Minute Motivators for Graduates
Stan Toler
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Minute Motivators for Graduates
Author: Stan Toler
eBook ISBN 978-0-9833528-4-6
Copyright © 2011 Stan Toler
Dust Jacket Press
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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version® (NIV)®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
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Contents
Don’t be afraid to ask questions
Cultivate the habit of listening
Stay in touch with old friends
Never take God’s blessings for granted
Seek to become a person of excellence
Build strong and lasting relationships
Plan to read a good book once a month
Associate with the right people
Make thanksgiving a daily habit
Face your insecurities head on
Be responsible in the small things of life
Seek wise counsel from the experts
Introduction
That step off the platform of your graduation ceremony is the longest— and most important—step of your life. Your family and friends may loudly cheer when you receive your diploma; but later on—after you’ve turned in your rented graduation robe—you may stand alone in a deafening silence. What now? You’ll need to find some fast answers to some pretty heavy questions. In the next weeks, months, and years, you’ll face demands that make your classroom assignments look simple by comparison.
Minute Motivators for Graduates is not a book with all of the answers. It’s a book with some of the answers. There are no cookiecutter principles here, no template for life. Just practical, powerful, and helpful hints for turning the first days of the rest of your life into something powerful and productive.
Congratulations on the start of a fantastic journey!
Stan Toler
Focus on the future.
“Vision for your future is the road map of what God wants to accomplish in and through you.”
—Jim Williams
VISION
Where do you want to be in five years? In ten years? In twenty?
Many high school or college students don’t think much beyond the next weekend. They’re focused on what’s in front of them today, right now.
You don’t have that luxury. You’re a graduate now. That means, for the most part, your life is in your own hands. The direction you take at this intersection could be a road to success or a dead end.
What are you dreaming? God often puts dreams in our hearts for what He has planned for us.
Will you be happily married? Will you have a successful career? Will you be a parent? An artist? A doctor? A builder? Let the vision take shape in your mind. Determine now what your future could be.
Of course, life doesn’t always follow a script. It’s improvisation. But plan anyway. Every successful venture usually begins with a plan— in business, in sports, or in the arts. Vision is the deciding factor and the winning factor.
You have a great future. Can you see it?
Prepare for the future.
“Good plans shape good decisions.”
—Lester R. Bittel
PLANNING
I love the game of golf, but it’s challenging. Most of the time I have trouble getting the ball to go in the right direction. No matter how carefully I aim, the ball often lands somewhere else.
The game of life is different. In life, you usually hit what you’re aiming for.
That means you can land wherever you choose. If you want an education, you can aim for it and get one. It may not be easy, but you can do it.
If you want a career, you can have one, but you must plan for it. Success doesn’t grow on trees; you have to aim for it. Make a plan, and then make it happen.
Of course, there’s a downside. Since you hit whatever you aim for, you must aim carefully. If you aim at nothing, you will hit nothing. Those who waste money, squander opportunities, and ruin relationships are planning a difficult and painful life; and they are never disappointed.
Watch where you’re going!
Learn from your mistakes.
“The difference between average people and achieving people is their perspective of failure.”
—John Maxwell
FAILURE
Here’s a prediction that is guaranteed to come true: you will fail. Everyone fails. It’s inevitable. It’s part of being human. The worst response to failure is to become discouraged or even worse, to quit. But failure isn’t fatal. In fact, it can be a valuable experience when you learn from it.
Some of your failures will be small. You’ll fail to turn in a report on time and be scolded by your boss. That experience will teach you to manage your time, and you’ll be better for it.
Other failures may be more painful. You may break a promise to someone you care about and lose an important relationship. That situation will hurt, but you’ll discover the value of faithfulness and gain a life lesson.
Each failure is an opportunity to grow. Don’t plan to fail, but plan to learn from your mistakes. You have one degree under your belt, but there’s another one coming, a graduate course in the school of hard knocks.
There are no scholarships offered for this degree!
Don’t burn your bridges.
“There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.”
—Saint Thomas Aquinas
RELATIONSHIPS
What’s the most valuable commodity in the world? Gold? Oil? Precious stones? Cash? No!
All of the above have value, but none is as important as the greatest treasure on earth—relationships.
The people in your life are the most precious asset you have. Your parents, relatives, coworkers, fellow students, and friends—these are your gold mine.
Don’t squander them.
It will be tempting to quit a job where the supervisor is mean and demanding. Leave if you must, but leave on good terms. You may need the goodwill of the company and the cranky boss in the future.
Friends may break promises or behave selfishly. Remember that no one is perfect. You have failed others, too. Make every effort to repair a damaged friendship.
At the end of your life, you will not be concerned with the things you have achieved, or the things you have owned. What will matter is the people in your life who have helped you, befriended you, and brought you joy.
Keep the bridge of friendship in good repair.
Attend church faithfully.
“Write your plans in pencil, but give God the eraser.”
—Anonymous
SPIRITUALITY
Look at yourself in the mirror. What do you see? Now look deeper. Look inside your eyes. What’s in there?
You’re more than you appear to be on the outside. Your physical body is not the real you. The real person is the one inside, the spirit that inhabits your body.
You are a spiritual being; that’s the way God made you. And that means that you have spiritual, not just physical, needs.
