a body you don’t like. Trust me it’s not fun.
Lastly, I want to say congratulations again! You’re onto a new chapter which will include many new beginnings. It’s going to be filled with some amazing moments and not-so-amazing moments. You’re going to be really happy and really sad. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry. Remember to lean on Christ during your good and bad moments. He is with you the entire time.
LOVE!! YES, ADVICE #1 IS KEY!