Tim Minchin - 9 Life Advice

*As usual drafted post since 2 months ago.

This is the part of Tim Minchin commencement speech at University of Western Australia which very much inspire me.

One: You don’t have to have a dream. Americans on talent shows always talk about their dreams. Fine if you have something you’ve always wanted to do, dreamed of, like in your heart, go for it. After all it’s something to do with your time, chasing a dream. And if it’s a big enough one it’ll take you most of your life to achieve.  

I never really had one of these dreams and so I advocate passionate, dedication to the pursuit of short-term goals. Be micro-ambitious. Put your head down and work with pride on whatever is in front of you. You never know where you might end up. Just be aware the next worthy pursuit will probably appear in your periphery, which is why you should be careful of long-term dreams. If you focus too far in front of you you won’t see the shiny thing out the corner of your eye. 

Two: Don’t seek happiness. Keep busy and aim to make someone else happy and you might find you get some as a side effect. 

Three: Remember it’s all luck. You are lucky to be here. Understanding that you can’t truly take credit for your successes nor truly blame others for their failures will humble you and make you more compassionate. Empathy is intuitive. It is also something you can work on intellectually.

Four: Exercise. Play a sport. Do yoga, pump iron, and run, whatever but take care of your body, you’re going to need it. 

Five: Be hard on your opinions. 

We must think critically and not just about the ideas of others. Be hard on your beliefs. Take them out onto the verandah and hit them with a cricket bat. Be intellectually rigorous. Identify your biases, your prejudices, your privileges. Most of society is kept alive by a failure to acknowledge nuance.

Six: Be a teacher! Teachers are the most admirable and important people in the world. You don’t have to do it forever but if you’re in doubt about what to do be an amazing teacher. Even if you’re not a teacher, be a teacher. Share your ideas. Don’t take for granted your education. Rejoice in what you learn and spray it.

Seven: Define yourself by what you love. 

We have a tendency to define ourselves in opposition to stuff. As a comedian I make my living out of it. But try to also express your passion for things you love. Be demonstrative and generous in your praise of those you admire. Send thank you cards and give standing ovations. Be pro stuff not just anti stuff.

Eight: Respect people with less power than you. . I have in the past made important decisions about people I work with – agents and producers - big decisions based largely on how they treat the wait staff in the restaurants we’re having the meeting in. I don’t care if you’re the most powerful cat in the room, I will judge you on how you treat the least powerful. 

Nine: Finally, don’t rush. You don’t need to know what you’re going to do with the rest of your life. I’m not saying sit around smoking cones all day but also don’t panic! Most people I know who were sure of their career path at 20 are having mid-life crises now.

There is only one sensible thing to do with this empty existence and that is fill it. Life is best filled by learning as much as you can about as much as you can.

xxxxxx

The last one really caught me.
I have been panicking ever since I turned 30 of how/where my life will be heading towards, what to do next and what's  my future gonna be like. I'm so sure of what I wanna do since the 3rd year of university and have been living that life for the past 5 years. But as I grew, I changed and I no longer wanted that life and I'm not sure what direction I should go anymore and it freaked me out to no end.
So these speech at least put me on a brake, and slowly figure out what I wanna fill my life with.

I hope it could give inspiration to others who are in my position.


Full transcript of his speech here.
http://www.news.uwa.edu.au/201310186163/features/nine-life-lessons-graduate