4 Minutes to Save the World!

“We only got 4 minutes to save the world!”

– Justin Timberlake

I recently had the honor to speak during the Breakfast of Champions at Spillane Middle School in Cypress, Texas. The students in attendance made all A’s or B’s during the year and had exemplary conduct scores.

My guidance was, “You have 4 minutes.”

So, I’ve attached the text of the speech I delivered. I’m happy to share it today during graduation season for colleges and high schools across the country. Thank you to Principal, Michael Maness for the opportunity, to Director of Instruction, Jamie Brotemarkle for a great introduction and to Cheryl Flint, Curriculum Specialist for supporting, listening and helping me get it just so.

Jamie, thank you for the introduction.

You mentioned that this group is about setting goals and consistently pursuing those goals to the point where they pay off in the long run.

Congratulations. Today. Not only to the students and to the parents, but to the administration and to the educators as well.

This group of students has already committed to continuous learning.  They are on the inside track and have realized that learning is not a part time job, but rather a full-time process.

Bill Gates, some of you may know him as the founder of Microsoft, but he’s also a parent, and I found an interview with him online. In it, he talked about how he believed that what you learn between the ages of 8 and 13 turns into the most important years of your life, because the things you pick up during this window of time ultimately determines the things you do as an adult. In some ways it likely helps determine your profession.

He also made a decision as a parent to not allow his children to have a smart phone at a certain age.

Good or bad, that decision reminded me of something I was passionate about when I was your age. I asked my parents not once, not twice, if not 100 times for an Atari 2600 video game console. We could play games like Pac Man. Some parents may remember the joystick for having one red button.

And students I know today, the xBox 1 actually has a controller and it has 11 digital buttons, multiple analog triggers, two analog joysticks and probably a partridge in a pair tree. You play the game against people from across the world via wifi while talking into a headset.

To think all I wanted was the Atari 2600. My parents did something that made a huge difference in my life. They bought me the Atari 800 XL. At the time I was disappointed, but this was actually one of the first computers. It had a keyboard, a monitor and a screen. And instead of playing video games, I started learning how to program. It was the beginning – and at your age – of what I’m doing today for a living.

So as you play the latest coolest app that comes out this summer think about whether or not you’re playing the app or if you could be the one who learns how to build the app.

And in today’s Information Age, learning matters more than ever before.

It isn’t about how fast… Although that’s important. And it isn’t about how much… Although that’s key. Its really about consistency and a commitment to the information.

Learning something every day and retaining it is more important that cramming for a final exam or doing a quick Google search where you can’t remember the answer five seconds after you’ve found it.

In 1997 I graduated with a Master’s in Business Administration.  Google, the most important company I work with, wasn’t even formed yet. That happened in 1998. All the learning I had been doing in school and on my own came together. Now if I had stopped learning, there’s no way I’d be able to do what I do today.

As you get ready for the summer, I challenge you too to keep learning. Whether it’s in the arts, with math, with science or whether you train in a new sport or learn to play a new musical instrument, I will leave you with a quote to consider.

BB King, the famous musician said this, “The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you.”

Thank you for your time today and good luck with your lifetime of learning.