Thousands of students have recently graduated from high school and college. It’s an exciting time as those that have graduated high school look forward to embarking on their adulthood; and those that have graduated from college are about to begin life’s journey. Yes, it’s exhilarating, but it can also be a bit frightening – possibly leaving home for the first time; taking their first job in their chosen profession; or just renting a first apartment. We all remember that time in our lives. This got me to thinking: If I were asked to speak to a graduating class, what advice would I give?
Continue to Learn
Never stop learning new things. I remember 35 years ago when my dad told me about a new mail system at work. He said he could get his mail through his computer at the Pentagon. I was captivated, wondering how mail could come through your computer. He was referring to what eventually became email. Your world will change and you cannot stand still—learning is a lifelong commitment.
Continue to learn.
Prioritize
Have priorities and keep them straight. Put faith and family first. No one has ever said on their deathbed that they wished they had spent more time at work or had made more money.
Family first.
Take Risks
I’m not talking about doing something that is illegal or dangerous or just plain dumb. I’m telling you to step out of your comfort zone occasionally and do something different that challenges your energies or intellect.
Take risks.
Mistakes
If you take risks, you will make mistakes. Embrace and learn from your mistakes and move forward. Those mistakes will make you stronger and will shape your future self.
Learn from your mistakes.
Enjoy Yourself
Take time out to do what you enjoy, whether its reading, biking, running, traveling, or just sitting in the sun. Make time for the little things that make you happy.
Have fun!
Give Back
Make charity a part of your life. It makes no difference whether you give money or your time or both. There is no better feeling in the world than helping others.
Giving back to your community and helping others will make you feel good.
Stay True
Never stray from your personal moral compass, even on the small decisions. Better to speak up or walk away from situations that require you to compromise your ethics. No one can take away your integrity; if you lose it—it is because you gave it away.
Do the right thing.
That is my advice; what would your advice be to the next generations of leaders?
About Pamela Jones
Pam is president and CEO of Tyger Healthcare, Inc. specializing in innovative solutions for hospitals and large single-specialty groups. She has also served on the Arizona Medical Board since 2016.
Outside of her healthcare career, her interests are politics, philanthropy and writing. She volunteered on the George W. Bush 2000 Inauguration Committee, as a volunteer in the Bush White House Visitor’s Center, and locally as the President of the Republican Women’s Club of Prescott. She currently serves a Trustee of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Prescott and she and her husband support various Holocaust initiatives at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
In the 1990’s, after encouragement from friends, Pam began writing humor articles. She then began writing humor articles on a daily basis which were available by subscription through her own website. She has also written newsletter articles for a number of different organizations and publications.
Ms. Jones earned her degree in Business Administration from Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Florida and her M.B.A. with special certification in Health Sector Management from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
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