Baz Luhrmann

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’97
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved 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 nevermind; 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’re 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 lindside 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 the 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…what ever 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.
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 ït’s worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen

RiDE THE MOMENTUM WHEN iT COMES

Sometimes you will just be clicking and sometimes you won't. That is okay. It is the cycle of life. When you aren't clicking, plug away. When you are clicking, pour it on because momentum will help you get larger gains in a shorter period of time with less energy. That is the Momentum Equation! When you are feeling good about how your work is going, ride the momentum and get as much out of it as you can!

PUT GOOD MATERIALS INTO YOUR MIND

I can't say this enough - listen to tapes. I still listen to tapes regularly. I buy tape clubs from other speakers and I learn and grow. Their successes motivate me to get my own successes! Read good books. Read books that teach you new ideas and skills. Read books that tell the stories of successful people. Buy them, read them, and get motivated! Buy great music and listen to it. I just did a spinning class at the club today. Whenever a good song came on I was actually able to get motivated to ride faster! It gets you going and motivates you!

WORK HARD ENOUGH TO GET RESULTS.

You can build on your motivation by getting results. The harder you work, the more results you will get and the more results you get, the more you will be motivated to get more. These things all build on one another. If you want to lose weight, then lose the first few pounds. When the belt moves to the next notch you will get fired up to get it to the notch beyond that!

FUEL YOUR PASSION

Much of motivation is emotional. I don't know quite how it works but I do know THAT it works. Emotion is a powerful force in getting us going.
Passion is an emotion, so fuel your passion. "Well, I like to work on logic," you may say. Great, now work on your passion. Set yourself on a course to have a consuming desire for your goal, whatever it is. Do whatever you can to feel the emotion and use it to your advantage!

HAVE A VISION FOR YOUR LIFE

The root word of motivation is "motive." The definition of motive is, "A reason to act." This is the cognitive or rational side of motivation.It is your vision. You have to have a vision that is big enough to motivate you. If you are making $50,000 a year, it isn't going to motivate you to set your goal at $52,000 a year. You just won't get motivated for that because the reward isn't enough. Maybe $70,000 a year would work for you. Set out a vision and a strategy for getting there. Have a plan and work the plan.

Foods For Thought

Maybe, GOD wants us to meet a few of the wrong people before meeting the right ones.
So, when the right ones come along, we’ll know how to be grateful and thankful for the gift.
When one door of happiness closes, another opens. But often we stare so long at the closed door that...
We’ll soon realize that the open door, for however long it was opened, is now closed too.
There are moments in life when you really miss someone. And you wish you could just pluck them from your dreams...
And just hug him or her for real!
If someone loves you, love them back. If someone hurts you, love them back unconditionally…
The irony is not that love hurts sometimes, it’s the fact that the cut of each is felt equally as deep.
The best kind of friend is the one that you could sit on a porch and swing with, and never say a word...
Then get up and walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you’ve ever had.
It’s also true that we never know what we’ve been missing until something or someone else arrives.
It’s true that we never know what we’ve got until we lose it...
A careless word may kindle strife. The cruel word usually wrecks a life. Timely words help level stress…
But, it’s loving words that heal and bless.
The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything in life...
Perhaps they’re just good at making the best of most everything that life brings along their way.
Tender moments aren’t really tender at all. They are some of the few times...
When things like pride and gender are swallowed and we allow ourselves emotional, spiritual, and physical happiness.
It hurts to love someone and not be loved in return. It’s even more painful to love someone and...
Never find the courage to let that person know just how it is you feel.
Never say goodbye if you still want to try. Never give up when there’s hope to go on. Never say you don’t love them...
If you know that you’re the one that can’t let go.
You’ve experienced true love if: you’ve taken away the feelings, taken away passion, and taken away romance...
Only to find that after all that, you still care!
Giving love is no assurance love will be returned. So don’t expect it. Wait for it to grow in the other’s heart...
Just in case it doesn’t, be content in knowing that the love was able to grow in yours.

Don’t be afraid to show that you care!

Dream Big

If there were ever a time to dare,
To make a difference,
To embark on something worth doing,
it is NOW.
Not for any grand cause, necessarily – but for something that tugs at your heart;
Something that’s your aspiration,
Something that’s your dream.
You owe it to yourself.
To make your days here count.
Have fun.
Dig deep.
Stretch.
DREAM BIG.
Know, though, that things worth doing Seldom come easy.
There will be good days.
And there will be bad days.
There will be times when you want to turn around,
Pack it up
And call it quits.
Those times tell you
That you are pushing yourself,
That you are not afraid to learn by trying.
Persist.
Because with an idea,
Determination,
and the right tools,
You can do great things.
Let your instincts,
Your intellect,
And your heart
Guide you.
Trust.
Believe in the incredible power of the human mind.
Of doing something that makes a difference.
Of working hard.
Of laughing and hoping.
Of lazy afternoons.
Of lasting friends.
Of all the things that will cross your path this year.
The start of something new
Brings the hope of something great.
Anything is possible.
There is only one you.
And you will pass this way only once.
DO IT RIGHT.