All I Really Need to Know: Two Years Later

It's hard to believe that two years have already passed since I graduated college.  Maybe even more difficult to fathom is all that's happened in between then and now.  Shortly after my college graduation I wrote a post entitled: All I Really Need to Know, I Learned in My Last Weeks of College.  After approximately 24 months P.C. (post college), I must say that these lessons still hold true.  In fact they've become even more valuable to keep in mind day in and day out.

• RSVP:  The further you step outside of your comfort zone, the more important this rule of thumb becomes.  From grabbing a drink after work to hopping a flight to a place you've never been, say "yes" if you don't have a reason to say "no."  Make your agenda as full of life as possible.
• Drink to the Day, Don't Let the Day Drink You:  You'll find that bad days come with greater impact the higher you climb.  Often times it becomes taxing.  If you can find the little victories in your days it becomes easier to muddle through bit by bit.  Always give a toast to those things that bring a true smile to your face everyday.
• Groove Is in the Heart:  No, my dance moves have not gotten much better.  My sense of humor is still just as sharp though.  My love of Frank Sinatra has not faded.  I still splurge on winter, spring, summer, and fall lines.  And nothing's more exciting than scoring 63 points with a play during a rousing game of Words with Friends.  In other words, I haven't lost my beat.  For better or worse.
• Always Follow Your Sense of Wonder:  Just a few months after graduation I became a homeowner.  I turned that house into a perfect starter home for me.  A year after that though I dreamed of life in the big city and found myself in Chicago.  Imaginations might be busy, but the best remedy to slow them down is taking your dreams by the horn.
• Just Keep Going, Just Keep Going:  Sometimes you just know.  You know what you want for dinner.  Where you want to move to.  What kind of job you can do.  The people you want to surround yourself with.  You know what can make you go forward.  So go!
• Remember the Little People:  On any given day I may have a good laugh, cry, fright, idea, or thought.  On all of those days I have the perfect person or two to share the story with.  Many of these days I get to hear some anecdotes from the same people.  The true marking of a good friend is that you remember each other when you need to make or receive a call...or gchat, text, email.
• Real as We'll Ever Be:  You can look at life as getting harder the more days you go through and responsibilities you take on.  The reality is it just becomes more adventurous.  That's what decisions really are: an opportunity to do something you've never done.  In the very real world.

The past 730 days or so have been busy, no doubt.  While the scenes have changed, and plots thickened, it's been nice to have the constant of great memories.  Old and new.  Which is why I'm confident in my next two years.

"There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered."--Nelson Mandela

{Image Credit: Elisa.Blaha}