Commencement season is here once again. Every year commencement ceremony organizers scramble to find that one speaker that can deliver a powerful piece of advice that sends college graduates off into the world feeling inspired and ready to take on the challenges that the real world will soon throw in their path. Sadly, the vast majority of commencement speeches are totally forgettable snoozers.
Fortunately, every year we also seem to have a breakout performance by some honoree that delivers a true piece of indelible inspiration and through the wonders of the Internet, we all get to hear it. In 2005, Steve Jobs delivered an immortal speech at Stanford that everyone should listen to. You can look it up on YouTube.
This year we are blessed to have another memorable speech. The honor for the 4 Power Performance of the year goes to Admiral William H. McRaven who delivered a stirring talk at the University of Texas on how to change the world. This is a commencement address for everyone not just the lucky graduates who had the opportunity to hear it live. His first piece of advice, “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.” It gets even more interesting from there.
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