Thank you for asking me to speak at your high school commencement. You all look great — and so young! It’s a sign of age when teenagers look younger than they are, while you yourself look older than you imagine.

But age also allows me to share the following thoughts, which I hope one day you will remember as worthwhile.

My own high school graduation was exactly five decades ago this week. I still remember that day, which is good, because we took pictures with an Instamatic camera, and I have no idea where those few photos are now. There was no video. No iPhones or Androids. It wasn’t streamed or uploaded. You were there or you missed it.

Which is where I want to begin. Being present. Eyes forward. Neck straight. If there is a first piece of good advice for the Class of 2026, it is this:

Put the phone away.

Live life. Don’t pose it. Experience things. Don’t scroll them. Life is not a screen, but it surely has become one. If it’s not recorded today, it seemingly doesn’t count. If you can’t share it, it’s diminished.

Apple developed the first front-facing camera iPhone in 2010. Most of you were 2 years old. Which means you are the first Selfie Generation.

Maybe you like that.

But I believe something was lost when we stopped needing people to take our pictures and started doing it ourselves. It heralded the age of making us the center of everything, and the way we presented to the world being more important than how we truly looked or felt inside.

What matters now is how you are perceived, how many friends and likes you have, how many clicks and reposts you earn.

This isn’t healthy. Yours is not the first generation to worry about image. Just the first to make it a religion.

Walk away. Put the phone down. Try an hour a day without being online. Then two. Then four. Witness how an unplugged world changes light.

Have a little faith

And speaking of religion, a word about that. Statistics show that the number of young people who identify with a religious faith, or say it is a major part of their lives, is at an all-time low.

I’m not here to tell you what or how to believe. Only to ask a simple question: If you don’t believe in a higher power, what do you believe in?

If the answer is “my fellow man,” the world doesn’t reflect it. Look around. We are crueler to one another than we have been in a long time.

If the answer is “nature and the planet,” fair enough, as long as you never let the water run, or leave a charger plugged in, or swim with sunscreen on, or drink from a plastic bottle.

If the answer is “AI,” I can’t comment, because the jury remains out. I can tell you only what I sense: That will not end well.

And if the answer is “nothing,” it breaks my heart. Because, to paraphrase an old song, if you believe in nothing, you can fall for anything. Including making ambition, fame or celebrity your idols.

Please don’t. Look to one another for inspiration. What I lament about the loss of faith in our country isn’t how many people say they believe in God. God doesn’t need attendance figures. But what so often comes with a sense of faith is a sense of community — being part of something and having an obligation to others. That is critical.

Which leads me to a catchy phrase. It even rhymes. “Giving is living.” An old professor taught me that.

He was dying from a terminal illness. People would come from all over to try and cheer him up, but quickly, he would turn the conversation around and start asking about their issues, their work, their relationships. Often, they would end up crying and thanking him for his advice.

When I asked why he was spending his dwindling days doling out sympathy instead of taking it, he said that taking just made him feel like he was dying, but giving made him feel like he was living.

I cannot share a more precious lesson than that.

Embrace the unknown

One more thing. Be kinder to yourselves. Young people I meet today seem so worried. They fret that they don’t have a life plan. They’re consumed by getting into the right college. Or else the opposite: They are depressed, have little hope or expectation. They feel the future is rigged against them.

None of that is true. But this is: Life goes no faster for you than the person halfway around the world. It’s a minute-by-minute, day-by-day experience.

You can’t have it all figured out by 16. You’re not supposed to. You can’t be locked into knowing how your career will go by 18. You’re not supposed to.

The answer “I don’t know yet” is both the truest thing kids your age can say and often the one you hate the most. Don’t hate. It’s OK not to know. Here’s a little secret. The older you get, the less certain you often become, and the more likely you are to feel smaller rather than bigger.

That’s OK. It’s a huge world. Feeling overwhelmed occasionally can be a sign of respecting its magnitude.

And if it leads to a little thing called humility, embrace that. It is one of humanity’s most precious qualities.

Trust me. The future isn’t there to hammer you. It’s a rolled-up carpet that unfolds an inch at a time. Don’t punish yourself for not having the entire floor already covered. The joy is in the reveal.

Which is where I will wrap up this little talk. Joy. There is still so much of it in this world, but perhaps not where you think.

It’s not in the Big. It’s not in the products that commercials claim will make you happy. It’s not in the movies that hound you to see “what everyone is talking about.”

