New Graduates

Class of 2020

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.”

Oprah Winfrey

          This is good advice for everyone, and especially for young folks just starting out. I have thought so much about the class of 2020—what it would be like after long years of study and hard work, to finish school and remotely graduate into a world gripped by pandemic, and economic melt-down. It would be akin to graduating in 1929 at the beginning of the Great Depression. There must be millions of newly minted graduates who are saying to themselves, “Holy cow! What now?”

          Because of the uniqueness of this pandemic moment, no one has the answer to that question, so why not go with what you feel passionate about. It seems to me that there has never been a better time for entrepreneurship. If there is no job in your field, or if it is currently in furloughed mode, get creative—make something up. Oprah Winfrey says, “I don’t believe in failure. It’s not failure if you enjoyed the process.” Here is something I know for certain: if you never try because there is a risk of failure, you will never achieve anything that makes you proud. Don’t be afraid to fail—it’s how we learn, and this is a great learning environment.

          One tremendous advantage you have is the blind passion of your youthfulness—the feeling of invincibility, of not knowing what you cannot do. Instead of risking life and health by drowning your fears down at the brewery, fling yourself into the creation of something uniquely your own. Right now, your creative energy is at its peak. Use it. Even if you don’t make money from your creation, you will learn a great deal about yourself and the world. Creativity is never a waste of time.

          All that said, I feel your pain, class of 2020. Life has dealt you a two of spades instead of a pair of aces. Truth is, it won’t be the last time you have to dredge something up from the depths of your being, but the next time, you’ll have experience. I am confident that you have it in you to rise to this occasion. If you don’t like the mess you’re inheriting, go out there and change the world. I believe in you.

                                                  In the Spirit,

                                                  Jane