 To the graduates of 2020, I would first like to say that yes, this is weird, this is a crazy time to be on planet Earth and a very unique time to be graduating. School is already hard enough navigating classes, homework, sports, extracurricular activities, chasing boys, chasing girls, and to top it off, you in the class of 2020 took it to the next level and dealt with a freaking worldwide pandemic. This is something that you'll be talking to your grandkids about someday. I'm proud of you. You reach this milestone under extraordinary circumstances. Some people joke that we need a redo of 2020. Well, unfortunately, there are no redos in life. Things don't always go to plan. And many times, like right now, it's out of your control. But you want to know what is in your control, your reaction. This isn't the first challenge of your lives, and it won't be your last. During my lifetime of adventures, I've learned how to embrace uncertainty. It can smack you right upside the head when you least expect it and turn your world upside down. It's scary, and you feel lost and lonely and freaked out. But it's in these times that our character is put to the test. It's never easy, and it's almost always uncomfortable. But these moments allow you to grow. This is when you dig deep and figure things out. How you respond to challenges will shape your path, and your resilience will help you in every aspect of your life. Your final semester wasn't what you'd hoped for. You deserved to do all the fun end-of-year activities. But you lost control of your lives right at a time when you're supposed to be gaining more freedom. I feel for you. I do. I loved school. And if I could give you a tiny fraction of the joy that I experienced during my final semester, I would. But since I can't do that, I figure that I can share some things with you that I've learned about life since graduating high school way back in the late 1900s. Let's start with one of my favorites, attitude. This is something that doesn't take exceptional skill or smarts. It takes very little effort, actually, but it goes a long way. Having a good attitude is a choice. And I found that a positive mindset has helped me through some of the toughest times of my life. I've been confronted by many challenges when everything seems totally unfair and stacked against me. I'm sure you can relate. The easy road in these situations is to quit, to throw a tantrum, to blame others. But these choices don't get you anywhere. So you may be thinking, OK, Ryan, how do you tap into positivity? This sounds like some of that hippie boulder stuff. Well, it all starts with being grateful. There's always a silver lining to any bad situation. When I'm deep in the pain cave during a race or a tough adventure, I do what's called a gratitude march. With every step I take, I think of something that I'm grateful for. Many times, I think about the people who I love. This simple exercise gets me out of my pity party, and it fills me with energy, positive energy. When you focus on the good things in your life, you'll be propelled forward. And that's always the direction you want to go. Dream big. I've made a living pursuing my crazy dreams. Although my mom isn't always a fan of my off the wall and somewhat dangerous ideas, they fueled my heart and soul my entire adult life. My first huge dream was when I decided that it would be a great idea to ride a bicycle from Honduras to Boulder after serving in the Peace Corps. And for those of you who don't know where Honduras is, it's very far away. Everyone told me not to do it, because it was too risky that I'd get robbed or kidnapped or run off the side of some Mexican highway in the middle of nowhere and get eaten by a chupacabra. But you know what, none of those bad things happened. In fact, it turned out to be the adventure of a lifetime and laid the foundation for my career. Big dreams are the ones that seem unattainable. They're way out there and seemingly impossible. They're always the scariest and riskiest, but I've felt most alive when I'm pushing my limits. Now, I want to be honest here. I don't always come out on top. I've failed a number of times. But failure is an opportunity to move yourself in a different direction. So embrace the unknown. Go out and make mistakes while figuring things out. Do things that scare the crap out of you. You'll never regret the pursuit and you'll learn a lot about yourself in the process. I want to be clear. This is not the easy road, but you'll jump into a world of possibility and it will leave a lasting impact on your life. You don't want to live with any shoulda, coulda, wouldas. Do it. You'll be forever proud of yourself. Every day is Mother's Day. I'm 41 years old and I call my mom almost every day. Some people might think that's weird, but I'm a total mama's boy and I like our daily check-ins. My mom raised four kids on her own while working full time to support the family, then came home, made us dinner, helped with our homework, and after putting us to bed, studied to get a degree so that she could hopefully get a better job and improve our lives. Oh, and she was at every school function and sporting event. Back then, I don't think I fully appreciated what she did for us. She was mom and that's what moms do, right? It wasn't until I was older that I fully understood the heroic efforts that it took to raise us. Now I'm not saying all this just to brag about my mom, but because I know that there are many other hero moms and