Danny De Los Santos is a Marketing & Communications Coordinator at ACTIVE Life. He is a recent graduate of St. Edward’s University and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication.
I graduated from St. Edward’s University in December of 2012 and was fortunate enough to find a job that enabled me to keep living in this amazing city. Graduating college was such an important milestone for me, because I was the first in my family to cross this threshold. I was excited to begin a new chapter of my life.
Many times, I wished for a road map to guide me through the tumultuous journey that is the post-grad life. I looked to several of my mentors for guidance and found these three lessons to be particularly helpful when creating a plan of action for life after college.
1. Set your intention and be specific with your goals
A former professor told me that she operates on a ‘five year plan.’ She sets specific intentions and establishes KPIs (key performance indicators) each year to reach her milestones.
It can become very easy to get bogged down with the day-to-day stresses of life. Having specific intentions and goals are crucial to defining and reaching your own success.
2. Lead with passion and share your vision with others often
The Founder & CEO of the organization I work for, ACTIVE Life, encouraged me to lead with my passion and use it as a compass to navigate my personal constellation. I’ve come to realize that the more I share my vision with family, friends, and coworkers, the more congruent my life becomes.
A quote I admire from James Allen reads: “Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so you shall become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.”
3. Failure is inevitable
I turn to my dad the most at times of high stress. One of the most important lessons my father has taught me is that failure is inevitable. We are all going to fail several times throughout our lives but how fast we bounce back makes all the difference.
Surround yourself with positive people who truly care about you. Take care of your body, mind, and soul, and strive to be present in your relationships with yourself and others everyday. When you do fall on hard times, your support network of family and friends will always be there.
The first several months out of college proved to be an interesting time of transition, but I feel very blessed to be in the place that I’m in. I realized that my mentors have all been right when they said ‘everything is going to be ok.’
Today’s post is the eleventh of the SOS Leadership Men Who Lead Blog Series. The purpose of this blog series is to share the stories and insights of men who are answering the call to leadership in their lives. Come back each Friday to read more!