I’ve been asked to re-post my 2015 graduation speech, so here it is, both in video format and transcript.
Last year, you may recall that my predecessor played David Bowie’s song ‘Changes’ as a part of his Graduation Speech. I thought I’d develop that idea. So I’m going to perform a song – well, kind of…. My thanks and apologies go to Baz Luhrmann, whose classic, ‘Wear Sunscreen’ I have perhaps destroyed….
Be Mindful
The long-term benefits of mindfulness have been documented by scientists
And I advise you to explore it if you haven’t already
If I could give you just one piece of advice for the future
Mindfulness would be it.
The rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
Than my own meandering experience, I will dispense this advice now
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth
Some of you, I know, are able to do this
But to those who cannot, 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 radiant you were
You are are more beautiful than you currently imagine
Relax
Don’t worry about the future
Or know that worrying won’t ever help you as much as planning will
The real troubles in your life are going to be things you could never have guessed at
And only character and ingenuity you build now will help you then
You will figure out a career. Probably more than one.
You will find someone who loves you. Probably more than one.
You have a whole lifetime.
Time takes time – the only sure way to fail at life is to abstain.
Make some decisions that scare you
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts
Don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours
Dream big
Don’t waste your time on jealousy
Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind
The race is long and in the end, you’ll realise that it’s only with yourself
Be the friend you wish you had
Trust other people – they’re doing the best they can
And dealing with stuff you know nothing about
Enjoy moments of your life
Without feeling you have to post them on Instagram or WeChat
Be present
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 30-somethings I know still don’t
Learn to cook
Save for the future
Learn about the stock market and compound interest and investment strategies
Understand that money isn’t evil,
But neither is it an end
Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t
Maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t
Maybe you’ll win a Nobel prize, maybe you’ll prevent a war
Or make your parents’ prouder then they already are today
Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much
Or be too hard on yourself either
Your choices are half chance, and so are everybody else’s
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
Exercise
Make that a part of who you are, not just something you do
Be nice
Disconnect from time to time
Get to know your parents,
Know that they will not always be there, and you have to make the most of the time you have
Be nice to your brothers and sisters, 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
Don’t promise to keep in touch when you know you won’t
But don’t burn bridges either, because one day you’ll be happy to meet people you knew when you were young
Know that going back to the country of your birth isn’t necessarily the same as going home
And that going home might never be the same again
Keep travelling
Accept certain inalienable truths
One day you will be that 30 year old
And when you are,
You’ll fantasize that when you were young
Prices were reasonable, politicians were more noble, air hostesses were prettier, movies were better
And children respected their elders
Respect your elders
Don’t expect anyone else to support you
The world doesn’t owe you a living, but if you treat it right
You’ll find that it lets you carve one out for yourself
Don’t mess with cosmetic surgery
Your true beauty cannot be reworked with a scalpel
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 re-working the past
Shining it up and remembering our own dreams
And offering them to future generations to run with, when perhaps we did not
Live long and prosper, Class of 2015,
and trust me on the mindfulness.