Graduation season is upon us. The school year is almost finished. Ceremonies have begun to take place where degrees or diplomas are being awarded to students. Even pre-schools hold graduation ceremonies complete with tiny caps and gowns for the participants. No matter the age or size, students line up to receive their official diploma recognizing their achievement. Whether it is pre-school or a doctoral degree, graduation is acknowledged and celebrated. Congratulations to all the graduates!
Graduation is defined as the awards ceremony or the act of receiving a diploma or degree. From that perspective, graduation is an ending; a conclusion. It is the completion of a course of study. Graduation is the final act performed by a student at a school. You are a student. And then you are a graduate.
But graduation is also known as commencement…the time when something begins. As we graduate, we leave the past behind. As we commence, we move forward to the future. One door closes and another opens.
I think “graduates” should be known as “commencers”, since commence is a far more powerful word than graduate. Graduate is simply defined as the holder of a degree. Commence is defined as beginning.
Regardless as to whether you have been awarded a diploma or degree this graduation season, I invite you to commence living a more joyful life. You can award yourself with a master’s degree in life whenever you decide to do so. You can graduate into a more fulfilling way of being when you give yourself permission to put an end to what doesn’t serve you anymore. Commencement is a kickoff or a launch to a new way of life.
Maybe you’d like to give yourself a diploma for bravery and courage while fighting a life-threatening illness. Maybe you’d like to award yourself with a degree in financial management for successfully running your household on less income than you deserve and less than you need. Maybe you’d like to recognize your life’s achievement of being a successful mom or dad. You can even hold a commencement ceremony to celebrate your new beginning and the genesis of your success as you move forward into the future with excitement and purpose. Remember you are never too old to begin again.
Steve Jobs delivered many inspiring commencement speeches. In one of his last he said, “Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other opinions drown your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
Every day you have the opportunity to begin again. Every day you have the ability to make a different choice. Every day is a commencement. Let the celebration begin!