The Heartfelt Speech Awakening People to Live a Life True to Themselves!

Lyrics to the speech below!

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 proven by scientists

Whereas 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

Oh, never mind

You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have 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

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 blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday

Do one thing everyday that scares you

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

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

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 nowhere 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

(The Awesome Chorus! Until minute 4:03)

Get to know your parents

You never know when they’ll be gone for good

Be nice to your siblings

They are the best link to your past

And the people most likely to stick with you in the future

Understand that friends come and go

But for the precious few you should hold on

Work hard to bridge the gaps in 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

Respect your elders

Don’t expect anyone else to support you

Maybe you have a trust fund

Maybe you 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’re 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 fishing 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 on the sunscreen.