The Graduation Speech You Didn’t Hear — But Should Have

It’s graduation season. Cue the caps, gowns, pomp, and… clichés.

If I were invited to give a commencement speech (which, shockingly, I wasn’t… Rutgers, I’m available), I wouldn’t stand up and say what every graduation speaker says.

Because let’s be honest, most of them are forgettable and full of fluff. No one remembers the message from their graduation speech.

It’s usually something like:

• “Follow your passion.” (Yes… but rent is also a thing.)
• “You can change the world.” (Technically true. But maybe start by changing your socks.)
• “The future is yours!” (It’s also filled with taxes, Zoom meetings, and group chats that never end.)

Instead, here’s my Life Is Too Short Guy version of a graduation speech — light on fluff, heavy on realness.

Quick story: When my daughter started college, I gave her a short pep talk in the car before we moved her into the dorm. It wasn’t some long-winded speech. Just a rapid-fire list of reminders:

Be confident. Be positive. Everyone’s figuring it out. Say yes. Take chances. These four years will fly by.

She just graduated last month. Turns out, that advice works just as well after college as it did before it.

 10 Rules for Graduating Into Real Life… LITSG Style

1. Make Every Day the Best Day Ever.
Not just birthdays or holidays — every day. Life isn’t measured in years. It’s measured in moments. So make yours count.

2. Say YES More Often.
To invitations. To challenges. To jumping in the ocean with your clothes on. To small things and big things. To living. Life opens up when you do.

3. Don’t Wait for Permission.
You don’t need to “have it all figured out” before you begin. Spoiler alert: no one does. Start messy. Start scared. Just start.

4. Choose People Over Perfection.
You won’t remember the grade you got on that final. But you’ll remember who laughed with you at 2 a.m. in the diner. Social relationships matter more than anything. Invest in them with time, energy, and heart.

5. Never Stop Being Curious.
Ask weird questions. Explore strange ideas. Read things that make your brain hurt a little. The moment you think you know it all… you’ve stopped growing.

6. Be the Energy in the Room.
Bring the fun. Be the spark. Light up the room. Life’s too short to be a wallflower. Confetti cannon optional… but encouraged.

7. Collect Memories, Not Stuff.
The best things in life aren’t things. They’re sunsets, road trips, inside jokes, and group texts that never die. You are building a portfolio of memories every day.

8. Embrace the Detour.
The “wrong turn” often becomes the best story. (And sometimes it leads to tacos. Win-win.) Life is a journey of twists and turns. Each turn presents new opportunities.

9. Say Thank You. A Lot.
Gratitude is a superpower. Embrace it. Live it. Use it daily — especially with your parents, baristas, professors, and that one friend who always brings snacks.

10. Live Like the Life Is Too Short Guy.
Lead with joy. Chase passion. Lift others. And above all — live like today really matters. Because it does.

Class of 2025 — go out and build a life that’s bold, messy, meaningful, and undeniably you.

Skip the safe path. Choose the story you’ll actually want to tell someday. You’re writing your life one chapter at a time — so make this one unforgettable.

In the end… It’s All About the Story.

And if anyone still needs a graduation speaker — I am available!

With gratitude and energy,
Scott