Work hard and you’ll achieve great things. That has been the message our young people have been taught for generations, and it’s no different this year for the class of 2016 as they officially enter adulthood and assume responsibility for their own decisions. What’s ahead for them? It’s impossible to predict, but the world is ready to offer them lots of advice free for the taking, starting with Eleanor Roosevelt’s down-to-earth philosophy:  “Life is what you make it. Always has been, always will be.’’

Many of this year’s seniors will be leaving the area, some for college and others to work or travel. Actor Alan Alda, whom many of us know best as Hawkeye on the long-running TV series M.A.S.H., says “You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You can’t get there by bus, only by hard work and risk and by not quite knowing what you’re doing, but what you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover will be yourself.’’

Writer William Arthur Ward also has some good advice for all young people as they begin a more independent chapter in their lives: “Do more than belong, participate. Do more than care, help. Do more than believe, practice. Do more than be fair, be kind. Do more than forgive, forget. Do more than dream, work.’’     

We wish all of this year’s graduates the very best and encourage them to follow their own path to success. Above all, we hope they find happiness in all they do. Inspirational writer Marc Chernoff tells us that happiness is not determined by what’s happening around us but rather what’s happening inside and while most people depend upon others to gain happiness, the truth is that it always comes from within.

Some down-to-earth advice comes from childhood favorite author Dr. Seuss: “You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes, you can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own and you know what you know, you are the guy who’ll decide where to go.’’