Commencement Sample….Mommy Science….Putting Off Procrastination….Econ Recon: June Lift Off?….The Next Recession

Congrats to all the Graduates!

 “We have never assumed here that a senior with a diploma is an educated man. Who, indeed, ever is?  He is a potentially educated man, who knows how to continue his education to the very end of his life.”

 Howard Lowry

President, College of Wooster

Baccalaureate Address, June 4, 1967

 Commencement Sampler

Whether your child is off to college or off to the world, here are a few pieces of my favorite commencement speaker advice (some of which I have shared before) and a few other observations that you may wish to share with the young people in your life:

Are Your Lucky or Smart?: Michael Lewis’ (author of “Moneyball” and “The Big Short”) 12 minute 2012 Commencement Address at Princeton reminds its grads (and everyone else) not to underestimate the role of luck in their lives. Must viewing for everyone.

 John Green (author of the bestseller “The Fault of Our Stars”) warned the graduates of Butler University about “the hero’s journey” and to get ready to go from being “somebody” to being “nobody” for a while (i.e. paying some dues) and offers some insight regarding what to worry about….and what to not worry about. (Text of 12 minute talk).

30 is NOT the “new 20” says clinical psychologist Meg Jay in at TED Talk (14 minutes). Based on her experience working with patients under 30, Ms. Jay says that too many 20 somethings wake up in their thirties to find that what should have been the launch pad for successful adulthood was just an “extended adolescence’ with potentially long term consequences that may be difficult, or impossible, to overcome. Share this one with every new college graduate (or parent of one) that you know.

 The Importance of Making Your Bed: Navy Seal (and Admiral) William McRaven offered grads at the University of Texas at Austin some advice on changing the world…. including not underestimating the number of people  whose lives will be affected by theirs…. and the importance to your future of starting your day by making your bed properly (no kidding).  Click here for the video and transcript of the Admiral’s talk which was featured on the WSJ editorial page as well. This went viral last year when it first appeared.

Are You Floating or Swimming? That’s the question that the late journalist Hunter S. Thompson once mused about in a letter to a friend who was asking Thompson’s advice about what goal to pursue in life. Thompson, only 22 when he penned this letter in 1958, offered some advice worthy of a commencement speech itself in considering the ordering of one’s life; in particular that “a man who procrastinates in this choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance.”

Mommy Science

Happy Mothers’ Day to all the Moms in the World!   Something as important as motherhood clearly deserves to be studied so here’s 10 New Things Science says about being a Mom  as summarized on the  Smithsonian website.

Putting Off Procrastination

…and speaking of procrastination….sometimes how we choose to define a problem can make all the difference in solving.  One writer thinks this applies to the challenge of conquering procrastination.  Check out this quirky new trick to beat procrastination from INC Magazine.

Econ Recon:

June Lift Off: Economist Brian Wesbury in his latest missive look ahead for the next announcement on rate hikes, perhaps as soon as June. In his Wesbury 101 video latest, he looks at the increasing strength of the labor market and sees few reasons for the Fed to put off raising rates.

The Next Recession:  ITR Economics President Brian Beaulieu is asked to make repeat performances at many venues due to his company’s forecasting prowess. One such venue in the Clermont, California Chamber of Commerce. In a one page recap of a recent address to this group, Brian talks about the economy for the rest of the year and the coming 2018 recession and how it will compare to the 2006-2008 pull back.