07 Dec 2017

When you finally reach the finish line after 13 long years of schooling, it’s easy to feel a bit lost. For most of your life you’ve had everything planned out for you- what you were doing and where you needed to be most days of the week. But after graduation, all that structure disappears and you’re left alone to figure out what the f*ck you’re doing with you’re life.

Here’s where Tim Minchin comes in. He’s an Aussie comedian, actor, composer, songwriter, pianist and director (basically, an overachiever). You might recognise him from this video, where he called out the homophobia in Aus but we want you to watch this one, called 9 Life Lessons:

Okay so it’s about 15 minutes long and direct at uni graduates, so I don’t blame you if you don’t want to watch the whole thing (there’s almost definitely a Netflix series you’re in the middle of watching). Here’s the gist of it, which is super important no matter what you’re doing with your life.

1. You don’t have to have a dream

“I never really had one of these dreams so I advocate the passionate pursuit of short term goals.” Our whole lives we’ve been told to dream big, to think about what we want to do with our lives not what we want to be doing right now. Minchin reminds us to work hard on whatever is in front of us, “because if you focus too far in front of you, you won’t see the shiny thing out the corner of your eye.”

2. Don’t seek happiness

“Happiness is like an orgasm, if you think about it too much it goes away.” ‘Nuff said I reckon.

3. Remember, it’s all luck

“You are lucky to be here. Understanding that you can’t truly take credit for your success or truly blame others for your failures will humble you and make you more compassionate.”

4. Exercise

“Play a sport, do yoga, pump iron, run, whatever but take care of your body, you’re gonna need it.”

5. Be hard on your opinions

“A famous bon mot remarks that opinions are like assholes, everyone has one. We must think critically and not just about the ideas of others, be hard on your beliefs, take them out onto the verandah and beat them with a cricket bat.”

6. Be a teacher

“Teachers are the most admirable and important people in the world. You don’t have to do it forever, but if you’re in doubt about what to do, be an amazing teacher. Even if you’re not a teacher- be a teacher. Share your ideas, don’t take for granted your education.”

7. Define yourself by what you love

“We have a tendency to define ourselves in opposition to stuff. But try to also express your passion for things you love.”

8. Respect people with less power than you

This is your waiters, the girl scanning your groceries and your best mates little brother. You can tell a lot about people from how they treat those who have less power than them.

9. Don’t rush

“You don’t need to already know what you’re going to do with the rest of your life. I’m not saying sit around smoking cones all day, but also, don’t panic. Most people I know who were sure of their career path at 20 are having their mid life crisis now.”