When my son was a toddler, my wife bought a copy of Oh the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss. Over the years she has had my son’s teachers, coaches, and family friends from every age and stage write messages to my son knowing that he would get this book as he graduated high school. It’s incredible. Some notes are whimsical. Some are serious. All of them are a great opportunity to reflect on the people that have influenced my son.
Now my son has graduated from high school and received the book. He hasn’t read through it yet. That’s fine. He’s 18. He’ll get there. Nonetheless, I got to be one of the last to write in the book. I wrote words that I wish I would have heard (listened to?) when I was 18. Along with a message telling him how proud I am of him, here is the advice that I gave:
- Maximize: Effort + Enthusiasm + Integrity
- Don’t sweat the small stuff.
- Preparation eliminates stress — Things will be difficult, but most times you get to pick when.
- Learn the discipline of acting energetic even when you’re completely worn out. Eventually you won’t be acting.
- Be kind. Everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about.
- Smile at everyone you meet. People will smile back. The world needs more smiling people.
- Smile when things are difficult because you know that you are growing through the challenge.
- Meet the world with curiosity, without judgment, and without ego. Recognize that there’s much more to know than what you’ve learned so far. There is freedom in the phrases “I don’t know,” and “Help me to understand…”
- Live life with urgency. Prioritize your life for maximum impact as if tomorrow is not guaranteed, but prepare as if it’s inevitable.
In case it’s not clear, these are not original words of wisdom. It’s just a collection of thoughts and phrases that have resonated with me over my 45 years. There are many more rattling around in my head, but these seemed most pertinent. Perhaps the comments will serve as a collection to augment the advice I gave. Either way, I hope that maybe some of these words resonated with you, dear reader.
Lastly, in case it’s not glaringly obvious, my wife is amazing. Seriously. This graduation gift is just one small example of how thoughtful she is.
