to the recent graduate,

Congratulations. You've made it through what's seemed to be the hardest part of your life thus far. I commend you. The countless hours of walking through those high school hallways are now over and you never have to look back. It's kind of a good feeling, right?! But in the words of Trace Adkins, "you're gonna miss this".

But I'm not here to reminisce back on my own high school days. Rather, I'm here to give you some of the advice I've learned over my first few years of being an "adult" in the "real world". And to be honest: it's really rough. Really, really rough. There have been a plethora of days where the thought of going all the way back to diapers, smooshed carrots, and nap time sounded more than spectacular. Days where the money was tight, but the jeans were tighter. Days where smiling seemed more like a chore. And days that dragged on well past what they were allotted.

It's going to be different. Adult life is a whole new game. I remember moving out and feeling completely and totally alone for the first time in my life. And quite frankly, it was terrifying. No longer was the fridge and pantry stalked - I actually had to buy my own food?! I found it totally bizarre not to have a mother constantly wondering where I was going and who I was with (I'll admit I don't miss this. But I sure do love my mother!). No more was my schedule handed to me on a nice silver platter, already thought out and organized. Gone were the days of yummy home - cooked meals and already made sack lunches. I was now in charge of scheduling dentist appointments and making sure I showed up everywhere on time. I had to learn how to feed myself (I now consider myself to be a professional when it comes to making scrambled eggs). I had to remember to say my prayers and make my bed and put my shoes away. But despite these frightening thoughts, be excited. You've been waiting, wanting, and working over the past eighteen years for this. The decisions you make over the next few years will determine the outcome of the rest of your life. So, make it a good one! Be excited for what the future holds and face it head on.

Find something you love, and do it. This one is extremely important. It can become really easy to drown in the constant flow of work and homework. My day-to-day life is so incredibly busy that I actually have to pencil in time to do things that I love in order to take a break - and if I don't, I go crazy. But make sure that you work hard. Work hard at work. Work hard at school. Work hard in your relationships with others. Work hard in anything that you do, even if you don't want to do it. I can promise that if you will do this, you will be proud of yourself. And when you seem to fail at something, which you will, never give up. "Don't you give up. Don't you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead... It will be alright in the end. Trust God and believe in good thigns to come." -Jeffrey R. Holland. You'll soon realize that life won't happen the way you think it will. Or that it will be harder than you ever could have imagined. Your grades will start to suffer. You'll break up with your boyfriend. You'll get in a fight with your roommate. You'll run out of money and time and energy. And you'll want to give up. For moments such as these I urge you to follow the wise counsel given in the scriptures: "Press forward with a steadfastness in Christ" -2 Nephi 31:20, and always remember that the bad days will come to an end. "On particularly rough days when I'm sure I can't possibly endure, I like to remind myself that my track record for getting through bad days so far is 100% and that's pretty good." -Unknown

It's all up to you. The cool (and equally just as scary) part about being an adult is that everything is up to you now! You finally get to decide what to do and who to be. You want to be a Doctor? Go for it. Want to solve world hunger? Awesome! You want to prove everyone wrong? By golly, do it!! "Someone's opinion of you does not have to become your reality..." -Les Brown. I believe that we're capable of more greatness than we think we are. With the aid of our loving Heavenly Father, we can do and become literally anything. The Lord has faith in each and every single one of us. With Him, we can become who He needs us to be, as well as who we truly want to be.

Trust in the Lord. This is probably my greatest piece of advice. I still struggle with it, but as I put my faith in the Lord and His timing, it gets easier and easier to press on because I have a surety that it's all going to turn out okay. "Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end." -John Lennon. Always believe in yourself. It can be really easy to feel inadequate. Especially if you compare yourself to the success and progress of those around you. With that being said, Be happy for those around you. We're all living in this crazy, messed up world; whenever someone accomplishes a goal or is living their dream, congratulate them. Be excited for them. It was probably really hard for them and probably took a really long time to get there. But just because good things aren't happening to you right now, doesn't mean they won't ever happen to you. "Faith in the Lord includes faith in His timing." -Neal A. Maxwell. Great things are in store for those who keep trying and pushing on through the hard stuff. You will fail, and it's okay. I couldn't tell you the amount of times I've failed because there have been many. My stubbornness has resulted in a lot of bad decisions which have caused more trouble for me than I even care to think about. However, I've learned from those failures. And so will you. "Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more intelligently." -Henry Ford. I urge you to find the lesson behind every failure. Learn from your mistakes so that they never happen again. If you fall, pick yourself up, dust off your knees, and keep trucking along - we weren't meant to get through this life without a mark or a scratch.

And always, always remember that you are loved. To whoever you may be, whatever you may be doing, and wherever you may be going, remember that you have a Heavenly Father and Brother, Jesus Christ, who love you dearly. Their love extends far beyond yours and mine understanding - and what a marvelous thought that is. I can't promise an easy life. But I can promise that if you work hard, smile through the bad days, and keep pressing forward, it will all be worth it. So, keep your chins up. Keep moving along. And always keep what your mother told you in your heart: remember who you are and what you stand for. And be proud of it. Stand up for what you know is right and stand up with courage and conviction. Never lose sight of what you want most in life. Chase your dreams and accomplish things nobody ever thought that you could. "Your future is as bright as your faith." -Thomas S. Monson