The Ultimate College Graduation Speech | A Gary Vaynerchuk Original

I'm scared I'm super scared I'm scared because I know exactly what happens this month every year it's that time of year again when college students turn their castles and start a new chapter in their lives I'm scared because I know that there are so many of you that graduate this month and have no idea what you want to do I'm starting on there right because I just and that's okay most people don't you should not be stressed about that I'm actually not scared about that they're five seconds out I know you don't but you don't think you can't not know I just don't know right you've got to get out of that rhythm yeah you got to get into real-life rhythm yeah but you're a kid don't beat yourself up if it's not coming easy yet you have to decompose from that old environment everybody's judging themselves way too early what I would do is gather as many experiences as possible you know you're not lost in life you're just early in the process you know what I mean you're lost by other people's standards not by your actual if you actually took it practically you're you haven't even started to many people view post university as like oh this is now real and I'm lost they don't put it in the context of being alive for a hundred years and realizing they're only 20% of the way done I'm scared that you don't realize that you're entering the greatest five year window of your life if you are 22 years old and graduating from college if you're not graduating from college if you are 22 years old you are entering first of all some of the greatest years of your life hey but be this is the moment watch this video twice if Mama's watching this feminist senior daughter Sally right now because you have to understand this next five year window is when you don't go practical and safe you've got a try stuff the biggest reason you don't know what you want to do is you haven't tasted enough things and the biggest reason you're not tasting enough things is you're worried about finding it too fast how'd are you can literally do nothing for next eight years and be a child but you don't think that because when you're twenty - you don't think thirty-one is young but it is this is not the time to get the job mom wanted you to this is not the time to try to maximize as much money so you can buy a loaf at WIPP you need to stop giving about what anybody else has and realized that if you put your head down and just work for the next ten years no glamour no new car suitcase jewelry tripped event no Coachella no new sneakers like the work you will have it and every time you care about one of the things I just mentioned and will slow down your process of poverty you got your head up that's right that's why it's interesting you've got your head up and you're trying to score at 22 just slowing you down and everybody else dude you wrap your head around not giving about any advancement to your 29 but then every day trying to get better you went just close your eyes until you're 29 the number-one reason I push patients is because patients will give you the air cover to take risk you've got plenty of time to do it all and like yeah it's gonna take a lot of hard work to do the insanity you want but that's what I would tell myself like that you will not believe how young you will feel at 40 this is the time to realize that you have a five-year window and it's three for some it's eight brothers but there's a five-year window for you to attack the life that you want to win not because it's the secret because the world shows them cuz it's hardik there as a matter of fact I'm probably more scared about your naivete how hard class is easy right what you've been doing for the last 16 years is easy it's a game it's structured it's easy the world this thing is hard however that contradicts what I'm gonna tell you right now which is this is the best and easiest five years of your life because this is one you need to attack what you love and what you want to do here's why you don't have all the baggage you may have college loads respect it's harder you may have the expectations of your parents mentally hard fake hard parents please like that win on their terms not yours the children I'm not a direct indication of who you are you may have a lot of other things but this is exactly

when you can live with roommates in a basement and fast food to this speech because if you go for it as much as you possibly go through it then if you decide you gave it a good shot good about it then if you started then becoming practical it'd be far less behind than you think you understand this is not when the baby's there some of your babies this is not when you've been married and you promised this is not when the world is sucked out all your dreams and hopes yet you should really go to a retirement home one day and volunteer and just talk to them it will make you one of you every minute in your life because when you see regret in a man's eyes it's painful because you have a kid about it when you're 90 and you're not mobile and you're fired and it's over you can't do it you can't build that company wanted you can't spend that time with your kid you its regret and it drives it out of me you still got this window and yet so many of you are so hungry for short term gains like maximizing the job that paid you $3,000 more but it's not as fun but you want that $3,000 for what for a new iPhone your need of things is killing you let me watch and wit need to be happy you get to live life one time and this is the time right now to understand what's actually happening and actually map your behavior to something that will impact you for the next 80 years so promise me all you youngsters that are watching this right now in the comments cuz I'll jump in and talk to you promise me that you understand that the land grab of happiness starts right now that you don't have to worry about getting that job what you should do is go and travel and learn go and start that business that you've always wanted hook up with those three teammates and start that band you've always wanted this is the time to be massively risk oriented because let me tell you what's way more scary than failure regret I'm so desperate to figure out how to convince people that there is no loss you told me for them that yeah you might get made fun of and you might have it in your own mind but trying to figure out how to make people just want that fear going in building a business for themselves in 2012 trying to figure out how to make a video or give a talk or send it to me or write a book just something that makes people understand that executing the way it always is following the school business model just such a word is gonna lead you to a place where you're not going to win I know that this is when you're supposed to grow up and go see the world but guess what the world isn't what mommy and daddy told you the world is exactly going to be what it's going to be with or without the way you thought it was gonna be a ton is gonna change the world changes every day right now what you need to recognize is you can afford to your biggest advantage is your youth and too many kids don't take advantage of time so I would take advantage of your youth and your flexibility at this kind of age and try to taste everything play with everything figure out what you might be good at but you might like and then you make a decision about it nobody else defines you not me not everybody watching that your mom - Ian's you data you can grind and be patient for 10 years every day and still be nine years young lady I would trade places with you that's how amazing having time on your side is this is what you put in the 18 hours a day to make your life that you want happen I used to work in a liquor store from 7:00 in the morning to 10:00 at night for seven straight years and the only days off I took her to watch the New York Jets and then globe cuz I'm scared I can sear myself and talking I'm not saying it's the secret its practicality when you're in your early 20s this is when you can grind at your highest levels because there isn't all the baggage that comes across through life it's harder for the 42 year olds that are watching right now to listen to this advice you can't just wake up to her and be like let's go cuz little Sally has soccer practice and because you've got a million other things that are holding you down boy if you're lucky enough to

be graduating today with not idea of what you're gonna do with your future nobody's ever been luckier than you please recognize to many people view post University as like oh this is now real and lost they don't put it in the context of being alive for a hundred years and realizing they're only 20% of the way done almost everything is perspective like I think I'm just starting so imagine what I think for most of you