My Last Lecture

I am not a person of many words; those who know me are aware that it is hard for me to express my ideas in talks or speeches, although I am not afraid of doing it. As I reflected on the lessons I have learned in my life, and pretended this would be my ‘’last lecture’’ a lot of ideas came to my mind. I hope I am able to express them in a way that they can mean the same to you and you are able to take something home from this today by reading this.

As humans we tend to shy away from danger and challenges. We are naturally afraid to fail; however, when we look back at previous stages of our lives we are prone to wonder why didn’t we take more risks, try more things and even fail a little more. Don’t wait until that happens, please. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, but rather learn from your failures. Try, do, and leave the comfort zone.

Don’t be afraid of being yourself. I made the mistake of being too shy and building a barrier around me in High School, trying not to lose face. Don’t waste your time trying to be somebody else, or hiding who you are. You are not here to be what others want. Don’t be afraid to do the right thing and speak out when something is wrong. The world is full of people who stay quiet and accept things as they are. We need more people who are not afraid to be themselves, speak out and act.

Don’t waste your time with Television. Read a good book, watch a documentary, take an online course, visit a museum, and travel to new places.  In 10 years you won’t remember what you watched on TV, but the lessons and experiences you obtain will stay forever.

Now, I think I’ve talked more than enough about the ‘’don’ts’’. Now it’s time for the things I would encourage everybody to do: Dream! Dream big dreams and make them true. Your life is short, so spend it building your own dreams, not your employer’s dreams. Do what you love, start a business, fight for your freedom. You deserve to spend time with your family and live a plentiful life.

Start investing soon. When I was in High School I wanted to do it and everybody thought I was crazy. Today I do it and they still think I’m crazy for ‘’risking’’ my money. Learn; seek for knowledge, try, fail and repeat. You will reap the rewards in the future.

Be grateful; tell your loved ones that you love them every day. Be happy today.

Remember always who you are, a child of a Heavenly Father who loves you. You have a great potential to accomplish. You can do it if you start today.