CHRIS MATTHEWS' ADVICE TO THE CLASS OF 2006

This is good advice for anyone....

CHRIS MATTHEWS' ADVICE TO THE CLASS OF 2006

I used to dread speaking in public. Really. Then I did a lot of public speaking.

I'm no longer afraid.

I once had a hard time writing. I got a job writing for a daily newspaper, and faced hundreds of deadlines.

Now I'm not afraid of writing.

So here's Rule #1 for the graduates of 2006:

Get yourself in the game! Go to where it's played and find a way to get in.

Rule #2: If you want something, dammit, ask for it! Not everybody is going to go for you, but those who do will change your life. They will open doors for you. So if nine people say "no" to you, then ask ten. It's like dating.

The good news is there's a lot of magic in that occasional yes. Because when you ask someone for help, you are really asking him or her to place a bet on you. "If you want to make a friend," said Benjamin Franklin, "let someone do you a favor."

There's a false assumption out there that talent will surely be recognized. Just get good at something and the world will beat a path to your door.

Don't believe it. The world is not checking in with us to see what skills we've picked up, what idea we've concocted, what dreams we carry in our hearts. When a job opens up, whether it's in a chorus line or the assembly line, it goes to the person standing there.

So get in the game and ask!