To take care of your body, you eat the right foods, rest, and get plenty of exercise. But how do you take care of your spiritual health?
One of the best ways is to gather with other people who believe in God and worship Him together. In other words, go to church.
Church is the only place on earth that is devoted exclusively to your spiritual health. It is the best resource available to you for worship, spiritual growth, and fellowship with other believers.
If you pencil church into your schedule, you won’t need your eraser as much.
Manage your minutes.
“Always remember that the future comes one day at a time.”
—Dean Acheson
TIME
Every day, you get paid 1,440 minutes. That’s more than 10,000 minutes a week. You’re mega wealthy!
So tell me, what are you going to spend your precious time on today? Sleeping? That’s about 480 minutes. Work? That’s another 480 or so. What about the rest?
Imagine minutes were dollars. Would you watch television for four hours today if it cost you $240? Would you play video games for two hours if you had to rent the machine for $120?
Your minutes are more valuable than money. And your success depends largely on how you manage your time. Minutes are the building blocks of your life. You use them to construct whatever you wish. But they can also be wasted. Wasted money can always be regained. Wasted minutes are gone forever.
Budget your time just as you budget your money. Spend your time in the areas of highest priority. Time with God, time with your family, time with your friends, and time spent helping others should be at the top of your list. Sometimes your spent time will include watching television, chatting with friends, or just hanging out. Plan your days— even your days off—so that you accomplish what is most important. You don’t want to rush the time you have with those you love.
Got a minute? You’re a millionaire!
Be patient in decision making.
“Nobody ever did, or ever will, escape the consequences of his choices.”
—Alfred A. Montapert
CHOICES
What’s the first thing you will do after graduation? Buy a car? Travel? Get married?
Hold the phone! Take your time with those choices. Buying a new car will tie up a large part of your income for several years. Are you sure you want to do that?
Getting married is a great idea, if you’re prepared. Have you chosen the right life partner? Do you have a job lined up? How will this decision affect your future education?
Be patient when you make decisions, especially those that have longterm consequences. The things you hope to do are probably good, and no doubt you will do them. The real question is when to get started. Ask God if He has any plans that you haven’t thought of for your life. Often He has plans so awesome you cannot imagine them.
Make a plan. Factor in the financial, social, physical, and spiritual elements. Then work your plan. Go ahead and hit the “Enter” button on the keyboard of your life. But keep an eye on the monitor. Choose your keystrokes carefully. You’ll achieve all that you hope to. But it may take longer than you first thought.
Choose right, and you’ll be all right.
Respect God’s creation.
“It’s not good enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what is required.”
—Winston Churchill
CREATION
There is a God, and He created the world.
Such a statement may seem obvious to some, yet, incredibly, many people lose sight of that rather simple fact. Surrounded by manmade structures and human chatter, it’s easy to forget that there is a natural, bountiful created world and an even more bountiful Creator who stands behind it.
Because we live in a world of God’s making, we must respect both Him and the gift He has
given us.
Show your respect for the Creator by acknowledging that your own body is a gift. Treat it with care. Don’t abuse it with
alcohol, tobacco, or harmful drugs. Keep fit by maintaining a proper diet and getting plenty of rest and exercise.
Show your respect for the Creator by treating the world He has given us with care. Be a careful consumer, never wasting the precious resources that enhance our lives. Reduce the amount of refuse you produce, and reuse or recycle as many things as you can.
Most of all, show your respect for the Creator by honoring His Word. He has given us ten unalterable commandments by which to live. Obey God by obeying these commandments.
God has given us all we need to live healthy and productive lives. Do it!
Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
“A moment’s insight is sometimes worth a life’s experience.”
—Oliver Wendall Holmes
INSIGHT
Someone once said, “There’s no such thing as a stupid question.” It’s true!
Most educational systems reward knowledge. The people who don’t know the answers receive lower grades. That makes some of us afraid to ask questions for fear of revealing our ignorance. After all, nobody wants to look stupid.
But life in the real world is different than in school. Out here, performance is rewarded. The person who can get the job done moves ahead. And to do that, you need to get the information necessary to be effective.
Nobody is born with all the answers. That’s obvious from some of the people you’ve met along the way! Pretending to know it all doesn’t add to performance—only to pride.
Every achievement in life, whether in science, arts, industry, or sports, began with an inquiring mind. Someone wasn’t afraid to get a little more information on the subject.
Ignorance is scarier than a question.
Cultivate the habit of listening.
“No man ever listened himself out of a job.”
—Calvin Coolidge
LISTENING
It’s easy to spot a knowitall. That’s the one person in any group who is always talking.
A real knowitall, someone who really does have wisdom, is easy to spot too. That’s the person who usually spends more time listening than talking.
It’s amazing what you can find out when you take the time to listen.
“I don’t have to diagnose my patients,” one doctor said. ”They diagnose themselves. All I have to do is listen carefully when they tell me about themselves.” It’s the same in all
areas of life. Listeners are learners. And learners are winners.
Listen to your friends; you’ll find out about their dreams. Listen to your coworkers; you’ll learn to do your own job better. Listen to your parents; you can learn from their mistakes. Listen to your boyfriend or girlfriend; you’ll discover their character. And listen to God; He’s always communicating His love and attention to His children.
Everything you need to know, someone will tell you. But you must be willing to listen.