Advice From Billionaires

Forbes magazine put together a list of advice from billionaires for recent graduates; however, I think it fully applies to everyone.  Some of the bits contradict (don't plan vs. plan your decades) but they're all pretty spot on.

Speak up and fight back.  (Michael Bloomberg)

Negativity is noise.  (Tory Burch)

Speak up anyway.  (Sheryl Sandburg)

Live each day as if it was your last.  (Steve Jobs)

From those to whom much is given, much is expected.  (Bill Gates)

We all need makeovers from time to time.  (Oprah Winfrey)

Never be the smartest person in the room.  (Michael Dell)

Don't stay down long.  (Michael Bloomberg)

Failure can be the foundation of success.  (JK Rowling)

Gifts are easy, choices are hard.  (Jeff Bezos)

It's easier if you do something you love.  (Mark Zuckerberg)

Don't have passion, have tenacity.  (Steve Ballmer)

Tackle big dreams, there's no competition.  (Larry Page)

Don't bother to have a plan.  (Eric Schmidt)

You can't be successful by being timid.  (Eli Broad)

Prepare for the unexpected.  (Pierre Omidyar)

Plan your decades.  (H. Ross Perot, Sr.)

Work like hell and advertise.  (Ted Turner)

Be contrarian and be right.  (Reid Hoffman)

Think for yourself.  (Carl Icahn)

The people around you matter.  (Steve Case)

Don't let the news get you down.  (Jerry Yang)

In other words:  Work hard,  be a good person, fight for what's right, don't be afraid of making waves or changes, surround yourself with smart people, and do something you find meaningful.  (MDG)

Yep, that sounds like what I've told my kids (and the kids I've mentored at work) all along.