Welcome to life.

Here’s the bad news. You’ve already started to die.

I know, that sounds harsh. But it’s the truth. One day, hopefully a long time from now, you will die. So will I. So will your parents. Your siblings. Your dog.

Why am I being so down at this moment of your triumph? Your literal birth day? Not to depress you. Not to scare you.

No. To reinforce the central message of life:

You only have so much time.

Only so much time with your parents, your siblings. Your dog.

When you’re young, you’ll only wish to be older. Resist it! Enjoy your youth – you only get it once.

When you’re older, you will have choices unimaginable. Who to spend your time with, what job you want, where you want to live. The key to making successful decisions is simple:

Be happy.

No matter where you go and what you do, be happy.

Find people who make you happy. Friends that make you happy. A job that makes you happy.

Everything else…money…success follows from that. And even if it doesn’t, at least you were happy.