There are a few things I’d like to take back. I’d start with the three high school graduation speeches I have given. They would be shorter, to the point. I’d leave out the pontification.
I’d remind myself that the speech was not about me but about the graduates, who just wanted me to shut up and let them get their diplomas.
Besides the diploma, of course, there is usually a party waiting.
Last week, I attended a high school graduation and the non-student speech, given by a middle school administrator chosen by the students, was excellent. Three students spoke and they were even better. That’s because graduation speeches by students are always lighter and come from the depths of their hearts. I’ve heard some that were downright hilarious.
A graduation speech should be fun and funny with a dash of seriousness. Add a message that’s contemplative and meditative – but don’t scare the young folk.
Stay away from, “life is hard,” even though it is. They probably know that.
So if I could do it all again, I’d start out by telling the graduates I realize they care next to nothing about who I am or what I have allegedly accomplished. I’ll hurry through this, I’d say. I know ya’ll have a keg to tap, I would quip, while not suggesting approval but also not worrying about what their parents thought of me.
Then I’d say this:
• Count your summers. You have four, maybe five summers to do whatever you want to do. Then – poof! – summer as you have known it will be gone.
• Thank your parents and all who have supported you. Nothing is more important than gratitude for them.
• Sleep late and cut some classes when you get to college – if you are going – until the dean catches up to you. Then, get to work.
• Follow your bliss, as educator-philosopher Joseph Campbell long ago advised. If you do not already know how you want to make a living – which is necessary – then truly find something you love. More than likely you will devote more time to working than to almost anything else, even spending time with your family.
• Once you find what you love, work hard. Be the first to arrive at work and the last to leave. There is no substitute for hard work and long hours.
• College is not for everyone and the college you attend, however prestigious, matters little once you are out in the world. It matters that you learn to be curious, to think, and to learn about making good choices.
• Cherish loyalty among friends, family, and co-workers. Place it on the highest pedestal.
• Be kind. Treat others as you want to be treated.
• As Oprah says, ask “What happened?” not “What’s wrong with you?”
• Never give up, as Sir Winston Churchill vowed during World War II.
• Value what you know about yourself to be true and worthy, faults and all, and forget what others think. Don’t listen to the peanut gallery in life.
• If you are fortunate to have children remember that they and they alone will be your lasting legacy.
Finally, I’d quote Apple founder Steve Jobs, whose famous commencement address at Stanford University referenced Stewart Brand’s Whole Earth Catalog, the 1960s and ’70s hippie guide to life. The book was a huge hit and then it died. In the final edition, the authors offered this: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.”
“And in conclusion,” I would say at last (igniting thunderous applause!), “please wake up – or stop texting – long enough to show unmitigated joy when you cross this stage to get your diploma. You earned it.”
Richard Connor is president and publisher of the Fort Worth Business Press. Contact him at rconnor@bizpress.net