you've invested a lot in your education and people have invested in you and let me tell you the world needs your talents and does it ever the world needs a lot and we need it from you we really do we need it from you young people i mean i'm not speaking to the rest of us up here but i know i'm getting a little grayer we need it from you the young people because remember this so you got to get out there you got to give it everything you got whether it's your time your your your talent your prayers or your treasures because remember this [Music] you will never see a u-haul behind a hearse i'll say it again you will never see a u-haul behind a hearse you can't take it with you the egyptians tried it and all they got was robbed so the question is what are you going to do with what you have i'm not talking about how much you have some of you were business majors some of you are theologians nurses sociologists some of you have money some of you have patience some of you have kindness some of you have loved some of you have the gift of long suffering whatever it is whatever your gift is what are you going to do with what you have fail big that's right fail big today is the beginning of the rest of your life and it can be it's going to be very frightening it's a new world out there it's a mean world out there and you only live once so do what you feel passionate about passionate about take chances professionally don't be afraid to fail there's an old iq test was nine dots and you had to draw five lines with a pencil within these nine dots without lifting the pencil the only way to do it was to go outside the box so don't be afraid to go outside the box don't be afraid to think outside the box don't be afraid to fail big to dream big but remember dreams without goals are just dreams [Music] and they ultimately fuel disappointment so have dreams but have goals life goals yearly goals monthly goals daily goals i try to give myself a goal every day sometimes just to not curse somebody out simple goals but have goals and understand that to achieve these goals you must apply discipline and consistency in order to achieve your goals you must apply discipline which you've already done and consistency every day not just on tuesday and miss a few days you have to work at it every day you have to plan every day you've heard the saying we don't plan to fail we fail to plan hard work works working really hard is what successful people do and in this text tweet twerk world that you've grown up in remember just because you're doing a lot more doesn't mean you're getting a lot more done remember that just because you're doing a lot more doesn't mean you're getting a lot more done don't confuse movement with progress my mother told me yeah yeah cause you can run in place all the time and never get anywhere so continue to strive continue to have goals continue to progress i found that nothing in life is worthwhile unless you take risks nothing [Music] nelson mandela said there is no passion to be found playing small in settling for a life that's less than the one you're capable of living now i'm sure in your experiences in school and applying to college and picking your major and deciding what you want to do with life i'm sure people have told you to make sure you have something to fall back on make sure you got something to fall back on honey but i never understood that concept having something to fall back on if i'm going to fall i don't want to fall back on anything except my faith i want to fall forward i figure at least this way i'll see what i'm going to hit fall forward this is what i mean reggie jackson struck out 2600 times in his career the most in the history of baseball but you don't hear about the strikeouts people remember the home runs [Music] fall forward thomas edison conducted one thousand failed experiments did you know that i didn't know that because the one thousand and first was the light bulb fall forward every failed experiment is one step closer to success you've got to take risks and i'm sure you've probably heard that before but i want to talk to you about why that's so important i got three reasons and then you can pick up your iphones first you will fail at some point in your life accept it you will lose you will embarrass yourself you will suck at something there's no doubt about it and i know that's probably not a traditional message for a graduation ceremony but hey i'm telling you embrace it because it's inevitable and i should know in the acting business you fail all the time early on in my career i auditioned for a part in a broadway musical perfect role for me i thought except for the fact that i can't sing i didn't get the job but here's the thing i didn't quit i didn't fall back i walked out of there to prepare for the next audition and the next audition and the next audition i prayed i prayed and i prayed but i continued to fail and fail and fail but it didn't matter because you know what there's an old saying you hang around the barber shop long enough sooner or later you're going to get a haircut so you will catch a break and i did catch a break last year i did a play called fences on broadway so someone talked about it won the tony award and i didn't have to sing by the way but here's the kicker it was at the court theater it was at the same theater that i failed that first audition 30 years prior the point is and i'll pick up the pace the point is every graduate here today has the training and the talent to succeed but do you have the guts to fail here's my second point about failure if you don't fail you're not even trying i'll say it again if you don't fail you're not even trying my wife told me this great expression to get something you never had you have to do something you never did les brown's a motivational speaker he made an analogy about this he says imagine you're on your death bed and standing around your deathbed are the ghosts representing your unfulfilled potential the ghost of the ideas you never acted on the ghost of the talents you didn't use and they're standing around your bed angry disappointed and upset they say we we came to you because you could have brought us to life they say and now we have to go to the grave together so i ask you today how many ghosts are going to be around your bed when your time comes not only take risks but to be open to life to accept new views and to be open to new opinions to be willing to speak at a commencement at one of the best country best universities in the country even though you're scared stiff while it may be frightening it will also be rewarding because the chances you take the people you meet the people you love the faith that you have that's what's going to define you never be discouraged never hold back give everything you got and when you fall throughout life and remember this fall forward [Music] say thank you for grace thank you for mercy thank you for understanding thank you for wisdom thank you for parents thank you for love thank you for kindness thank you for humility thank you for peace thank you for prosperity say thank you in advance for what's already yours that's how i live my life that's why i why i am one of the reasons why i am today say thank you in advance for what is already yours true desire in the heart for anything good is god's proof to you sent beforehand to indicate that it's yours already say it again true desire in the heart that itch that you have whatever it is you want to do that thing that you want to do to help others and to to grow and to make money that desire that it's that's god's proof to you sent beforehand already to indicate that it's yours and anything you want good you can have so claim it work hard to get it when you get it reach back pull someone else up each one teach one don't just aspire to make a living aspire to make a difference you