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My main goal in life is to deliver a college commencement speech.

I dream about this. I journal about it every morning. My daily affirmation is, “I will give a commencement speech before I die.” And I pray for it every night.

It’s gonna happen. In fact, I’ve already written the speech:

When life gives you lemons, you don’t have to make lemonade. You can make whatever the hell you want. You can throw them out and ask for something else – something less sour.

Don’t waste your only life doing something you don’t enjoy. Instead, find what you love – what keeps you up at night – and do more of that.

And don’t stop looking until you find it.

The whole delivery takes 27 seconds in my animated, engaging, monotone voice. I can do it in 21 seconds if I strip out the emotion.

The point isn’t to make anyone second-guess their major or career choice. I just want people to realize they don’t have to play it safe and stick to the script.

Instead, they can write their own script. Read the Post about You Don’t Have to Make Lemonade

“Opposites attract.”

We’ve heard this all our lives. Or at least I have, thanks to Paula Abdul and that creepy cartoon cat.

It’s an old saying, and it makes sense—for magnets. But for the way we normally use it, it’s too simple. Read the Post about The Real Meaning of “Opposites Attract”

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These 83 daily habits will make you 1700% more productive!

I hate listicles with click-bait headlines. I despise websites that make me click through 12 pages to read a simple article so they can show me more ads. And I think Buzzfeed should run headfirst into oncoming traffic.

But sometimes, lists are effective.

The world as we know it is changing—fast. These are the 8 things you must do to get ahead in the new economy! Read the Post about Finding Our Way in an Uncertain World

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Sometimes, you really are just a fraud.

You go through the motions. You do your work, say all the right things, and keep up your end of the bargain. But you’re still unhappy.

This is different from imposter syndrome. You still have a hard time accepting where you are in life, but it’s not because you feel undeserving. It’s different because you feel unfulfilled. Because you’re not using your true talents. Because your dreams and values don’t align with the work you’re doing.

But instead of doing something about it, you fake it.

Or maybe that was just me. Read the Post about Quit Faking It — You Aren’t Doing Anyone any Favors

I’m a fraud.

I have seven rough drafts I haven’t published—because they’re not perfect. I’ve made a dozen small design changes to my website in the last few months—because I can’t figure out my “message.” People say “nice work,” but inside I wonder what they see that I don’t.

This isn’t the first time I’ve dealt with this internal conflict. And I think other people have felt this same way at some point. We feel like we don’t deserve something. That we’re not qualified because we don’t have the credentials or the resume. Who are we to be in this position?  What did we do to deserve these great things? Who are we to say this or do that?

There’s a name for this: imposter syndrome. Read the Post about Imposter Syndrome: How to Kill Your Inner Critic