Words of Wisdom

Talked to a group of incoming college freshmen this week. Distilling life lessons into thirty minutes is a bit of a challenge, but the best lessons are the simple ones. Here is what I told them:  

#1 – Write your own script. This is your life. Make sure you are the one in charge. Not your parents, not your teachers, no one else can decide for you. Figure out what makes you come alive and do that. If your life were a movie, would anyone want to watch it? Be the hero in your own interesting story.

#2 – Strengths are things that make you feel strong. Just because you are good at something doesn’t make it a strength. We sometimes have aptitudes that we don’t really enjoy. Why would you want to spend your life doing something that you happen to be good at if it doesn’t make you come alive?

#3 – Be indispensable. It is impossible to both fit in and stand out. Do you want to be a cog in a machine or a linchpin? Most people are easily replaced. Find your way onto the “can’t lose” list of your company. Linchpins make art and know how to get shit done. Choose to be extraordinary. Major in fearlessness.

#4 - School is not your job. The goal is to experience the whole of life during your college experience. The things you learn in the classroom are but a small part of the process of becoming a full-fledged adult member of society. Hang out in the quad. Join a student org. Get an interesting job. Love every minute.