There are only two things I can tell you today that come with absolutely no agenda.

The first is congratulations.

The second is good luck.

Everything else is what I like to call the dirty truth, which is just another way of saying,

it's my opinion.

And in my opinion, you have all been given some terrible advice.

And that advice is this, follow your passion.

Every time I watch the Oscars, I cringe when some famous movie star, Trophy in hand,

starts to deconstruct the secret of their success.

It's always the same thing.

Don't let anyone tell you that you don't have what it takes, kid.

And the ever popular never give up on your dreams.

Look, I understand the importance of persistence and the value of encouragement, but who tells

a stranger to never give up on their dreams without even knowing what it is they're dreaming?

I mean, how can Lady Gaga possibly know where your passion will lead you?

Have these people never seen American Idol?

Year after year, thousands of aspiring American idols show up with great expectations, only

to learn that they don't possess the skills they thought they did.

What's really amazing though is not their lack of talent, world's full of people who can't

sing.

It's their genuine shock at being rejected.

The incredible realization that their passion and their ability had nothing to do with each

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