Jerry L. Burrell
May 20, 20215 min
This graduation season is being celebrated by many who have struggled to reach it. Boredom, distraction, lack of focus, uncertainty, depression, infection, disconnection, upheaval, lack of resources and unemployment are just a few of the many challenges we’ve faced.
There is cause for celebration for all of us who are graduating from one life stage to the next. From one level in school to the next, from school to career, from quarantine to freedom, from infection to health, from fear to security, from caution to spontaneity, from unemployment to work, from drifting to purpose.
Whatever graduation you are fortunate to be celebrating, and celebrate you should, I encourage you to approach the next stage as an opportunity to continue enhancing the plot of your story. As much as our lives are now considered content in the social media age and what we post must always be on brand, we have always been following one script or another.
It may have been handed down to us and accepted with self edits here and there or maybe we’ve seen scripts others follow and edited parts of those into our script in bits and pieces or maybe we’ve been following a script written entirely by others.
Until we write our own script, we’ll continue playing roles relegated to us by the hopes of our parents, the despair of our doubts, the faith of our families, the myths we adopt as truth, the neighborhoods we grew up in, the friends we rely on and the world we’ve been exposed to and if those things still serve us, by all means, let’s keep them in our script.
All of us still have amazing stories to live and to tell and while our script will only ever be an outline, without it we are blown to and fro second guessing how to grow, but armed with it, we grow in purpose. The values we write into our story and choose to live out at any given time dictate the levels of stress and/or bliss with which we experience our one of a kind lives. I share the following message called “Will U” as a reminder of that.
Congratulations on graduating to the next level and those of you who may still be going through it, keep rising, this message is for you too.
WILL U
Billions have come, billions have gone
Throughout their lives they've learned, lost and won
Billions more will come and go
What deep truths will their lives show
For their time, for their place,
for the air that they breathed
For their loves, for their hates,
for their good and bad deeds
And now here U rise
one of the billions still here
seeking who, what, where, how
so you can eclipse your fear
If it’s fame that U want
she’s elusive and fickle
she comes and goes as she pleases
her rewards mostly trickle
Even if fame’s not your goal
and U just want your best life
while pursuing your passion
and avoiding the strife
What U need to do now
before going all in
before investing your soul
in a race U won’t win
Is write the script for your life
U will be the lead actor,
the producer, the director
the editor, the caster
This will be your story
decide now how you'll live it
what matters, what doesn't
How much effort you'll give it
Will U pretend to be
like so many do,
or become who U are
the 1 only U
Will U add to or subtract from
the world's awesome beauty
Enhance or destroy
Choose now, it's your duty
Will U be hero or villain
making life better or worse
for the people around U
will U be blessing or curse
Will U consider others
or just U all the time
will U walk in their shoes
feel their pain, help them climb
Will U be honest & truthful
no matter the cost
trusting that it's enough
to keep from getting lost
or will U lie & deceive
to gain what U crave
be a cheater and con
left with a rep hard to save
Will U keep your promises
and do what U say
choose to maintain trust
like there's no other way
or will U bail on your friends
after committing to them
leave them wondering if
they can trust U again
Will your friends think you're loyal
will U have their back
will U help shine their light
if their enemies attack
or will U use who U can
to get one step ahead
betray friends and trick foes
till your friendships are dead
When U commit to yourself
will U follow through
building self confidence
because U believe U
or will U break your own trust
thinking it’s not a big deal
then lose confidence in U
and find it difficult to heal
Will U stand up for yourself
or be used and abused
demand respect and fair treatment
or bow down when refused
Will U forgive when done wrong
and offer mercy and grace
or hold a grudge, seek revenge
no matter what it takes
When knocked down as U fly
will U rise like a Phoenix
flap your wings with new tempo
top the charts with your remix
or will U stay close to the ground
where no turbulence lives
with no challenge, no resistance
that not growing gives
Will U live in fear or above it
hate mystery or love it
when rich will U share it
when broke will U covet
Will U walk paths never taken
with all the unknowns
or choose familiar and comfort
smoothing out the road's stones
Some will try holding U back
roadblocks will appear from thin air
will your script say "Give Up!" or
"Stand fast, hang in there!”
These are choices that likely
U will face in your story
the more you live, the more you learn
life's not all hunky-dory
but U have what U need
to amass all the muscle
to fight future fears
with strength, focus and hustle
Once U know who you’ll be
be that person you've scripted
permission's been granted
and your password's encrypted
2 parts H mixed with O
become water each time
1 part U mixed with grow
leads to LIFE so sublime
Share your skills, gifts and talents
the world’s searching for new
Live with heart, body, soul
Life is art, paint it U
Every time U take action
it’s with purpose U begin
actions dance, fight or hug
till U learn or U win
That's why writing your script
is what U must do
so you'll know in advance
how win and learn look to U
Please make note of the word choice
U either win or U learn
Commit, learn & don’t quit
in time you’ll get your turn
The only time that U lose
is when U choose not to learn
it’s that choice which determines
dreams fulfilled or dreams burned
When U make your mistakes
will U look for excuses
or look for the lessons
which have many more uses
No one has what U have
embrace your gift and then share it
the world's counting on U
we'll miss out if U bury it
It’s your choice, that’s what's great
about this adventure we’re on
Life is learning. Write your script
before your learning’s all gone!
*Revised sentence structure and wording 5/20/21