Jump In. With Friends. And Save Your Local Water Hole.

This is my commencement speech to the Pinewood 8th Grade Class:

1) Avoid Self-Doubt. From ages 15 - 30, you are actually a smarter, stronger, more capable person every day!

2) When faced with uncomfortable new challenges (like jumping off a rock into water 30' below):

• Jump In. New experiences make life richer and make you more interesting (to yourself, to others, to employers).

• With Friends. Your greatest wealth is your gathering collection of friends and the best way to make friends is to undertake a shared struggle (the more difficult, high-anxiety, low probability the better!)

• Swim without Splashing. You have good habits which propel you forward. And bad habits which keep you in place.

• Save Your Local Water Hole. The great things in your community need to be saved from human greed and carelessness.

3) Engage Others.

You will often be asked "How are you doing?" Respond, and then ask the other person, "How are YOU doing?" And then inquire about a passion they have, or about how they look, or about past activity (what did you do last weekend) or future plans (what vacation plans do you have).

Humans thrive in connecting on each other's passions.