Never forget who made you who you are

I watched My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic a little while ago, and a quote from Rarity stood out to me: "No matter where you go in life, never forget that you are the product of your home and your friends. And that is something always to be proud of, no matter what."
It's a good statement, especially for those who have just closed a chapter of their lives and started a new one. The real world can be intimidating, and you will face more challenging things than the assignments or projects that you have overcome. That's why you should never forget who you are, and try to become someone you're not. This includes more than just a social, but a professional reputation. When certain areas in your life are overwhelming, you must have a solid ground to stand on. That's why self confidence and knowledge is so important. It keeps you going when life becomes difficult. It gets you through tough times, overwhelming decisions and challenging obstacles on whatever road you take. I believe that if you are confident with who you are, proud of where you came from and knowledgeable about the defining aspects of your character, you can achieve your goals and be content with yourself. After my graduation yesterday, I thought about this a lot. There was a moment where the commencement speaker told us to appreciate the support we had from family and friends, because that support is what got us that far. It is very important to understand that you don't achieve goals and get through life on your own. It is the support around you that keeps you moving forward, and motivates you to get up when you're knocked down. This may seem far-fetched advice for graduates, but I understood what the speaker was talking about.
You lose yourself when you ignore the parts of your life that shape you. Even difficult memories and challenging assignments are learning experiences and all part of life. Another thing that the speaker said was, "good leaders understand that there is always something to learn". That's very true, if you think about the powerful people in the world, and the great minds of the past and present, they never stop learning. Once you believe that you don't have to learn anymore, you have set yourself up for more lessons than you can imagine. There's a certain comfort to realizing that you won't know everything. If you did, you wouldn't learn, and change from your experience. One lesson to learn is that you are who you are because of the people around you. You may not realize it, but even the smallest conversation will effect you somehow, and influence a decision, big or small in your future. Role-models, parents, siblings, friends,family, teachers, class mates, customers, all people have an important role to play in your life, so it is important to remember the people you're proud of and know the parts of your personality that were inspired by them.

(Picture by stormchylde and a gift from my friend Kim ^_^)
http://stormchylde.deviantart.com/art/Tale-as-Old-as-Time-272461139