Graduation season is here, and there are plenty of speeches to listen to for inspiration. I liked the speech The Wall Street Journal’s Jason Gay gave to the graduating class at the University of Wisconsin. You can check it out below.
I remember both of my graduations from high school and college like they were yesterday. I remember the relief of having the schoolwork behind me, and in the case of my graduation from Babson College, the anxiety about what was to come next. “The real world.” Uh-oh.
So, I delayed the real world for a year, visited a fraternity brother who lived on a Greek Island, met a junior high school friend in Rome to backpack through Europe, taught skiing for a season, and then got a job at Fidelity Investments the following March or April. Regrets? No. I’m glad I did it all, and it was time to get to work.
Writing to you this morning with over 30 years of work in the investment industry, I can’t help but think about the anxiety of graduation and how that relates to you. When you are in or near retirement, you are graduating into the unknown, again, both daunting in their own way, loaded with questions and anxiety, just like yesterday. And I thought we got a break from all this anxiety as we aged.
When in need of inspiration that turned into the song “Walking in Memphis,” Marc Cohn traveled to the place he loved so much and then returned home to Manhattan to write. Sometimes you need to take a trip to break out of your routine and see your life a little bit differently.
Action Line: Big life events like graduations and retirement are sort of forced upon us. It’s not a bad idea to give yourself a break and a little time to ponder what is next, no matter how old or young you are. When you want help on the road ahead, I’ll guide you. Email me at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com, and pick up a map for your journey by clicking here to subscribe to my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter. And if you know a graduate who is about to step out on the road of life, get them off on the right foot by downloading my free Special Report: How To Invest After Graduating College.
Read the entire series here.
Originally posted on Your Survival Guy.