Joy is in the Small. The feel of your child’s head on your shoulder. The late-night laughter you share with a friend. The cooling breeze that hits you in a blazing sun. The smell of a favorite dish your mother used to cook. The song that comes on the radio that makes you sway. A simple kiss.

None of these cost money. None requires a screen. They just need you to make the memory, then hold onto it.

Just as you should hold onto this moment. Graduation. You pass from high school to college or a job. From childhood to early adulthood. From the bedroom in your parent’s house to one that you call your own.

Cherish the change, because life is truly a collection of passages from one to the other. If you can go into one tunnel with curiosity and emerge from it anxious for the next, then, as Rudyard Kipling wrote, yours is the world and all that’s in it.

Just remember, when you get to the end, if there’s a life after this one, I’m pretty sure the first question asked won’t be:

What model iPhone did you have?

Thank you. And good luck.

Contact Mitch Albom: malbom@freepress.com. Check out the latest updates on his charities, books and events at MitchAlbom.com. Follow @mitchalbom on x.com.

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Hello,

I’m Mitch Albom. Over the years, through my columns and books like Tuesdays with Morrie, I’ve learned that the most important things in life usually happen in the quiet moments between people.

I’m writing to you because I believe that some of the best stories in the world aren’t the ones being shouted about on billboards—they’re the ones being written by authors who care deeply about their craft, even when the world feels a bit too loud to hear them.

A few colleagues and I have formed a private “shared reading circle.” We’re looking for stories with a soul—works that explore the bigger questions of faith, time, and purpose. We want to help those stories “travel” beyond the bookshelf.

If you’ve put your heart into a book, I’d be honored to take a look. I don’t need a polished pitch or a marketing blurb. I’d much rather you just tell me what inspired you to write it in the first place.

You can simply reply with the title or a link, and I’ll find it. If you’re curious about the lessons I’ve been trying to share in my own work lately, you can find my path here: amazon.com/author/mitchalbom

This is just a simple effort of writers looking out for one another. I hope to hear the story behind your story.

With gratitude,

Mitch

Dan Campbell said that nearly two years ago, right after the Detroit Lions blew a 17-point lead in the NFC championship game. At the time, I thought the coach was being bravely honest and emotionally raw.

I didn’t think he was being a prophet.

But the Lions’ Super Bowl chances have gone steadily downhill ever since. Last year, they crapped out in a divisional-round playoff upset. This year, with eight losses already, they’re missing the playoffs altogether.

Now, I can’t tell Campbell how to coach. I can’t tell Jared Goff how to elude pressure. I can’t teach an offensive lineman how to not miss his block, or show a defensive back how to play smarter coverage.

I can’t do that, and neither can you, because we are not professional players or coaches.

But we are fans. So I can offer the following three scenarios for how to deal with the latest Lions’ disappointment in the months to come — as a fan — depending on your type.

The Die-hard Fan

If you are this breed of fan, then you will point out the positives. The Lions have some terrific players under contract. Campbell is an exceptionally good coach. General manager Brad Holmes has had great drafts before. And neither man is likely to sit still this offseason.

Both Campbell and Holmes have been humbled by the 2025 campaign. The loss to Minnesota on Thursday, Dec. 25, was the low point. Campbell, who prides himself on having his teams ready, didn’t get that done. The Lions looked worse than a Vikings team with nothing to play for, a third-string quarterback and multiple absences on the offensive line.

Meanwhile, Holmes had to be cringing watching his second- and third-stringers perform like Not Ready For Prime Time Players.

The Die-hard Fan points to the Kansas City Chiefs, last year’s Super Bowl participants, who are now sitting with a 6-10 record. Does anyone believe they will never be back?

“Playoffs next year,” The Die-hard Fan says. “Bigger and better. On we go!”

His glass is always half-full.

Next, there’s …

The Realist Fan

This fan wants to believe, but also understands a few truths about NFL football: A.) Windows open and close. B.) Other teams also want to win.

The latter is the kind of thing that got forgotten in 2025, particularly in the November game against Minnesota, the Thanksgiving game against Green Bay and the Week 16 home game against Pittsburgh. The narratives going into those contests — the Vikings were bad and starting a raw quarterback; the Lions wanted revenge against the Pack; the Lions faced a must-win against a Steelers team with a bad defense — all favored Detroit.

