Make Your Own Lunch

August 11, 2014
After teaching English in Japan for a year, Porter, CEO and cofounder of Raise Your Flag, set out to discover how high school students decide what to do after graduation. What he found isn't altogether surprising. Many college students reported feeling unsure of what they wanted to do and following the advice of their friends and parents, only to feel stuck as a consequence. Porter assures students that they can decide what they want their future to look like and that it doesn't have to be limited to one thing. He also makes it clear that decisions are only the beginning and that planning is crucial to making the life one wants. Porter includes a few exercises and helpful tips as well as blurbs from young people who have "made their own lunches," but his message isn't always convincing. He addresses issues of anxiety and depression but glosses over the fact that not all people have the "same ingredients"âmeaning identical opportunities or resourcesâavailable to them. Most of the advice Porter gives isn't new, but his target audienceâhigh-school studentsâcould benefit from hearing that it's okay to stop doing something they aren't passionate about and that they won't always be able to control the consequences.