Top Ten Inspirational Graduation Speeches

From: http://www.graduationwisdom.com/speeches/topten.htm

TOP TEN SPEECHES

1. Steve Jobs at Stanford, 2006

2. Jerry Zucker at University of Wisconsin, 2003

3. Mark Lewis at University of Texas Austin, 2000

4. David Foster Wallace at Kenyon College, 2005
5. John Walsh at Wheaton College, 2000

6. Michael Uslan at Indiana University, 2006

7. David L. Calhoun at Virgina Tech, 2005
8. Earl Bakken at University of Hawaii, 2004
9. Bradley Whitford at University of Wisconsin - Madison, 2006.
10. Woody Hayes at Ohio State University, 1986.

Student hopes to go from homeless to Harvard

Please keep sending these inspirational stories...

Honor student lives at shelter in L.A.'s Skid Row, one of the city's roughest areas
Kenneth Chancey, 17, hopes to go to Harvard and become a doctor
"I have to dream because obviously my reality is horrible," he says
Chancey is student body president and star football player at Hollywood school

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Kenneth Chancey, 17, walks down the littered streets of Skid Row, one of the roughest areas of Los Angeles. Drug deals are made around him. A man screams at his girlfriend. The stench of the place is overwhelming.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/06/24/homeless.to.harvard/index.html

My Graduation Speech to Students

When I participate in graduation ceremonies, I often imagine delivering my own speech to the graduates, as if I were the commencement speaker:

Good morning Chancellor, President, Deans, Faculty Members, Staff, Students, Friends, and Family Members. Welcome.

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day, and before we can shower accolades on the superstars before me, I’d love to recognize the superheroes that got them here. So if you’re a mom of a graduate, please stand up for some applause. Keep standing! If you are a grandmother of a graduate, please stand up as well for applause. Keeeeeeeep standing grandma! If you are a graduate, and YOU are a mom as well, please rise for applause. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in recognizing these miracle workers, for without their encouragement and sacrifice, we would not be here today honoring the bright future of our graduates.

To the graduates:
Every one of you is special.
Every one of you is a productive member of society.
Every one of you is what inspires ME - because…
Every one of you has a story to tell.

I just wish I had the time to hear every one of them, and to be there as your career paths unfold.
You have already accomplished a huge milestone on that journey. The biggest step though was just showing up. That’s it. The secret most people don’t get until it’s too late. Just showing up as young freshmen was a threshold event. Trying something which may be hard for the first time. Experiencing new things, even if it’s unknown whether the objective is attainable.

To me, the greatest barriers to success, however you define that, are a fear of the unknown, a fear of change, and a fear of failure. But you need a game plan, and hopefully you can lean a little on what you learned in school to figure out that route. No matter what you do in life, you always will have your education.

I hope you made some lifelong friends here. Frankly, I learned more about life from my peers than from my professors. And I hope you got more than knowledge from your profs because you can get that from a book. I’m hoping you gained insight on whatever subject, and then stamped your own original perspective on how to resolve issues and solve problems.

Many times the things you do won’t work. And you will fail at some things you try. That’s just a fact of life.

Abraham Lincoln once said: “My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.”

And you will make mistakes. A lot of them! Both in your careers and your lives. That’s just another fact of life.

But that’s okay. The trick is figuring out how to deal with setbacks. Your family and friends will always be there for you. And your education will continually serve as a foundation to get you back on track.

[omitted text]

To quote Franklin D. Roosevelt, “We are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of our own minds.” Graduates, each of you must unlock your mind – your rubber room – and blaze a path built on reason and purpose. Life is too short to spend it bouncing around like a random and aimless ball in a game of Pong.® And whether you are 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, or 80 years young, it is never too late to test the boundaries of your dreams.

Finally, I want all of you gathered in front of me to please lose the title of “former” student, because you will be my students for many years to come. And I expect in return that I can become your student, as I learn about your professional successes, trials, and tribulations.

