Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '97,
Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis or reliable then my own meandering experience.
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Okay, it starts off funny, and straight away, you know this is not a song that sits on its own high horse!"
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind, you won't understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded, but trust me in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.
One of the reasons i try to do almost everything my spirit and soul leads me to do, is because i do not want to wake up when i am 50, and regret NOT doing something.
A lot of times, we forget how powerful we are, what strength lies in being YOUNG.
The mind stays active forever i believe, as long as you keep stimulating it; but the body will shut down. So while the mind and the body are active, why not give them something to talk about?
Don't worry about the future, or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind: the kind that blindsides you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
It is not that easy oh.
Not just something you are uncomfortable with, but one thing, every day that totally scares you?
WOW!
Sing.
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts; don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember compliments you receive; forget the insults. (if you succeed in doing this, tell me how).
Ha. Ha. Ha.
He gives you great advice, but in the same breath, he lets you know that he does not in any way, think it is easy.
Keep your old love letters; throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives; some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of Calcium. Be kind to your knees -- you'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40; maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary.
Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself, either. Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's.
When you do something right, enjoy it. then move on.
When you make a mistake, rue it, then move on.
Stop hanging on to every victory and every setback.
Since we can never be certain, any decision we make could have gone either way, and you do not know what lies further down right?
SO remember, there are no good or bad or perfect decisions; just choices that work.
Enjoy your body: use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or what other people think of it; it's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.
Dance...even if you have no where to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions (even if you don't follow them).
Do not read beauty magazines; they will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents; you never know when they'll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings: they're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but what a precious few should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps and geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard.
Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths: prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old; and when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.
We always sit around and talk about how the kids growing up now aren't going to enjoy certain things, and are more exposed than we were.
We remember NEPA fondly, and think about when coke was N5.
And then we listen to our parents talk about their time.
Brother, let us just say, that conversation happens from generation to generation!
Respect your elders.
Respect your elders.
In some situations, it is not that easy, but respect your elders.
But someone please tell me, who are my 'ELDERS'?
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse, but you never know when either one might run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you are 40, it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia; dispensing it is a way of wishing the past from the disposal--wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts, and recycling it for more than it's worth.
But trust me, I'm the sunscreen.
