Good afternoon President Burger, Trustees, Distinguished Faculty, Staff, Parents, Relatives, Friends and, most importantly, the 175th graduating class of Southwestern University, the Class of 2015.

I am honored to speak to you as a Trustee and alumnus of Southwestern. I remember well the joy and excitement of Commencement, when I sat anxiously waiting for the speaker to begin- and to end his remarks.

With this in mind, my comments will be brief.

Besides President Burger’s invitation being a special honor, it caused me to reflect on my life journey, what I’ve discovered about success and happiness and learned from the extraordinary people who’ve showered me with their gifts of knowledge, insight and wisdom.

Bishop Desmond Tutu said it best, “one of the greatest gifts that we can give to another generation is our experience, our wisdom.” And it is these gifts that I’ve received from wise people in all walk of life, that I’ll share with you today.

Never Stop Learning

I recall the teaching of my terrific professors, but even more, I remember their gifts to me beyond their teaching- gifts of their precious time outside the classroom, gifts of inspiration and motivation to dream big dreams.

It was here that I received the gift of a life-long partner in marriage, Cheryl- Class 72, and so many lifelong friendships, like Ken and Susan Holley and David and Nancy Clyde, and a true understanding of the power of relationship.

Even more, I learned to think, to inquire, to discover and experienced the transformative power of curiosity, new ideas and the search for meaning in my life.

You graduates came here with your own distinctive gifts and talents. Perhaps, you’re gifted in your ease of learning, ability to understand and resolve complexity, to make beautiful music, create amazing art or to easily connect with others from diverse backgrounds.

You come from affluent or middle class, educated families; others from poor families where you’re the first to graduate college; some from environments where your gifts are celebrated; while others from environments where, for most of your life, you’ve had to hide your passions, your gifts, for fear of looking different.

But you came here, longing for a special place where you could learn to think more deeply, to challenge conventions, and could look with clarity at the mysteries of the universe, at the magic of everything that surrounds us.

Now, some have accused me of having good common sense- so what I’ll share with you today is simply common sense.

As a young boy, I lived with my grandmother in a small house on a dirt road, across from the railroad track in Bellmead, TX. Until a friend’s father gave me a job and I could save enough money, we had no automobile and no indoor plumbing. We were a poor family and not sure how I would attend college.

So, it was a blessing indeed to accept a baseball scholarship to Southwestern.

I was an above average student, with above average aspirations. My goals were very simple- make my family proud, get the most out me- become the best that I could be.

At Southwestern I learned something extremely valuable. I learned that there were many brilliant students who got up every day and did their best to excel, to put their gifts to highest use. And if I was to compete with the very brilliant students, who were constantly focused on excellence, I must study as they studied and commit myself as they committed themselves.

I had to expand my vision about my capabilities. I had to reach higher, and in doing so, I experienced the joy that comes from striving to learn every day- from developing a life-long passion for learning.

Life-long learning is irrefutably critical to your future success. Why? Success is a process that never ends- how you define success changes and evolves through different stages of your lives. There is a cycle of achievement, followed by reappraisal.

As soon as you reach one goal, you often discover new vistas to explore, new lessons to learn. Each distant plateau has a new ascent. Once you reach the top, there is yet a new peak to embrace, each with its own unique challenges that require you to master new knowledge, become more creative and achieve deeper insights.

Therefore, to become your best self in a changing world, you must never stop learning.

Seek to Do All That you’re Capable of Doing!!

Aristotle noted that “the soul never thinks without a picture”. Covey said that “vision is the ability to see beyond our present reality, to create, to invent what does not yet exist and to become what we are not yet.”

The first step in visualizing your future is to determine what you hope to accomplish, what success means to you.

Most define success as a desirable ending. Some believe happiness is the ultimate desirable ending; others look to money. Yet, you can be rich and happy or rich and miserable, or poor and happy, or poor and miserable.

In my experience, the most successful people are those that are happy and fulfilled- they love what they do because it’s an expression of their talents and gifts.

However, you define success, Set Lofty Goals-don’t sell yourself short! Think about what brings you joy, what you find easy to do or what your special abilities are- then pursue your goals with confidence, commitment and motivation. And if fortunate, you’ ll experience that place beyond motivation. You’ll be inspired- filled with high emotion to move forward with purpose and passion- with the daily desire to grow and contribute .. Seek to do all that you are capable of doing. Find a way or Make a way!!

Engage Your Curiosity-Ask Great Questions

If you want a great life, ask great questions. If you want better answers for your life, try asking better questions. Instead of asking, why me, or why isn’t the world a better place, try asking, how can I solve this problem, how can I make a difference, make this community a better place?

