Happy Graduation

It's getting to be that time of year. Schools are letting out, another academic year is ending, and for many students in different walks of life it's time for a big life change: Graduation. Whether it's from high school, college, trade school, graduate or professional school, or just kindergarten, graduations are typically times of high emotion, excitement and anxiety.

I haven't graduated from anything in a while, at least not officially, but as I'm watching others achieve significant milestones in their lives I find myself reflecting on the many unofficial graduations I've celebrated over the past few years. Not the least of which has been moving from regular employment to making a living as an author.

In regular life, there isn't always an obvious moment of "graduation" from one state of being to another. It can be a continual evolution during which you wake up one morning and know that you are different, and that your world is changing to match. No one hands you a diploma, but the sense of accomplishment can be just as strong.

Sometimes it's good to pat yourself on the back and think about all your accomplishments, big and small, those that are life-changing as well as those day-to-day events that seem insignificant but which gradually carry you closer to your goals.

What milestones have you reached lately? How do you plan to celebrate your graduation?