Cleaning out various files and folders prior to retiring my aging desktop (remember those!), I found some thoughts which have stood the test of time. Here for your reading enjoyment, and maybe a touch of utilization, are a few that were not too dusty. Thank you to all those unnamed sources who over the years have contributed to the list.

Success Ingredients:

               Talent, perseverance, self-reflection

                Ask questions, do research, analyze

                Decide, dedicate, succeed

                Tackle the bad news first, because it requires action.

You are entitled to your opinion. You are not entitled to your own facts.

Because somebody has the right to do something does not necessarily make it the right thing to do.

Be totally honest about yourself.

Know which decisions must be made now and which can wait. When unsure about a decision, emphasize variable, not fixed, commitments.

Your loving family is not in the classroom when you are taking an exam.

Pursue your passion, your Plan A, first; at the same time, have a Plan B.

Underpromise and overdeliver; overpromising affects your overall credibility.

Group data is meaningful, but it tells you nothing about any individual within that group.

Be aware of the Conflict Avoidance Syndrome — fight when you are right.

A diploma opens doors and provides options. It does not guarantee a job.

Stress is evident in a wide variety of contexts, not only that of the pandemic, and different personalities handle it differently. Understand your own mental health stressors; know which come with the territory of aspiration and achievement and which can be avoided, maybe even discarded completely.