A gift that I’m most thankful for is the gift of curiosity, which has had a powerful impact on my life.

Through curiosity, I’ve gained new perspectives, unparalleled learning and growth, and a chance for interesting conversation and reflection at every interaction. I recommend curiosity, highly!

Seek insight from people in all walks of life, in every profession- ask with humility and they’ll often share with you powerful insights from their experiences that’ll help to advance your thinking.

Discover Your Purpose in Life and Live IT

If you ask most people what’s the purpose of your life, they either don’t know or feel the need to conjure up an impressive, deeply philosophical answer.

Williams James said that one should “seek out that particular attribute which makes you feel most deeply and vitally alive- along with which comes the inner voice which says- This is the real me- and when you have that- follow it”

“Listen to the clues, wrote Stephen Chandler. “The next time that you feel real joy, stop and think. Pay attention- because joy is the universe’s way of knocking on your mind’s door.”

Recently, I was speaking to a group of executives at the US subsidiary of a German company. I asked them to raise their hands if they knew the purpose of their lives. No one raised his or her hand.

As I waited quietly for a response, a gentleman asked if I knew the purpose of my life. I said, Yes, I do.

He said, well what is it? So I said that I’ve known the purpose of my life since I was a young boy. I shared that my grandmother taught me that I should love my neighbor as myself and that it was more blessed to give that to receive- that every day, at every opportunity, I should seek to help others.

So, I’ve never ceased believing that this is what I was called to do- and as a result, this has been among the greatest joys of my life- to love, to give and to help. Once you discover your life’s purpose, experience joy by living it!

You Must Own Your Life’s Work.

It all begins with a great attitude. In his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl said that he learned while as a prisoner in Auschwitz that “Everything can be taken from a man, but one thing; the last of the human freedoms - to choose one’s attitude in any given circumstance, to choose one’s own way.”

I benefitted from the value of a positive, optimistic attitude at EY, the global professional services firm. It became clear to me that all things being equal, attitude wins. All things not being equal, attitude often still wins! Possessing a positive, optimistic attitude is like having a secret weapon, and when you have one, there is almost nothing that you can’t accomplish.

Relationships matter! How you treat people and how they respond to you, will impact greatly your career and your life. Those who create deep and fasting relationships are able to bridge differences and create loyalty more quickly than others. Some of you may wonder, what is the key to developing these powerful relationships?

Simply put- its trust; the belief that someone has your best interests at heart. You create trust by inquiring, listening and helping others to experience success; by keeping your word, encouraging, showing appreciation and understanding to others; and, finally, by coming through - no matter how high the hurdles.

Try to keep the company of honest, talented and inquisitive people, especially those smarter than you.

If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re probably in the wrong room!

You can’t control how people are treated in the world, but you can control how they’re treated in your small corner of the world. Bring a little warmth and light to anyone who comes within your personal zone.

Differentiation is a difference maker. Certainly what you’ve learned at Southwestern- to think critically, to ask probing questions and to identify and creatively solve problems, often will differentiate you from others.

However, in many cases, performing well your assigned duties won’t lead to the success that you hoped for. The reason is that doing a defined job well is notable, but rarely changes the trajectory of your career.

Real differentiation is achieved when you’re able to accomplish extremely important tasks beyond those that are outlined for you. Therefore, discover what’s important to the organization and your superiors beyond your assigned duties and offer your help in accomplishing these extremely important tasks. This will change the very perception of your professional talent and worth. This is called- going the extra mile.

Go the extra mile!! And you will differentiate yourself!

As you graduates map your life’s journey of discovery, of learning, and contributing, choose to become the best that you can be. And remember:

  1. Never stop learning - Enhance the Value of You
  2. Seek to do all that you are capable of doing! Set Lofty Goals- Don’t Sell Yourself Short!!
  3. Engage your curiosity - Ask Great Questions
  4. Discover your purpose in life and live it
  5. Own your Life’s Work
  6. Exhibit a positive, optimistic attitude
  7. Build trusted personal relationships
  8. Differentiate yourself with inquiry and critical thinking; Add value by going the extra mile

Now if you do these things, you’ll be fully engaged in living and as you approach the end of your life’s parade, you’ll be spent and exhausted, but you’ll be happy - for you’ll have lived life fully- and a fully lived life leaves you that way - Spent, Exhausted and Happy!

Now, let your heart soar to its highest place!

Make your life a work of art- Your individual masterpiece!!

Congratulations to you all.