James Martin, S.J., editor at large of America, gave this year's commencement address (June 12, 2015) at Santa Clara University. He offered 10 pieces of advice that, in his words,
I wish I had known at your age—ten things that would have made my life a lot easier. Some are pieces of advice that I’ve learned from wisdom figures along the way. Others are the results of dumb mistakes that I’ve made. A few are insights from the great spiritual masters that I’ve adapted a little bit. I’m serious about this: If you put these into action, my fellow graduates, you will be a lot happier.
I've read Fr. Martin's nuggets of wisdom, and they are very applicable and helpful. A sample:
Number 4: You can’t force people to approve of you, agree with you, be impressed with you, love you, or even like you. So stop trying. Boy, I wish I had learned that at your age. I think I spent most of my twenties trying to get everyone to like me, and the one person who didn’t like me, I really tried to get him to like me.But no matter what you do, some people will approve of you, others won’t. No matter how nice you are, some people will take to you, others won’t. So stop trying to get people to like you—just relax and accept the fact that some will and others won’t. It will save you a lot of heartache and a lot of energy.
See the rest here, at the website of Santa Clara Magazine.
