The Bigger Picture

Recently I attended the college graduation party of a good friend. The attendees were asked to write words of wisdom that would be passed on to the graduate. As a parent, former college professor, and recognized growth expert I knew I had to get this right.

Of course I thought about what I wished someone would have told me as I migrated to the workforce and into the world as a young adult tackling the challenges of independence. I also thought about the exhilaration and freedom that young people feel at this moment, and how adults tend to throw buckets of cliches at them that don't stick.

My goal was not to be that adult.

In contemplating my words of wisdom for the new graduate I realized that my message would ultimately not be any different for her than it would be for anyone. In fact, it was shaping up in my mind as a more refined and concise message that this spontaneous opportunity had afforded me, and that message is this: Focus on the bigger picture.

The bigger picture is the vision of life - your life - that contains all the details that make it pleasurable,  purposeful, and uniquely your own. Focus is absolutely required in order to maintain clarity of that vision which others will try to distort. Modifying an existing vision is natural; allowing others to influence or change it is regrettable

So to recent, former, or future college graduates, college dropouts, or those who have never set foot on a college campus, my message is constant - see the bigger picture and never lose sight of its details.