‘Never be ashamed of trying. Effortlessness is a myth’: Taylor Swift

Singer songwriter Taylor Swift became an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts, a degree conferred to her the New York University. During the ceremony held at the Yankee Stadium, the popstar delivered a powerful speech for graduates of the year 2022 to resounding applause.
She thanked the University and her parents and went on to address the students with the disclaimer that she does not believe in giving unsolicited advice, but shared hacks she has learnt in her musical career that started when she was 15.
Swift humorously said, “I’m 90 per cent sure the reason I’m here is because I have a song called ’22,’” referring to one of her most popular songs.

Swift’s first piece of advice for the new graduates was: “Decide what is yours to hold, and let the rest go. Often times, the good things in your life are lighter anyway — so there’s more room for them. One toxic relationship can outweigh so many wonderful, simply joys. You get to pick what your life has time and room for. Be discerning.”
She also advised the young students to “learn to live alongside cringe.” “No matter how hard you try to avoid being cringe, you will look back on your life and cringe retrospectively. Cringe is unavoidable over a lifetime… you can’t avoid it, so don’t try to.”
The Love Story singer also stressed on the importance of trying hard: “Never be ashamed of trying. Effortlessness is a myth. The people who wanted it the least, were the ones I wanted to date and be friends with in high school. The people who want it the most, are the people I now hire to work for my company.”
One of the concluding advices she shared with the students was that “hard things will happen to us. We will recover, we will learn from it, we will grow more resilient because of it. And as long as we are fortunate enough to be breathing, we will breathe in, breathe through, breathe deep, and breathe out.”
She also added jokingly: “And I am a doctor now, so I know how breathing works.”
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