What I Would Say to the College Graduates of 2024

[Setting: College commencement as the featured speaker takes the stage.]

Thank you one and all. May I make one point of order?

This is not a commencement address. It's a conclusion address. You all are leaving here. And will commence with the remainder of what we all hope will be a long and fulfilling live.

So celebrate this moment. You have earned it!

Tradition calls for thanking your parents but looking out at the crowd, I see some folks in caps and gowns, which are way past living at home. You pursued your dream of gaining a degree when many of your peers in high school got theirs a decade or decades ago. I salute your determination and diligence. celebrate this moment. Tradition calls for thanking your parents but looking out at the crowd, I see some folks in caps and gowns, which are way past living at home. You pursued your dream of gaining a degree when many of your peers in high school got theirs a decade or decades ago. I salute your determination and diligence.

It’s All About You

Now let’s cut to the chase… the purpose of this speech.

It is where people like me share their stories and insights into the secret of a good and useful life in the hope that you, too, will live a good and useful life.

The fact that you are here today is an indication that you have been helpful. You earned your degree, did your coursework, and put up with requirements you thought were ridiculous, but now that you have met them, you think they are not so bad.?

Some of you will enter the workforce right away. Others of you will enter graduate school – where requirements may seem even more ridiculous. You will persevere.

Three Lessons

And that's the first lesson I want to share—perseverance. Stick to it. Without determination and drive, you will accomplish very little—unless, of course, you were born to wealth or win the lottery.

The second lesson is discover the “good life.” Robert Waldinger and Mark Shultz, directors of the Harvard Study on Adult Development, authored a book with the very same title — ?The Good Life. This book based on upon the longest running study of happiness in world explores what makes a happy life. Drs. Waldinger and Schultz conclude that the secret to having a life with meaning and joy is relationships – good relationships with people who matter most to you.

Relationships are built upon connection through birth or proximity—school, work, or neighborhood. Personal connection—as those who majored or minored in psychology know—is essential to human growth, what we like to call now "flourishing." When you are with people who add meaning, purpose and joy to you, you will find true wealth.

Relationships are not a one-way street. They require commitment, being there when needed and giving to and giving back when the need arises. Don’t wait to be asked. Just do it.

My third and final lesson for today is to show grace. Grace is the catalyst for doing good. Be grateful for what you have and more grateful to those who have helped you. Act with kindness toward others, including those you don't particularly like. Avoid pettiness. It only drags you down. Remember, you are not in middle school anymore. You are an adult.

Be Kind to Yourself

Show grace to yourself. Give yourself a break. You will make mistakes; many of you are like me. Pick yourself up. Learn from what you did wrong and work to correct it. But never, ever lose faith in yourself. That's where grace comes in. Grace is a gift without strings, but when you are in a jam, pull all the strings you can.

And one more thing. Remember the magic words you learned in kindergarten. When you ask for something, say, "Please!" When you receive it, say, “Thank you!” Now commence and live your life powered by perseverance, blessed by grace, and laden with joy.

[Students throw their caps into the air.]

First posted on Forbes.com 00.00.2024

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