Commencement on Purpose

personal development purpose May 09, 2022
 

The local high school prom was last weekend here in Floyd, VA. That means commencement season is right around the corner.

Commencement is a fascinating word. It’s the day and ceremony marking the end of an academic journey, celebrated with speeches, awards, and certificates, and it is the day that a new journey in life appears.

Commencement is a starting line thinly disguised as a finish line.

Between the end and the beginning of any next stage of life is a liminal period—a threshold. For the graduate, this is the transition from dependence to independence. It’s a time of elation and expectation, for sure, and a time of disorientation and uncertainty.

I’m inviting the graduates iI know to embrace and enjoy both the excitement and anxiety of this moment. Why? Because peril and possibility will always be present from this moment on if they are going to live a meaningful and fulfilling life.

Commencement is a reminder that we are always in a period of transition. We are forever sitting between an ending and a beginning. The present moment is the conclusion of the moment that just was and the start of the moment that will be.

Within any moment you’re in is the opportunity to frame yourself and your situation and choose what you wish to become next. Why not do this with intention (a specific aspiration) and integrity (being true to yourself)?

How are you helping the graduates in your life reflect on and prepare for “what’s next?” How are you preparing for the same?


Scott Perry, Chief Difference-Maker at Creative on Purpose

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