Every one of you is special.
Every one of you is a productive member of society.
Every one of you is what inspires me – because...
Every one of you has a story to tell.

What will your next journey be?

Excerpt: Unlocking Your Rubber Room

© 2009 Perry Binder LLC

L. I. G. H. T. B. U. L. B. Moments

As an entering college freshman, I was directionless. During my second semester, I had a memorable English class and for reasons unclear to me, my learning cloud just seemed to lift. Things “clicked” because the professor’s keen interest in the subject was infectious and motivated me. Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking on how best to connect with people to get them excited and engaged, whether in a classroom, boardroom, or bored room.

I believe that if you show learners that you have a sincere stake in their futures, you have the ability to inspire them on a daily basis, and spark a “light bulb moment.” For every presentation, I try to live up to my own expectations through an acronym:

Perry’s L. I. G. H. T. B. U. L. B. Moment for Teachers, Trainers, and Mentors

L. isten to all learners

I. nspire them with real world discussions

G. ive hope to everyone

H. eap compliments on people for quality work

T. each to your strengths

B. e available at all times

U. nderstand that people may lack your life experience or knowledge

L. earn from your learners

B. e willing to walk in anyone’s shoes

Have you found your light bulb moment?

From LESSON 44 - UYRR

Excerpt: Unlocking Your Rubber Room
© 2009 Perry Binder LLC

It's Laugh, Think & Act. NOT Laugh, Act & Think!

Early morning last weekend, I was psyched to get on the road for a 5-hour drive to the beach. Everything was packed and all I had to do was load the car, as the restless wife, kids, and yes - mother-in-law - waited to pile in. So I opened the garage, popped up the SUV rear hatch and started loading. Suitcases. Boogie board. Food. Had it all. Running back and forth like a mad man, chucking stuff in. In the middle of loading, "Ugh," I exclaimed. Better pull out the car out of the garage so the mom-in-law can get in easily.

CRUNCH.

I forgot that the hatch was up, and the edge of it smacked into the lip of the garage door. Well, the car was fine but a roller on the door was knocked out of the rail. No biggie. Sit the mum-in-law back down, give the kids a toy and the wife a sedative. And I'll get the roller on the rail. So I roll it on the rail, only to discover that the other rail was knocked out of whack a drop. I tried my feeble best to fix it, but it was beyond my capabilities. Usually not a big deal -- just call the garage people and get it fixed, but we were out the door and hitting the road, so I needed to get the darn thing shut and deal with it upon our return.


I gingerly tweaked the rail with a screw driver. Plucked at it with some pliers. Nothing. Kids yelling, dog barking, I knew it was time to kick it into high gear. Wrenches flying. Bolts spinning. Still nothing. Metal pieces were getting stuck and wedged and getting worse. Time for the heavy artillery. I got the hammer and started wailing on the infringing metal. Five, ten minutes. Sweat pouring down. I was like a blacksmith with an anvil, smacking on a horseshoe for an impatient mare. Twenty minutes in, a huge crash brought that door down. Went inside and declared to all: "Piece of cake. Let's go!"

As we're pulling away, I start thinking. "Hmmmmmm, maybe I shouldn't have left my own car inside. What if we can't get the garage door fixed right away? I'll need to be shuttled everywhere in this kiddie mobile I'm driving. This really upset me, because I try to live by the motto of "Laugh, Think & Act through everyday situations." Instead, I went this route:

Laugh - I did find humor in my bonehead backup
Act - Mad man with a hammer
Think - It would be nice to have my own car next week

I tell this story because I like to point out my own shortcomings and hopefully find a lesson in it. It's easy to write down a catchy motto, but we need to remind ourselves to live by our messages each day. Just because it's in print, doesn't mean the messenger is so perfect. In fact, my book points out that "great words are far greater than the person who utter them, and the real hard work is putting those words into action." (page 125)

The good news -- I called the garage people from the beach, we got home yesterday, they fixed it today, and my car is out and FREE. Though the lesson wasn't. Cost me two bills for new material to incorporate into my next speaking engagement.