Jeb: 'Don't be afraid to shake things up'

• Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush delivered the University of South Carolina's commencement speech on Monday


• The speech came as Bush considers a bid for the Republican 2016 presidential nomination


• Bush didn't address his political future during the speech, but encouraged students not to "be afraid to shake things up"

Washington (CNN) -- Jeb Bush name-checked Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein and Mark Zuckerberg on Monday while telling University of South Carolina graduates that "young people and newcomers are often the great discoverers."

The former Florida Republican governor's commencement speech -- short, optimistic and apolitical -- came the day after he'd said he planned to release 250,000 emails from his days in office. He will also write an accompanying eBook that he'll release next year.

Bush's preemptive approach is one of the clearest signs yet of how seriously he is considering a run for president and allows him to address potential areas of criticism before opposition researchers dig in.

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On Monday, Bush made no references to his own political future, but did sound a number of optimistic notes -- and he told the new graduates not to fear failure.

He said graduates shouldn't "be afraid to shake things up," and that they should embrace a rapidly changing economy even when doing so is daunting.

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"Most of America feels that way -- you're not alone. And in many ways, that's OK. Because that anxiety can be positive," he said. "When you're thrown into new situations, you don't just challenge yourself. You see things that other people might not see."

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The point of his speech, Bush said, was to tell graduates to "dream big, don't be afraid of change and find joy everywhere you can."

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And they shouldn't see their ages as impediments, he said.

"Darwin was 29 when he developed the theory of natural selection. Einstein was 26 when he developed the theory of relativity. And Mark Zuckerberg, for crying out loud, was 19 years old when he developed Facebook," Bush said.

"They were young. They didn't have assumptions about things. They just wanted to have an impact," he said. "And that's what happens when you're a newcomer -- you make an impact."

Bush said he'd asked his mother, former first lady Barbara Bush, for advice on what to say. Her response: "Jeb, speak about 10 minutes and then sit down and shut up."

And he did -- tapping his watch as he sat down, as if to note that he'd landed almost exactly on the 10-minute mark.

He also made reference to his father, President George H.W. Bush, telling graduates they should try to match the 90-year-old's zeal for life -- from wearing colorful socks to parachuting out of airplanes to "judging cheerleader competitions for the Houston Texans -- I think that's on his highlight reel for sure."

"No matter how many challenges you face, no matter how old you get, remember to have fun in life. Be like my dad, who turned 90 years old this year, and here's a guy who's lived a full, active life, he was shot out of the sky in World War II, he built a business, he served a generation of time in many different positions in public service, and he's had some incredibly painful losses in his life, but he has never stopped having fun," Bush said. "That's why he's my favorite person in the world of all time, and I suspect it's why many others respect and admire him as well."

Courtney Battle contributed to this report