Thanksgiving done right means that we spend time with our families and remind ourselves how much we have to be grateful for. It’s a celebration of what really matters. And it can also be our invitation to let go of those things that don’t matter.
Of course, your future and your education matter. I would never advise that any student be blasé about those things.
But one grade, one standardized test score, one decision from a college—those things might feel enormously important, but they don’t carry an ounce of long-term impact on health, happiness, family, friends, or opportunity. In the grand scheme of things, they just don’t matter. Working hard, staying engaged, and being good to both yourself and others—they matter far more in both the short and long term.
Use today as an opportunity to forget about all the extraneous details that ultimately don’t matter. And redirect your focus on those things that do.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
-Kevin