It's the month of flying caps — Graduation Month.
As countless high schoolers in our community and beyond celebrate this great achievement, we at The Woodlands City Lifestyle had to do the same in our Women's Issue. After all, graduating from high school is a significant milestone for young women of The Woodlands.
As an uncle to a graduating senior, the snarky side of me wants to say, “Congratulations! You just finished the easiest part of your life.” But my more mature side prevails, and I wonder what advice I could offer this generation.
What things should you know at this point in your life? What pieces of wisdom do I wish I had known at this point in my own life? While not trying to sound like Baz Luhrmann’s spoken-word song, “Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen),” which came out around the time I was preparing to finish undergrad, I have a few thoughts.
1. No one is coming to save you from your problems. Your life is 100% your responsibility.
2. Your nine-to-five is someone else’s passive income. Repeat that to yourself, “Your nine-to-five is someone else’s passive income.” Find multiple ways to make money and create your own income streams.
3. Be careful when taking advice from people who aren’t where you want to be in life unless they’re sharing their mistakes and how to avoid them. (Yes, that even includes me!)
4. If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room. Leave immediately.
5. When you find someone smarter than you (and you will), work with them, don’t compete.
6. Comfort is the worst addiction and often the cheapest ticket to depression. Complacency kills!
7. Don’t tell people more than they need to know. Respect your privacy. Respect theirs, too. This applies to both your personal and professional lives.
8. Keep your standards high. Don’t settle for something just because it’s available.
9. What’s cheap isn’t good and what’s good isn’t cheap. Learn the value of something. Just as important, know your value.
10. A family you create is every bit as important as the family you come from.
11. Learn to take nothing personally. This will save you from 99% of mental problems.
12. Baz was right about the sunscreen.
Whether you are graduating from The Woodlands High School, College Park, Oak Ridge, or The John Cooper School, you and your families should consider this a moment to remember.
Congratulations to the Senior Class of 2025. We are all proud of you!
In 1997, filmmaker Baz Luhrmann surprised the music world with a spoken-word track. Based on a mock commencement speech written by Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich, “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)” became a global hit, reaching #1 in the UK.