“But if you are able to filter the signal through the noise you can nudge your life in these moments into having the impact you want.”

My memaw taught me many, many valuable lessons and I still remember most of them.  One of her biggest lessons was to always listen to smart people who you respect.  At the same time, ignore those people who you do not respect.

Last week, I had my brother in law and my friend help me write my blog.  This week, I am using another important, respected individual’s words to write it.  His advice is something I think we all should listen to.

Sundar Pichai is the CEO of Google.  He has been CEO since 2019 but has worked for Google since 2004.  What has he done at Google?  Well, the key products that he helped develop were Google Chrome, Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Maps to list a few.  This dude is smart, successful, and understands what people want and need.  He graduated from Stanford and recently gave their graduation commencement speech.

I like this time of the year because a lot of successful people are giving commencements.  Usually these speeches have some really good advice for the graduates.  What is different about Sundar’s speech is that it is good advice for all of us.

This is a shortened clip of his speech.  Don’t just read the words.  Think about how these words apply to you and your life right now. 

Does this advice resonate with you? 

Should it?

“You will face many more moments in your life that only seem really big... Thousands of them, in fact. And very few of them are make or break: Your first job out of college? The city you move to next? Whether to take that road trip? While those moments add texture to your journey, they rarely determine the course of your life.

But if you are able to filter the signal through the noise you can nudge your life in these moments into having the impact you want.

So today, I want to share three simple filters I’ve applied to my own life. Three filters that have helped me get more moments right than wrong and took some of the pressure off.

First, choose optimism.

This might not ring true to you at this moment. The world is going through a lot: global conflicts, economic anxiety, a rewiring of technology, information overload, all at a fast pace.

It’s easy to look at the news of the day and think that we’re living in uniquely challenging times. For me, it’s helpful to remember that each generation has faced hardship in their own way. We don’t get to choose the world we graduate into; but we do get to choose how we frame our circumstances.

The second filter is to gravitate towards working on hard things.

Working on hard things has taught me a lot: It typically attracts other great and optimistic people. And even if you miss meeting the high goals you set, you’ll still achieve something great.

So when you have the choice to work on something hard — say yes.

And the third filter I use: when all else is equal, do the thing that excites you.

So as you look at your own path, don’t focus on:

The thing your parents want you to do,

Or the thing all your friends are doing,

Or that society expects of you.

Instead, think about the things that keep you chatting excitedly with your roommates late into the night. And go do those things.

Class of 2026, I genuinely believe you are the most capable class in history. At least until next year’s class — that’s how progress works.

You have thousands of moments ahead of you. The important thing isn’t to get them all right; it’s to find a way to keep moving forward.

Sometimes we end up somewhere wonderful, like a beautiful snow capped mountain. Other times we end up in, well, Vegas… Both are a gift…

You already have the California optimism to see life’s golden hills, and a Stanford diploma proving you can do hard things…

Now, go out and set your heart ablaze! Congratulations!"

Blog Website: https://www.lifelessonsfrommemaw.com/  

Email: LifeLessonsFromMemaw@gmail.com