My youngest son is graduating from college today! How crazy is that? As I deal with all of the emotions that come from this major event, I started thinking about the life advice he will get. And the life advice I got when I graduated from college. It’s been 28 years. A lot of life has happened since then. Do you remember the advice you got when you headed out on your own? It is never too late to take advice and use it to make sure your life is heading in the direction you want it to. If you listen carefully, the great life advice for graduates being heard during this time of year is not just for them.
Life Advice for Graduates from Famous Commencement Speeches
What I know now is that feelings are really your GPS system for life. When you are supposed to do something or not supposed to do something, your emotional guidance system will let you know. The trick is to learn to check your ego at the door and start checking your gut instead. Oprah Winfrey
Be bold, be courageous, be your best. Former Rep Gabrielle Giffords
There is no script. Live your life. Soak it all in. Dick Costolo
The most important thing in your life is to live your life with integrity and not give in to peer pressure to try to be something that you’re not. Ellen Degeneres
It is impossible to live without failing at something unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default. JK Rowling
It is not a matter of what we are asking of life, but rather what life is asking of us. How often the answer to our own troubles is to help others with theirs. Mitt Romney
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Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. Mark Twain
Let your decisions just be a decision, not a loaded choice about the rest of your days on earth. You can always reroute. Ann Friedman
If you want to fly high, in business or in life, you’ve got to keep your feet on the ground and stay rooted to see what matters most. Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of Chobani
Every remedial chore, every boss who takes credit for your idea — that is going to happen — look for the lessons because the lessons are always there. And the number one lesson I could offer you where your work is concerned is this: Become so skilled, so vigilant, so flat-out fantastic at what you do that your talent cannot be dismissed. Oprah Winfrey
Whatever advice my son will get at his ceremony tonight, I know that I (while I am crying) and many others will try to relate it to their own life. What have you done, and how have you impacted the world with all of your newfound skills? Are you still chasing your dreams and making the most of your life?
I decided to look for advice for people over 50. Here is what I found.
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- Every day is a new day on your journey to be enjoyed, not simply endured. Life just doesn’t happen to you; you happen to live and make it meaningful. As the sun sets on yet another day, you need to ask yourself if you squandered the opportunity to truly live today or if you grabbed on to life for all that it’s worth! Psychology Today
- BE YOUR OWN INSPIRATION Think big and think back. Remember what you loved as a child? The joy? THIS is your opportunity to pioneer yourself into the person you love and respect. Inspire your own being, be excited! Allow your own thoughts and dreams to give your body a shiver of expectation! Believe in your own disbelief at how simply possible it is to have the things you have always dreamed of….and…I’m talking true freedom and confidence in your own abilities. Huffington Post
- “Fitting in” is highly overrated. Be you. Confidence is sexy. Besides, great leaders didn’t get where they are by following the crowd.
- Life goes by really, really fast. Live each day so that, in the end, you’re reveling in how amazing your life was, not regretting all the things you did or didn’t do. The Ladders
It seems like the 20-year old’s could benefit from that too.
The main theme of all of this advice is to be the best version of yourself at all times of your life! It is never too late to discover your passions, try new things and know what matters.
My advice to my son as he moves on from college into the “real” world is this.
- Life is precious; enjoy every day.
- Find some friends who make you laugh.
- Be concerned about others and the world.
- Never stop learning.
- Love yourself and take care of your health.
- Be a master of your job at whatever level you are at.
- Be sure to take adventures and experience life every chance you get. Keep a record of your adventures either through pictures or a journal. When you find someone to share your life with, she and your children will want to see them.
- Always be a kind, caring, considerate adult.
- And of course, call your mom often.
Finally, the best life advice for graduates is from Dr. Seuss.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”
“You have brains in your head; you have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose.”
“The people that mind don’t matter, and the people that matter don’t mind.”
“Kid, you’ll move mountains! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So, get on your way!”
Congratulations to all of the graduates this year, and no matter what phase of life you are in, you are still living. Make the most of it!
What life advice for graduates do you remember? I’d love to hear your comments.
Thanks for reading!
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