These are some words of wisdom from my buddy Josh. He wrote it for the morning announcements for his school. Josh is one of my hero's, so ya'll listen up!

"Good morning, citizens of Rockland High School. My name is Josh, Joshua Wood, and I'm here to provide you with your daily dosage of worldly wisdom. Have you ever been disappointed with something you did and wish you could have gone back and changed it? Have you ever taken on this twisting road of confusion and mystery we call Life because some loser cut you off at the intersection after swerving out of the next lane? Then, of course, there's that hero you look up to who does everything just right, cruising by in their swift Lincoln Continental, and you wish you could be them, as you stroll along in your little white Metro. Things don't usually go the way we expect them to. A minor mistake can sometimes change our lives. Now, you could give up and walk away because of that mistake. You could throw all your dreams to the ground and just walk away.
I'm reminded of the words of Bobby Knight. However, because I cannot repeat those words over the loudspeaker, I'd like to quote a man named Sammy Davis, Jr., who once said: "I gotta be me." You can turn that car right around, throw some rims on that Metro, and be awesome. A hero is someone who makes the best of the worst and continues on by throwing away their past, not their future. A hero is someone who is not afraid to make a mistake as long as they know they're taking the path they choose to take. Pretty soon, the mistakes a hero makes are drowned out by the great deeds they achieve by being who they are. Then that hero gives someone like you the inspiration they need to become a hero themselves. You become that hero.
Bob Dylan once told us that a man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed and in between, does what he wants to do. It doesn't matter where you are right now or how far you want to go. As long as you go that distance, you're a hero. If you want to be a janitor at MacDonald's, shoot for the stars, baby. If the spotlight on Broadway is your dream come true, never give up. If you're holding a mop right now and you're whistling a tune from Cats, nothing's holding you back, man. Because life is like a mop. Sometimes it gets full of dirt and crud and you can't go on. You just gotta pick it out. You have to stick that mop inside that soap bucket thing and just squeeze that mud and dirt right out. And sometimes that doesn't work. Then you have to get down there on the floor with a toothbrush and scrub that mud right off. And when you've finally had enough, when you finally the true you reflecting off the turpentine, you gotta stand up and shout, "HEY!!! THESE FLOORS ARE DISGUSTING, AND I'M NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!" That's when the spotlight shines on you. Those janitors end up becoming star athletes on Canada's curling teams. That's all it takes.
Mike Tyson's back in the ring. I hear he's got a fan who lives over in Utah. Aerosmith beat the drugs and booze for about two minutes and BAM! - they're back. And the Rat Pack just wouldn't have been the same if Sammy hadn't been him. We all have our crosses to bear. The heroes are the ones who take what they've got and go far. This is Joshua Wood signing out saying, things get easier as your brain starts to die. So make it a great day... or not. The choice is yours."

This is a speech that Josh wrote while ruinning for VP of his high school

Greetings, citizens of Rockland High School. My name is Joshua Wood, and, once again, I am running for Vice President of the Class Council of 2006. In previous years, I have pleaded that you vote for me for vice president so I can deal with this school's vices. I have stated my dream that one day this school would be filled with the laughter of small, naive children and the sweet sound of Tears For Fears and Syntax flowing in harmony from enormous grey boom boxes down hallways decorated with canvas paintings of majestic landscapes and tapestries of guitar gods of old. I have reiterated quotes from great American legends, including John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and myself. According to statistics, this has not proven successful. Because I haven't been elected. My speeches do not contain the charisma that you, the voter, require to be fully satisfied. It seems there is some imperceptible flaw in my technique that repels the vote of the majority. Well, hopefully that technique will work this year.
[Call in the flag holder and hit the music.]
I look at America and I see a land of opportunity. I see a nation where a young man driving a little white Metro living in a shotgun shack can grow up to drive a green Alcamino with hydraulics living in a mansion and have diamond teeth surgically planted into his skull. And that same young man must make in his heart the decision: which does he love more - his girlfriend, or his car? I see a nation where a couple of regular guys can pursue a career in pop music without having to sing once onstage until the CD skips. And I see a nation where any individual can look in the mirror and honestly tell themselves, "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and, doggone it, people like me."
And it makes me wonder. What is it that makes this country worthy of such honours? Is it the diplomatic presence of Krispy Kreme Donut shops that impedes battle from occurring on the homeland? Is it the fact that American patriotism is uplifted by songs such as this even though it's is really a protest against the Vietnam War? We Americans are given the right to live the lives we please. Those rights are defended by your national partisanship and the help of your government's leaders. I'm reminded of the words of Uncle Ben from Spider-Man: "With great power comes great responsibility." Sure, the position of Vice President doesn't exactly encompass a function of what can be considered "great power" managerially, but power has a great number of meanings. It can define a person bestowed with great arachnid superpowers. It can be the title of a politician who has the authority to give orders to others. Or, it can be the main quality of a leader who acts as a standing voice for the great number of people they represent. That's why I want to represent the junior Class of 2006 with great enthusiasm and persistence to defend these rights given to us.
Most of you are aware that a great American president passed away this weekend. Ronald Reagan reminded us of what democracy is all about in a time of political struggle. If nobody has the ability to govern themselves in a nation run by democracy, how can one expect a select group of legislators to run an entire country? Or, in our case, a school. If you have demands that you need to have satisfied, bring them to me and make full use of our gift of democracy. That's what America's all about.
Many candidates running this year are crying for change. Heck, even a little pocket change in this school could make a big difference. I will strive as your vice president to ensure that your demands are voiced and your ideas for change are recognized.
A fellow student of mine requested that I require blue and white uniforms in this school. Following a survey of other students, some were for it and some were against it. A controversy arose. So, as vice president, I declare blue and white uniforms for some, Bobblehead Bulldogs for all.
Another student protested the seemingly militaristic approach I used a couple years back in my decree of an invasion of Abington using an army and a draft. This statement was misconstrued and I am deeply sorry for any misunderstandings this may have caused. What I meant was I wanted to assemble an army of giraffes so that we could have a Nerf war with Abington in the groves. My apologies, Bingtown. Keep it real.
And so I leave you with two important decisions to make. Are you gonna dump your girlfriend or boyfriend for that sweet Mustang Convertible waiting for you to climb in? And more importantly, who are you going to vote for vice president of your class? I can't hear you, say that again. Oh, awesome. This is Joshua Wood signing out, saying, ask not what your country can do for you, but what Joshua Wood can do for your country, vote good, and make it a great day or not. The choice is yours.