“For the Youth” - Friday, October 1, 2021, 2:58 PM

I like to ask my contemporaries what’s in it for you after 22? A few said they didn’t know, and asked me what did I do. I told them ten years later I went back to school.

I’m sure it probably wasn’t the answer they were looking for, but rest assured their favorite mentor still has his foot in the door. It’s cracked wide enough for more opportunities to explore, just as long as you’re quick enough to catch the gems before they hit the floor.

I rather run with the young and restless than the adults with a death wish, because I know how it feels to have big goals and an eternity's checklist. Go ahead and get the gold necklace if you can protect it, but money can’t buy a good relationship with your parents.

I’m not the big bro scamming PPP loans or the one closing on a new home. I’m usually the one saying “you are not alone” without the Michael Jackson vibes my generation is still reeling from.

But I have a few more things to say to the kids of yesterday and the adults of tomorrow. Try to buy what everyone else routinely borrows, it'll usually relate to time and save a lot of sorrow. Oh, and you may not want to bank at Wells Fargo.

There's no need to be afraid of being loud and wrong, if you don't mind apologizing, but it's important to keep a list of things you won't be compromising. Jesus. Family. Character. That's mine if you need help prioritizing, but be sure to have a ton of fun socializing. The most successful people I know can always find a reason to keep smiling.

At the end of the day, it's better to be a has been than someone that never did it, so don't let someone else write your life’s story when they never had to live it.