You've invested a lot in your
Education and people have invested in you and let me tell you the world needs your talents and does it ever?
The world needs a lot and we need it from you
We really do we need it from you young people
I mean, I'm not speaking for the rest of us up here, but I know I'm getting a little grayer
We needed from you the young people because remember this so you got to get out there
You got to give it everything you got whether it's your time
Your your your talent your prayers
Or your treasures because remember this
You will never see a u-haul
behind a hearse
I'll say it again
You will never see a u-haul behind a hearse
You can't take it with you. The Egyptians tried it and all they got was robbed
So the question is
What are you going to do with what you have? I'm not talking about how much you have
Some of you are business majors. Some of you are theologians nurses sociologists
Some of you have money some of you have patients some of you have kindness some of you have loved
Some of you have the gift of long-suffering whatever it is, whatever your gift is
What are you going to do with what you have?
Fail big
That's right fail big
Today is the beginning of the rest of your life and it can be couldn't be very frightening. It's a new world out there
It's a mean world out there and you only live once so
Do what you feel passionate about passionate about?
Take chances
professionally
Don't be afraid to fail
There's an old IQ test was nine dots and you had to draw five lines with a pencil within these nine dots
Without lifting the pencil the only way to do it was to go outside the box
So don't be afraid to go outside the box
Don't be afraid to
Think outside the box. Don't be afraid to fail big to dream
big but remember
dreams without goals
Are just dreams and they ultimately fuel disappointment
So have dreams but
Have goals
life goals yearly goals
Monthly goals daily goals. I try to give myself a goal every day
Sometimes just to not curse somebody out simple goals, but have goals and
understand
That to achieve these goals
You must apply discipline
and
consistency
in order to achieve your goals, you must apply discipline, which you were already done and
Consistency every day not just want to Z and miss a few days. You have to work at it
Every day you have to plan
Every day you've heard the saying we don't plan to fail we fail to plan
hard work
works
Working really hard is what successful people do and in this
text tweet
twirl that you've grown up in
Remember just because you're doing a lot more
Doesn't mean you're getting a lot more done
Remember that just because you're doing a lot more
Doesn't mean you're getting a lot more
Done don't confuse
Movement
with progress
My mother told me yeah. Yeah cuz you can run in place all the time and never get anywhere. So
Continue to strive continue to have goals continue to progress
I
Found that nothing in life is worthwhile
Unless you take risks
nothing
Nelson Mandela said there is no passion to be found playing small and
Settling for a life that's less than the one you're capable of living
You know
I'm sure in your experiences in school and applying to college and picking your major and deciding what you want to do with life
I'm sure people that told you to make sure you have something to fall back on
Make sure you got something to fall back on, honey
But I never understood that concept
Having something to fall back on
If I'm going to fall, I don't want to fall back on anything
Except my faith. I want to fall forward. I figure at least this way. I'll see what I'm going to hit
Fall forward this is what I mean
Reggie Jackson struck out 26 hundred times in his career the most in the history of baseball
But you don't hear about the strikeouts people remember the homeruns?
Fall forward
Thomas edison kentuc did one thousand failed experiments as you know that I didn't know that
Because the one thousand and first was the light bulb
Forward
Every failed experiment is one step closer to success
you've got to take risks and I'm sure you've probably heard that before, but I want to talk to you about why that's
important I
Got three reasons and then you can pick up your iPhone's
First
You will fail at some point in your life accept it you will lose you will embarrass yourself
You will suck at something. There's no doubt about it and
I know that's probably not a traditional message for a graduation ceremony. But a I'm telling you embrace it because it's inevitable
And I should know in the acting business you fail all the time early on in my career. I
auditioned for a part in a Broadway musical
Perfect role for me. I thought except for the fact that I can't sing. I
Didn't get the job
But here's the thing I
didn't Quint
I didn't fall back. I
Walked out of there to prepare for the next audition and the next audition and the next audition. I prayed I
Prayed and I prayed
But I continue to fail and fail and fail but it didn't matter because you know what,
There's an old saying you hang around the barbershop long enough sooner or later. You're going to get a haircut
So you will catch a break and I did catch a break
Last year. I did a play called fences on Broadway
if someone talked about it won the Tony Award and
I didn't have to sing by the way, but here's the kicker. He was at the Court Theatre
It was at the same theatre that I failed that first audition 30 years prior
The point is and I'll pick up the pace
The point is every graduate here today has the training and the talent to succeed
But do you have the guts to fail? Here's my second point about failure if you don't fail
You're not even trying
I'll say it again
if you don't fail
You're not even trying my wife told me this great expression to get something you never had
You have to do something you never did
Les Brown's a motivational speaker. He made an analogy about this
He says imagine you're on your deathbed and standing around your deathbed are the ghosts representing your unfulfilled
potential the ghosts of the ideas you never acted on the ghosts of the talents you didn't use and they're standing around your
bed angry
disappointed and upset
they say we came to you because you could have brought us to life they say and
Now we have to go to the grave together. So I ask you today
How many ghosts are going to be around your bed when your time comes
Not only take risks
But to be open to life to accept new views and to be open to new opinions
To be willing to speak at a commencement at one of the best country vesica the universities in the country
Even though you're scared stiff. Well, it may be frightening. It will also be rewarding
Because the chances you take the people, you meet the people you love the faith that you have
That's what's going to define. You never be discouraged
Never hold back
Give everything you got and when you fall throughout life and remember this
Fall forward
Say thank you
but grace
Thank you for mercy. Thank you for understanding
Thank you for wisdom. Thank you for parents. Thank you for love. Thank you for kindness
Thank you for humility. Thank you for peace
Thank you for Prosperity. Say thank you in advance for what's already yours
How I live my life. That's why I am one of the reasons why I am today
Say thank you in advance for what is already yours true desire in the heart
for anything
Good is God's proof to you sit before hand to indicate that it's yours
already
I'll say it again
True desire in the heart that itch that you have
Whatever it is you want to do that thing that you want to do to help others in to grow and to make money
that desire that itch that's God's proof to you sit beforehand already to indicate that it's your
and
Anything you want good?
you can have
So claim it
Work hard to get it
When you get it reach back pull someone else up
each one teach one
Don't just aspire to make a living
Aspire to make a difference