Last Saturday, Maya Rudolph completely killed the commencement speech game at Tulane University for the class of 2015.
Rudolph was able to lighten the mood of a life-changing event for the graduates:
"Create your own destiny. Hold onto your old friends. Kiss your mama. Admit what your dreams are. Don't beat yourself up if you don't know what you're gonna do tomorrow, but work hard and don't be lazy. And put away your damn iPhone once in a while."
Channeling her inner Beyoncé, her signature persona on Saturday Night Live, Rudolph also included a magical rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner."
While entering the real world can be a whirlwind of scary obstacles and fear of the unknown, it’s important to remember to laugh along the way.
In a generation where we are so wrapped up in the immediate, fast-paced environment and are always starving for new information, products, experience and adventure, it’s vital we remember to enjoy living along the way.
Like Mayoncé told the Tulane graduates, there are so many things to remember when you are moving on to the next chapter of your life.
And often, we forget to have fun and enjoy ourselves along the way.
To the class of 2015:
1. Always remember where you came from.
We all have big dreams and big aspirations, and it’s amazing we’re apart of a generation where anything is possible.
Companies started out of garages turn into billion dollar industries every day and small-town musicians are winning Grammys.
Wherever you go and whatever you do, never forget where you came from, who was there to help you along the way and how it’s made you who you are.
2. Thank your parents.
Even if you’re one of the millions of undergrads who is dreading debt, you owe your parents some gratitude.
Thank them every day for raising you to be a kickass student, for helping you get to this shining moment in your life, for being there when no one else really was, for pushing you to be the best version of yourself, and for believing in your dreams and making sure you know they are valid.
3. We’re all on our own journeys.
We look to the people next to us on this path we’re embarking on, and we compare who has a job lined up and who’s still stuck in the frat house party mode three months after graduation.
Remember: You don’t need to have all the answers, you just need to listen to the question.
It’s okay to take time off after graduation to figure out what you want. It’s okay to not enter the work force immediately. We’re all on our own paths in life.
No one is traveling down identical roads next to each other, and we all have different turns, potholes and bridges to cross. Don’t worry about what the person next to you is doing. Worry about what you’re doing.
4. Let your phone die every one in a while.
As Gen-Y, we’re always connected. We’re constantly refreshing our feeds and looking for information, hungry for the latest news and gossip.
We become so wrapped up in the outside world that we sometimes miss what’s in front of us. It’s hard to appreciate all of life’s wonder when we’re looking at it through a glass screen.
It’s okay to power down, disconnect and take a breath of unfiltered air.
5. Everything in life is funny, so don’t forget to laugh.
We’re young. We’re so young. We have so much life to live and so much more to learn. It’s okay to have ups and downs, and it’s okay to feel like your world is caving in every once in a while. But know that it’s not.
Nothing is ever as serious as you think it is, and no problem is ever as astronomical as it seems. In a few weeks, months or years, it will be obsolete.
You’ll forget why you cried so hard over that guy, stressed so much over a dying friendship or felt like your dreams were being crushed because you didn’t land one job.
Laugh hard, laugh often, laugh by yourself and laugh with friends. Everything in life is funny; you just have to remember to laugh.
