In honor of graduation season, CNBC Make It is rolling out the speeches and pieces of advice that America's leaders are most excited to share with the Class of 2017, using the hashtag #MakeItNewGrads.
You're about to leave school and your life is YOURS. Truthfully. It's not your parents' life. It's not your friends' life. It's not your school's life.
It's your life.
So, now what?
Here's my advice: Stop worrying about what other people think. Do YOU.
All of those other people are not thinking about you. If you knew how little they were thinking about you, you would never waste time caring what they think.
We're a self-absorbed, selfie-world of people. We worry about what other people, who are NOT thinking of us, think of us. That's a funny thought, right?
So here's what I would say: You want to travel? Go travel. Go get lost for a year and see the world. The job and career and the hustle will all be there when you get back.
Don't pack your trip into 30 days. Commit to traveling for real. If you do it right, you can probably travel the world for less than you'd spend staying at home.
You want to go work? Then go work. Crush it.
Hustle your a** off and find the job you really want, one where you can learn the most you can and get the job skills that will propel you forward.
You want to start a business? Go start one. Being an entrepreneur can be brutal, but the rewards can be amazing and make the pain worth it in the end.
Be nice to everyone and make friends. The people you work with early on can become the foundation of a network you will have for the rest of your life, so treat everyone with respect.
Nice people go further in life. Plus, it's just a better way to live.
It's your life. Do you. You can't fail when you're young, as long as you believe one thing: Do your best and love the rest.
David Bach has been teaching people how to be smarter with their money since 1994. He is a nine-time New York Times bestselling author and his books include the recently released and updated #1 New York Times bestseller, "The Automatic Millionaire." Receive his free, weekly newsletter here.
Look for more pieces of advice from leaders like Melinda Gates, Dave Ramsey and others over the next few weeks, and follow along with the series, as well as other content relating to the Class of 2017, on social media using the hashtag #MakeItNewGrads.
See also:
Mark Cuban, Melinda Gates, Dave Ramsey and others will offer advice to new grads
Mark Cuban gives his 3 best pieces of advice for college grads
