Paul Muschick’s 10 tip for graduates (including learn how to deal with idiots)

There will be a lot of reminiscing this weekend as my oldest son graduated from high school. Digging through photos for the first-day-of-school/last-day-of-school comparison was fun.Soon, he’ll be off to college. I’m excited for him, but also a bit nervous. As a parent, how can you not be?All we can do is hope that we’ve prepared our children well. I’ve dropped my share of fatherly advice over the years. Hopefully, he absorbed some of it.Here are 10 tips I hope he takes with him on his journey. I’m sure there is more that could be said. If you’d like to share your advice to recent graduates, send it to me. I’ll share them in a future column if I get enough responses.10. Show upComedian Woody Allen may have been trying to be funny when he said 80% of life is showing up. Still, he nailed it.Being where you’re supposed to be, on time, shows you’re dependable. That applies to classes, job interviews, work, medical appointments, dates and countless other activities. Dependability is an asset not everyone has. Use it to your advantage.Always …9. Be yourselfPeople are good at spotting phonies. Don’t try to impress by pretending to be someone you aren’t. The charade won’t last, and you’ll make yourself miserable in the process.If people don’t like you for who you are, don’t fret about it.That said …David Zinczenko, editor in chief of Men’s Health magazine, is author of the new book ‘Drink This, Not That!’, which focus on helping people making better beverage choices that can help actually help them lose weight. ////FEATURES//// ***** Hall of Fame ** LEHIGH COUNTY 200TH ANNIVERSARY (2/26/12) ***** (Contributed photo / The Morning Call /)Commencement speech by Moravian’s David Zinczenko: Grads, do this, not that to succeed8. ExperimentTry things you haven’t been exposed to. Eat different foods. Listen to different music. Attend a sporting event or musical. Go somewhere different on vacation.You’ll have plenty of opportunities to do this as you meet new people. You may enjoy things that you never thought you would. And that may create even more opportunities.But keep in mind that …7. It’s OK to quitYou probably were told that quitters never win. That was encouragement to stick through tough times. As an adult, the choice now is yours. It’s perfectly acceptable to quit at times, because you’re not going to like some things that you try.If you find the college major you selected isn’t a fit, change it. If you hate your job or career, find something better. Don’t stay in a relationship that’s clearly going nowhere just because you don’t want to hurt feelings.There’s one exception …6. Keep learningJust because you graduated doesn’t mean you’re done learning. Picking up new skills will be necessary. Mastering new software or equipment at work may pay off in a promotion or set you up for a better job. Figuring out how to make simple repairs to your home and car can save you big bucks.Keeping up with what’s going on in your neighborhood, your school district and your municipal and state government is important, because what you don’t know can hurt you.As you do that, remember to …5. Keep your politics to yourselfVote. If you really like a candidate, donate to or work for their campaign. But don’t let politics dominate your life. Viewing everything through a political lens turns off a lot of people.If potential bosses don’t care for political rants on your social media pages, that gives them a reason to hire someone else. The same goes for the dating scene. You never know whom you may offend.Not everyone gets this, so …Shabana Basij-Rasikh (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/)Cedar Crest commencement speech: ‘When you educate a girl, you change the world’4. You’ll have to deal with idiotsPolitical zealots. Lazy co-workers. Rude neighbors. Barbarians who park at the pump at a busy Wawa, then go inside and order a sandwich before they come out and gas up 10 minutes later.You’ll encounter people like that your entire life. Don’t stress out over everyone who annoys you.It’s important to …3. Pick your battlesNot everything is worth a fight. Don’t lose your cool every time you disagree with someone or every time something doesn’t go your way. You’ll wear yourself out, ruin relationships and brand yourself as a whiner.Walking away or giving in at times doesn’t make you a wimp. It makes you smart. Duke it out only when it’s about something really important.When you do …2. Argue amicably You don’t need to call people names, shout, throw things, storm out the door or rant on social media.Stick to the facts. Don’t make the problem worse by expanding the argument, dredging up the past or getting personal.If you can’t resolve the dispute, don’t worry because …1. You don’t have to please everyoneDo your best to get along, but recognize that you’ll clash with some people. It’s OK to write them off. You don’t have to be best friends with everyone.Morning Call columnist Paul Muschick can be reached at 610-820-6582 or paul.muschick@mcall.com
Source: Morningcall