POL POSITION:Class of 2007, it’s your turn to make choices

Congratulations Class of 2007 and welcome to the real world. I understand many of you think you have lived in the real world, but you may be surprised at what you find throughout your life. After high school life presents a fair amount of challenges. Maybe that’s a bit understated, but you must understand it is true. Challenges you will face tomorrow and your ability to overcome them are based on the choices you make today.

Most of us don’t think about the daily choices we need to make. When the alarm clock rings we are programmed to get up and prepare for whatever we need to accomplish. If we took the time to actually think about our daily choices, some of them might not be pretty. But nonetheless, they are necessary for a successful life.

At this point in your life many of you have made these choices with help from others. We call them parents.

Whether or not you agree with your parents some of the things you learned in your home will help you in your life. Some things you will adopt, others will change first thing when you move into your own place. You get to choose.

The real difference as an adult is, now the choices you make are your responsibility. It used to be that your parents were close enough to “help” you. In a short time you could be in another part of the world making choices that will affect everything you do.

You need to make these choices for the right reason: because it is the right thing to do, not because anyone is there to influence you.

That can be a bit scary. You may stand alone in your choice. I don’t mean worry about the choice between good and bad — most of you do that automatically. The more difficult choices are between good and good where it doesn’t really matter in which direction you go. For instance, does it really matter what your career path is as long as you can support your family in a legal and honest way? We really just have to choose the best “good” choice to help us discover our purpose in life.

Here are some ideas that might help:

1) Whatever you do, do it with enthusiasm. This means find a career that stimulates you and allows you to work hard and contribute to society.

2) Listen and hear before you speak. You can learn so much from others that will allow you to make appropriate and usually better choices. People will share all kinds of helpful things with those who care enough to listen and hear.

3) Be flexible and resilient. This is especially important as life throws obstacles in your path. Your response is a choice that can help you to have a better quality of life. Don’t stress the little things.

4) Become a lifelong learner. Get all the education you can. Formal or informal, it doesn’t matter.

5) Be a thankful person. Find a way to remember others. Give back to those who have given to you. Share your special talents and abilities with others.

Remember to put family first. They matter most. Be confident with your choices. You have prepared your whole life for the opportunity to make important choices today. You are on the right path. After all, your best choice so far was to graduate.