Never Be Afraid To Raise Your Voice

Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world...would do this, it would change the earth.

That is how powerful it is and this should be our first principle. If we can't do that, we shouldn't do anything else. Everything else will be so much better. And there is so much in life to love. In fact, if the opportunity comes your way, you should jump on it because it's so much fun. But never think that life is about spending the last days of your life doing what you think other people want you to do, without making sure that what you do and what you are is exactly right for you and what it means to be you.

You, and the rest of us, can stop being small children and start becoming adults...and take our place in the world, being the change that we wish to see. You don't have to do it for anybody. This is the whole secret to life: When you are doing something that matters, it doesn't matter whether other people like it or not.

The other truth is that life is about helping other people. That's why being an optimist and having faith in humanity and the future is absolutely vital.

Look around you. When you see someone in need, you want to help. That's not caring if other people like you. That's about wanting to help. Look beyond your own immediate experience. This isn't selfish. It's just good sense.

Also, be kind.

Always be a little kinder.

When you are walking down the street, always think of that person coming the other way. You never know what they might be going through. When you give to others, you will give to yourself.

Finally, choose your actions. They are much more powerful than your words.

If you don't believe me, look at how you feel after doing the things that matter to you and not doing the things that don't.

It's a real feeling.

I promise you that.

I look back on the past year with a mixture of fondness and sorrow. I have now lived on two continents in the last three years. But I am glad I did it. I have learned so much and been able to go where I need to go and do what I need to do. I am extremely grateful that I can travel and live abroad in peace and security. It's a privilege and I am going to take advantage of it to the best of my ability. I am also incredibly grateful for the massive support that I have received in my time of need in the last year. There have been days when I was weak and frightened.

But people have reached out, helped in a huge way and supported me every single day. I have never had a job or a pay cheque in my life. I have learned to live off my savings and on the kindness of strangers.

When I started to become a United Nations Messenger of Peace, I thought it was just a vanity project and that I would be able to help a lot of people, so that would be enough. But, as I discovered, people care and they are interested. They want to know what I have to say and who I am and what I have to offer. I am very grateful for the opportunity.

My father taught me that the true values are in the choices that we make. The one thing he taught me was that it is important to find something that you love to do. You have to be happy doing it. That's a lesson that is still with me to this day.

He never thought he was special or talented. He just did his best. He had a sense of duty and a fierce pride in his roots and in his people and in his culture. He wanted to make a real difference in this world and he did.

I want to honour him and all of the other men and women who have served this country. But also remember that Canada is a country that embraces diversity.

We have people from every corner of the globe living here and contributing to this great country. There is a tremendous, rich tapestry of human experience in this country. We have something to offer.