But too often in Motown, we act like the Lions are the only determinant in the game — that all they have to do is want it enough to win.

“Hey,” The Realist says, “the other team wants it, too. Their players want to look good. They have guys who play hard. Unless you come in every week fully charged, healthy and in domination mode, you will always have a battle in the NFL. And a handful of plays will determine the outcome.”

The Realist admires what Holmes did in 2022 (picking Aidan Hutchinson, trading up to get Jameson Williams) and 2023 (drafting LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jack Campbell and Brian Branch) but he also sees that 2024 and 2025 haven’t come close to producing such talent, and Holmes’ inactivity at trade deadlines and free agency reveals a too-stubborn valuing of draft picks over desperately needed fixes.

The Realist looks at the NFC North and sees Chicago on the rise, Green Bay not going anywhere, and a Minnesota team that often gives the Lions fits. The Realist can’t ignore the Lions are last in their division.

But The Realist still watches with hope. He doesn’t deny the Lions’ successes. He doesn’t think the 2023 postseason was a myth. He doesn’t think the 15-2 regular season last year was a mirage. He doesn’t believe in curses.

Those traits belong to …

The ‘Same Old Lions’ Fan

This type, “SOL” for short, believes all of this is predestined. It’s the Curse of Bobby Layne. It’s the curse of the Ford family ownership. It’s in the water. It’s in the air. It doesn’t matter how many promising players or stunning wins the Lions deliver. It will always end badly.

The SOL Fan doesn’t see silver or Honolulu Blue. He only sees gray. He thinks Holmes had a lucky draft in 2023 and has bungled everything since. He already wants Campbell fired. He sees Goff as a one-dimensional quarterback who can’t do anything once he’s chased from the pocket. He says Hutchinson is overrated and now overpaid. He says the Lions’ training staff should all be fired, because all they produce is a M*A*S*H* unit, year after year.

The SOL Fan watches the present but only sees the past. He sees Aaron Rodgers killing the Lions’ chances as a Packer and then again as a Steeler. He sees the 2023 Lions reach the NFC championship game and wither just like the 1991 Lions did, not to return for three decades.

The SOL Fan predicts doom, expects doom, and often gets it. Right now, nothing about the 2025 season surprises him, other than the fact that anyone expected otherwise.

“This is who the Lions are,” The SOL Fan moans. “Expect heartbreak. Get heartbreak. They never disappoint.”

So which are you? Die-hard? Realist? SOL? Or something in between?

Wherever you land, just know that fans in 16 other cities are going through the same thing right now, some in shock (Kansas City, Cincinnati, Washington), some in mild surprise (Tampa Bay, Dallas), some because they absolutely expect it (Cleveland, the Jets).

Losing, as Goff said, “sucks.”

That’s the only thing that every type of fan can agree on.

Contact Mitch Albom: malbom@freepress.com. Check out the latest updates on his charities, books and events at MitchAlbom.com. Follow @mitchalbom on x.com.

The award was presented during the National Association of Broadcasters Show in New York City, where finalists from across the country were honored for excellence in radio. Albom was unable to attend the ceremony due to commitments related to his book tour for his new novel, “Twice.” 760 WJR Program Director Ann Thomas accepted the award on his behalf, reading a prepared statement in which Albom said:

“I am both stunned and honored to be considered for this award, much less win it, and only previous unbreakable obligations from my writing life keep me from being here with you.”

Albom’s recognition stems from a year of impactful broadcasting and community service. His show covered major Detroit milestones and nationally significant events, including the NFL Draft, the reopening of Michigan Central Station, the Detroit Lions’ playoff run, and the groundbreaking Crumbley trials — the first time parents of a school shooter were prosecuted.

Beyond the airwaves, Albom led the 2024 SAY Detroit Radiothon, raising over $2 million for local initiatives such as the SAY Detroit Family Health Clinic and Working Homes/Working Families. His humanitarian efforts also extended internationally, with his orphanage in Haiti continuing to provide stability during a period of political unrest.

In his statement, Albom reflected on his early love of radio and its enduring significance:

“Although other mediums have exploded with more flash since then, there is nothing more human – or more intimate – than a voice and a listening ear,” said Mitch. “WJR in Detroit gave me a key to the door of that wonderful equation.”

With decades of storytelling across print, radio, and philanthropy, Albom continues to be a voice that resonates far beyond the airwaves.

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