Now that graduation season is coming to a close and many graduates are trying to figure out their next steps, I wanted to take the opportunity to give young women some basic advice to take with them in shaping their future. I’ve put together four essential perspectives from highly successful women that I hope will encourage you to follow your path relentlessly as you step out into the world to leave your mark. It’s all in your hands now. Congratulations, class of 2014!
Graduation Advice for Women by Women
Follow your passion – Former State Department Official Anne-Marie Slaughter encouraged women in the 2014 Tufts University graduating class to “choose a career on the basis of what you are passionate about doing, and then choose a husband or wife or life partner on the assumption that you will be genuinely equal partners, that you will both be breadwinners, but both also caregivers, perhaps for children, for those family members who took care of you, or for each other.”
Be yourself – Ellen DeGeneres encouraged university graduates in 2009 to be themselves – a crucial element to the formula for success. “For me, the most important thing in your life is to live your life with integrity, and not to give into peer pressure; to try to be something that you’re not. To live your life as an honest and compassionate person, to contribute in some way. So to conclude my conclusion: follow your passion, stay true to yourself. Never follow anyone else’s path.”
Find your joy – Sandra Bullock shared this bit of wisdom with a high school graduating class earlier this week: “Whatever that is, go find your joy. Are you going to have a good day or are you going to have a great day? Because it’s completely up to you. It’s what you’re going to remember in the end. You’re not going to remember how you worried, the what-ifs, the whys, or who wronged you. It’s the joy that stays with you.”
Be fearless and work hard – This one’s from me. If you want to get ahead in life, it simply requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and risk-taking. If you believe in your cause, then fully commit to it, work on it day in and day out, and never be afraid to fail. Because if you do, it’s just another opportunity to get back up and try again.
I wish you all much success in this new phase of your lives. Never be afraid of what lies ahead. You have all the power in your hands to create the life you want. You just have to be persistent and dedicated. The rest will fall into place.
