To the Graduating Class of 2026

As I see you entering adulthood, or some version of it, I would like to give you some unsolicited advice that I think will benefit you greatly. I can’t help you become a millionaire, as I am not one. Although I’ve worked with many and they don’t seem very happy. I can’t help you find a spouse, because I’ve never had one. But if you ask me, most seem to have some version of buyer’s remorse with regard to who they chose. I can’t give you any parenting advice, as I’ve never been a parent, but as a teacher and coach for almost 20 years, I can say: Make sure you put their character development above their accomplishments when noting why you’re proud of them. And I can’t tell you how to climb the corporate ladder, because I never wanted to, nor was I good at kissing butt when a kick in the same area was in order. But I have learned one beautiful trick that, if applied to your life, will help you immensely. 

And that one trick is to be content in a world always thirsty for more.

As you enter the workforce or more schooling, the world will always tell you to want more, get more and pursue more. It is a lie. In the words of Admiral Ackbar from “Star Wars,” it’s a trap. Always wanting more will ruin everything you ever try to go after. They say the enemy of good is great, and that is so true. You’ll get a job and everyone will ask you how you plan to move up. You’ll meet your person and everyone will want to know when you’re going to get married. You’ll buy a condo and they’ll ask when you plan to buy a house. You’ll have children and they’ll ask if you are trying for more. They’re exhausting. 

Here’s my advice: Don’t listen to them. If they want to run like hamsters on a wheel in a cage, let them. But as for you and your life, just do you, boo. 

Life is overwhelmingly underwhelming. Dream vacations destroy your finances and thinking overtime shifts will impress your boss leaves your food and marriage bed cold at home. Nothing you do will meet anyone’s expectations of you, and while you think one more gift, one more compliment or one more Botox job will get you what you want, it won’t. But if you sit back and just think of what makes you tick and brings joy to you, then better to have a life filled with tiny pleasures than one big moment you will regret forever. 

Our world keeps screaming at us to get the followers, win the algorithm and buy the stock. But the happiest people I know are the most content with just being the person God made them. They enjoy their own brand of tomfoolery. Like Gandalf the Grey, their true magic is in embracing solitude when needed and adventure when called upon. White knights might fight dragons, but they also die in battle for a fair maiden who begged him to never go in the first place. Wizards find the best in people and pluck it out of them. Men like UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, TV characters like Ted Lasso and icons like Mary Poppins are beloved because they are true to themselves, find the best in others, and come in and out of people’s lives as needed. Never underestimate the impact you can have on another life in a short time. 

The world is a dark and scary place at times. It is also a beautiful place, filled with the wonders of nature. In the novel “Life of Pi,” Pi was asked by a group of engineers why the boat he was on sank. They commented, “Everything was normal and…” only to hear our hero say “…and then normal sank.” And such is life. Normal will sink many times, but if you remain calm and see every ending as the start of a new beginning, you will find life much more digestible. 

Regardless of if you choose to get married, work a 9-to-5, become an entrepreneur, have kids or become a celibate monk, never stop learning, loving and being. Yes, just being. There will be disappointments, but be content with those, too, because they are lights keeping your pathway clear from the roadblocks of other people’s unfair expectations. In the end, don’t be a knight. Be a wizard.

This article originally was published by the VC Reporter on May 28, 2026.
https://www.vcreporter.com/opinion/purple-is-the-new-party-to-the-graduating-class-of-2026/article_7da58992-4dea-4c10-a790-4994ca998042.html