In 2004, there was a show on tv called Jack & Bobby- which I really enjoyed. It was about two brothers in present day, with documentary snippets from the 2040s following one of the brother's time as the President. Well, the show has finally made it onto Netflix Instant Play (hurray!) and I was reminded of this great speech from the second episode. Jack and Bobby's mother, a college professor, gave this speech at the university's Moonlight Address, and I thought I should share it here.
Good evening. I want to welcome you tonight to... a renaissance.
For some of you this night marks a return to your college life, for some of you a new beginning. And so, upon the eve of the tremendous journey upon which you are all embarking, I'd like to offer you a thought to take with you. Listen carefully: you will fail here. All of you. College is not the culmination of your high school career. It is the beginning of your adult life. Only it is a slow, sweet beginning that feels nothing like what life and all the attending obligations will eventually bring. So fail here... this is your chance.
Do things you know you can't do, or think you can't do but hope in your deepest most secret hidden heart that you can.
Be bad at things. Be embarrassed. Be vulnerable. Go out on a limb. Or two. Or twelve.
The harder you fall, the farther you'll rise. And the louder you fail, the clearer the distant bell of your future will ring. Failure is a gift. Welcome it. There are people who spend their lives wondering how they became the people they became, how certain chances passed them by and why they didn't take the road less traveled. Those people are not you.
You have the front-row seat to your own transformation. And in transforming yourself, you might just transform the world. Believe that, and embrace the new person you're becoming. This is your moment. Now. Not ten minutes from now, not tomorrow, really now. Know that, truly in your bones, and wake up each morning remembering it. And then keep going.
Showing posts with label fail. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fail. Show all posts
Sunday, August 15, 2010
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