Lessons From a Graduate

Jun 18, 2019 | Life Tips

Lessons From a Graduate.

 

My recent high school graduate, Austin, has really been enjoying his summer. He’s been sleeping in, fishing a lot, hiking to and kayaking at various secret fishing spots, spending time surfing the river with his friends, getting registered for law enforcement classes and working his two jobs for a handful of hours a day.

 

In fact, he’s pretty much following all the rules that we tell people to do to live a healthy lifestyle.

  1. He’s sleeping – a lot — which is critical for rebuilding and restoring our bodies.
  2. He’s breathing – a lot of fresh air out there on Central Minnesota’s waterways.
  3. He’s eating well – lots of fresh fish apparently!
  4. He’s drinking – yes, water. He’s not a pop drinker and alcohol is not on his radar…yet.
  5. He’s moving – all that fishing and hiking and kayaking and mowing and auto detailing.
  6. He’s got a good mindset – he works to get what he needs for now, and that’s satisfying, but heck, summer is short, live it up. Real life is just around the corner.

 

You may read that and think Austin’s slacking or prioritizing differently than he should be as a young man about to tackle real life and real bills and real responsibility. But I try to look at it like this — If we would all take the time to do the things that bring us joy instead of constantly chasing the next dollar or promotion or task or opportunity, maybe we would be happier. If we would all listen to our bodies and eat good things for us when we are hungry, sleep when we are tired, move in a manner that is challenging yet rewarding, take the time to breathe in the fresh air and hang out with good-hearted people who make us laugh, drink more water than anything else and look at life as something to be savored, maybe we’d all feel as good as he does these days. Sure, Austin’s got one heck of a busy life coming down the road here soon, but I hope he never forgets to do those six natural things that are so very good for him. Shouldn’t we all!

 

So, when it comes to your mindset, that thing that puts the rest of your body into motion, set yourself up for success by intentionally choosing to do the things that are good for you – mind, body and soul.

 

In the meantime, let’s go fishing!