What I’m about to talk about is a blind side to our consciousness. It’s a process that we have no manual for. No shortcuts, no instructions, but we have ourselves. The people that accept its challenges and face its fears, prosper. The ones which decide to lay loose, disobey the natural selection, don’t do so well. This process isn’t based on a set of calculations, it isn’t an equation. This process requires us to make choices, good or bad, to move ahead, to continue our journey, and to make a difference. I’m not trying to change your values or your ethics on this, but I’m here to tell you that this process can be deceiving. You can be faced with dead ends, but it’s our duty to pull ahead, and others along the way. This concept, my friends gathered here today, is a process so bright yet so dark, but known to us simply as life.

Life is complicated, but there are several hints we can follow to make ourselves a better person. Even though life is not a simple task anyone can complete in a couple of years, we can still strive for goals, and pick up important benefactors along the way.

Today I will share with you some lessons of my own, and what I’ve done in my 14 years of standing on this Earth. It has helped me become a better person, be a better student, family member, friend, brother, and has challenged my deeds. From the thousands of miles I’ve walked on this disruptive, endless road, I’ve put together the three most important factors which mean so much to me. For me, life comes down to your peers, smiling, and uniqueness.

My peers mean the world to me. They aren’t only my support group that will lend a hand when I’m feeling down, but life is defined by them. My goal isn’t to have as many peers as possible, but to have a selection that will be there for me, care for me, nurse me when I’m sick. People will walk in your life when you’re feeling down, and you will know right away that they were meant to there. Your consciousness will tell you they are there to serve a purpose, teach you a valuable lesson, or help you figure out your destiny. You will never know who these people will be - roommates, neighbors, teachers, lovers, or even strangers. However, the main point is: when you look into their eyes, you know you’ve found the final road, the answer to life.

Not everything that happens in life is good. Horrible, painful, and unfair things will happen every single day you stand on this planet, but after a hearty reflection, one realizes that it just made them stronger. Without these blocks in the way, they would have never realized their potential, their strength, or their true willpower.

Some test that may involve testing the limits of your soul include illness, injury, love, lost moments of greatness, or even sheer stupidity. But everyone should realize that no matter how minuscule these tests might be, life would be a smooth road; safe and comfortable, but dull and really utterly pointless. Your peers affect your life everyday. They share the successes and downfalls, and they help create who you are, and who you become. In fact, the bad experiences that you face are sometimes the most important ones. If someone loves you, give them love back to them in any way, because they are teaching you to love and open your heart. If someone hurts you, back-stabs you, or shatters you, forgive them, because they opened you to the basics of trust and being cautious to whom you open your heart. Make every day count with your peers. Every single second you spend will never come back, so harness it, because the truth is: you will never be able to experience it again.

Peers have opened my life, but smiling has also driven me towards success. Smiling when failing, smiling when succeeding, being angry, in love, anything. When someone is feeling down, not in the mood, smiles cost absolutely nothing, but mean so much. A good saying went, “It enriches those who receive, without making poorer those who give.” When an individual is feeling down, feeling like the entire world is closing down on him, one smile can take just a simple second, but the memory and symbolism will sometimes lasts for a lifetime. Smiles will create peace when there’s riots, it will bring salvation to a business, and it is the most important sign of a friendship. Smiling is one of the best policies of life because it cannot be sold, begged, borrowed, or stolen. It’s not like currency, it has no value, until it is shared. However, some people in this world are too tired to give you a smile. Everyone works on their own tasks, and won’t give that one moment to you. But you should be different. Give someone a smile, it will surely make their day.

Now that we got our peers and our smiles behind our back, there’s one important quality that will define yourself. This is to be yourself. You are unique. Look at yourself. You have your own qualities, your own remarkable, miraculous, and special qualities. 7 billion people live on this planet, and not a single person shares the abilities you have. In fact, not a single person has had your talents, your friends, your burdens, sorrows, and opportunities. Hey, no one’s hair grows like yours. Your finger prints are your own. In fact, the secret inside jokes you have are all yours to keep. If there’s one thing to take away from this speech, I would like you to remember that you never will have to, and never should pretend in order to seem more like another individual. You were put on this planet to perform a task. A duty. The world is a machine. Machines do not have extra parts nor do they have too little parts. Every single individual on this planet is put there for a reason.

Think of it this way. If you didn’t exist, the world would have a hole. There would be a hole in history, something missing from the blueprints of humankind. See your uniqueness, let it be free among the clusters of people in the world, receive it, snuggle with it, tickle it, and most of all, remember it. The first and most important gift in your life is yourself.

The concept of life is not easy. It is full of mazes, puzzles, and endless, rocky journeys. But never lose hope. There are things you can do, things you can act upon that will make your presence memorable. Free your soul. Let yourself fly without anyone judging you. Do tasks regardless of whether people approve them or not. Reach out your hand to others once in a while. When you’re in a car line waiting to pay for a parking ticket, pay for the person behind you once in a while. When someone’s feeling down, take a couple minutes of your life to help them recover.

Break free of your loose ends, undo your knots. Set your sights high! Always hold your head up regardless of anything, because you have the right to do so. You are truly a great individual and always believe in yourself. Create your own life and then go out and live it with no regrets, no fallbacks, and keep strong.

There’s three things I would like to tell you about this phenomena called life. Trust your peers. Hold your hand out to them, and they will return the favor. Smile to people once in a while. After you’re done pondering about your stress and your workload, take a moment to realize how important you are. Relax, have fun, and enjoy.

Every single day you’re alive, learn a lesson in life each day that you live, and you conquer. “Today is the tomorrow you were worried about yesterday. Think about it, was it worth it?”

Thank you.