Jeremy Lin Drops Amazing Life Advice During College Graduation Speech in Taiwan

Famed Taiwanese-American NBA star Jeremy Lin was recently invited to talk during the graduation ceremony of National Chengchi University in Taipei, Taiwan on Saturday.

During his attendance, Lin shared seven valuable life tips that the freshly graduated college students could certainly use, according to Taiwan News.

His first piece of advice to the graduates was to “stretch out” of their comfort zone, further adding, “even if it ends in failure, especially early on in your career.”

“A great man once said ‘my greatest times of growth comes in my greatest times of failure,’” he jokingly said before revealing that, “I said that.”

The 29-year-old NBA star also added “don’t play it safe and don’t be afraid of criticism.”

His second tip to the graduates was that “to be great, you have to be a little bit crazy.”

Being normal will never make a person extraordinary, he advised, and encouraged the graduates not to fear failure and to embrace the challenges that life offers.

Taking it slow and enjoying life as it unfolds in front of you was Lin’s third tip to the college graduates. As an example, he told a story of when he was in his first five years in the NBA where he cared so much for success that he could not enjoy what was happening at that time in his life, which he truly regretted.

Being confident and seizing opportunities as they open up was the NBA star’s fourth piece advice to the students.

In this part of his talk, Lin went on to share two experiences he had – one with James Harden and another with Taiwanese singer Jay Chou. He said he earned Harden’s respect by showing that he is confident, saying things the right way and standing up by himself.

As for the latter, Chou earned Lin’s respect when the singer challenged the NBA star to a match of basketball and showed that he played to win.

Lin’s fifth tip to the students is to manage their emotions and be joyful as this plays a role later when they find themselves in a leadership role. “Because true leadership is promoting joy in the people around you, and making them feel confident in their work,” he said.

His sixth tip was to “do things the right way.” Being aware of the importance of sticking to principles, as well as being loyal, especially to those who are loyal to you, is also part of his tip.

The last advice he had for the students is to “find purpose” in life. Lin confessed that even at the height of his career, known as “Linsanity,” he suffered emptiness. Now, after experiencing a rather terrible injury, as well as the toughest set back of his career, he admitted that he has more purpose and joy — even when compared to the height of “Linsanity” in 2012.