dads out there that deserve our love and appreciation every single day. And here's an added bonus to having your parents on your good side. You never know when you might need to move back into their basement in your late 20s. So don't take moms or dads for granted. Don't take any of your family members for granted. Life is short and we never know what tomorrow holds. So be nice. Speaking of being nice to our mothers, there's one in specific who really needs our love and support. She gives us fresh water to drink, food to eat, and an endless playground. You know who I'm talking about, the one and only Mother Nature. I've been a fan ever since I was a kid. In fact, it's in these foothills where I fell in love with riding bikes as a little dude. This is where I got my sense of adventure, felt the joys of complete freedom and gained a respect for the worldwide ecosystem that we all love. I always feel my best when I'm outside. Nature is my medicine. Nature is where I come to dream and feel connected to this beautiful planet. If you're having a tough day, if you're frustrated, sad, mad or heartbroken or just playing blah, I guarantee that stepping outside and taking in the fresh air will re-energize your spirit and make you feel better. Unfortunately though, Mother Nature is fragile and we all need to do our part to make sure that these beautiful landscapes will be here forever. If you treat the world like an object, you'll probably treat it badly. But if you treat our world as part of you, then you'll respect it. What will you do to stand up for our environment? Our future on this planet depends on it. Gandhi once said, the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. We idolize superheroes in our culture and I get it. They're always saving the day while fighting off the bad guys and they have really cool outfits. Well, this is your chance to be a hero, an everyday hero. Do good while putting others before yourself. It takes sacrifice, but I promise you that your good deeds will make a huge difference. I served in the Peace Corps in Honduras for two years working with underprivileged kids and it was the most rewarding experience of my life. And by the way, you don't need extraordinary skills to help. This might sound weird, but one of my biggest accomplishments was giving piggyback rides. Yeah, I know playing with kids doesn't seem earth-shattering, but they knew that I cared about them and that I was always there for them and that goes a long way. Also, you don't have to travel to the other side of the world to help out. There's always a need no matter where you live. You want to be a hero? Serve. Make this world a better place. My next tip is something that I'm particularly good at. Being a dork. Yeah, that's what I said, a dork. I think that we should all embrace our inner nerd more often. Adults tend to shun childlike behavior, but we need to take a cue from kids and live without fear of judgment. Some of the most interesting people I know are total eccentric weirdos and I love them. What makes us humans amazing are our differences. Think of all the nerds throughout time who have shaped humanity for the better. Bill Gates, Einstein, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Ant-Man from the Marvel movies, all dorks. The effort that it takes to be cool and to be someone you're not is exhausting. So don't do it. Let your inner nerd run free. The Golden Rule. My mom always said that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all. This is one of those elementary rules that we all learned as kids, but it's easily forgotten. When I look at the meanies on social media, they're adults. Don't grow up to be that way. How does being mean serve anyone? I get it. It takes effort to be nice sometimes. People can be so wrong or annoying or combative or straight up liars. But whether or not it's a family member or a complete stranger, you got to be the bigger person and control your emotions. You want to be able to look back on your interactions and say, even though that guy was a jerk, I treated him with respect. As a content creator, I've put my life online for 15 years. And yes, I get some nasty comments. But I've learned to pay no mind to the haters. It doesn't get you anywhere. Wake up every day and do your thing and do it with class. My friends, this is a pandemic, not the apocalypse. The world is not ending. Your life is just getting revved up. And yeah, it might be a little weird for a while, but you'll figure it out. You were confronted with something monumentally unpleasant, but you made it work. All this craziness has better prepared you for life. And although it might be hard to appreciate now, I bet that you'll look back at this time with some fond memories. Think of all the time you've gotten to spend with your families. That's a huge gift. You know what? Give your parents a big hug right now. And while you're at it, send all your teachers a thank you note. So remember, define yourself with your actions. Be brave. Act with intention. Be of service. Be nice. And together, let's make this world a more loving, more compassionate, more caring, more generous, and a more accepting place. Are you with me, Class of 2020? Now go out there and, well, sit on your couch until this is all over. After that, you can get out there. You guys got this. And I want to give a special shout out to all my boulder grads. Go Panthers and go Buffaloes. That was a lot of talking. It's a nice day. I'm going to go for a hike.