You can view it here: John Legend Commencement Address
Here are a few reasons why I love this speech:
1. "The key to happiness is opening your heart, opening your mind to love."
John Legend loves love as much as I'm happy about happiness. I know that love and happiness go hand in hand, so I feel like we are spreading the same message. John says that he is successful because he has always been passionate about music and he found happiness (and also fame) by doing what he truly loves.
2. "[My parents] took the time to teach us about more than just academics. They taught us about character. About what it means to live a good life. My father often talked to us about his definition of success. He told us it wasn't measured in money or material things. It was measured by love and joy and the lives you are able to touch, the lives you are able to help."
I love this message. I love the simplicity in his words. I think more kids these days need to remember how important love and joy and charity are in this world.
3. "When you actually care about something, you want to lead."
Unfortunately, there are students all over this world who join activities so they will look good on a college application. Students ask me all the time what they should be doing to impress a college. My answer is always, "do whatever makes you happy!" This usually produces some strange looks, but I follow with the same explanation - when you care about what you are doing, you are naturally better at it and you encourage the opportunity to share your talent with others (leadership).
4. "But years from now, when you look back at your time here on earth, your life and your happiness will be way more defined by the quality of your relationships, not the quantity...it's about finding and keeping the best relationships possible with the people around you. It's about immersing yourself in your friendships and your family. It's about being there for people you care about and knowing that they will be there for you."
John talks about his big break coming from the cousin of his friend at Penn. I try to remind my students regularly that college is, of course, about acquiring knowledge and experience but that doesn't only come in the form of classroom learning. It can also come from the people who you meet on the athletic fields, in your dorm, in the cafeteria, on the way to do laundry - get out there and meet people! Network! Connect! What you learn is just as important as who you meet and the impression you leave them with.
5. "Half doing it is not doing it right. You have to go all in."
My grandfather used to say, "It's not worth doing unless you do it right." He was an immigrant and he worked hard his whole life for the few luxuries he had. I see so many students these days who expect that the next step after high school will be college, so they just go through the motions from one opportunity to the next. John makes a great statement that people in all walks of life should remember - no matter what we do, we should put everything we have into the experience.
6. "I want to talk about how love changes the world. There are seven billion people out there. Seven billion strangers. I want you to consider what it means to love them too. What does it mean to love them too? To see the value in every person's life."
This is a beautiful sentiment and one that everyone needs to remember. Teenagers, in particular, can be very self-absorbed. There is so much going on in their lives that they just don't have the time to think about anyone other than themselves in that moment. Still, it's the teenagers who "get it," who reach beyond themselves to serve their community or their family or even people in far off lands, that seem to do well in this process. I'm not saying that teenagers need to simply volunteer and, poof, the college admissions start rolling in. What I'm saying is that they need to enter into these activities with love and passion and the heart to change the world. Whether or not they actually change the world doesn't matter. It's all about the effort, the perspective, the introspection, and the challenge.
John Legend says so many other wonderful things that I will let you discover them for yourself. Enjoy!
3. "When you actually care about something, you want to lead."
Unfortunately, there are students all over this world who join activities so they will look good on a college application. Students ask me all the time what they should be doing to impress a college. My answer is always, "do whatever makes you happy!" This usually produces some strange looks, but I follow with the same explanation - when you care about what you are doing, you are naturally better at it and you encourage the opportunity to share your talent with others (leadership).
4. "But years from now, when you look back at your time here on earth, your life and your happiness will be way more defined by the quality of your relationships, not the quantity...it's about finding and keeping the best relationships possible with the people around you. It's about immersing yourself in your friendships and your family. It's about being there for people you care about and knowing that they will be there for you."
John talks about his big break coming from the cousin of his friend at Penn. I try to remind my students regularly that college is, of course, about acquiring knowledge and experience but that doesn't only come in the form of classroom learning. It can also come from the people who you meet on the athletic fields, in your dorm, in the cafeteria, on the way to do laundry - get out there and meet people! Network! Connect! What you learn is just as important as who you meet and the impression you leave them with.
5. "Half doing it is not doing it right. You have to go all in."
My grandfather used to say, "It's not worth doing unless you do it right." He was an immigrant and he worked hard his whole life for the few luxuries he had. I see so many students these days who expect that the next step after high school will be college, so they just go through the motions from one opportunity to the next. John makes a great statement that people in all walks of life should remember - no matter what we do, we should put everything we have into the experience.
6. "I want to talk about how love changes the world. There are seven billion people out there. Seven billion strangers. I want you to consider what it means to love them too. What does it mean to love them too? To see the value in every person's life."
This is a beautiful sentiment and one that everyone needs to remember. Teenagers, in particular, can be very self-absorbed. There is so much going on in their lives that they just don't have the time to think about anyone other than themselves in that moment. Still, it's the teenagers who "get it," who reach beyond themselves to serve their community or their family or even people in far off lands, that seem to do well in this process. I'm not saying that teenagers need to simply volunteer and, poof, the college admissions start rolling in. What I'm saying is that they need to enter into these activities with love and passion and the heart to change the world. Whether or not they actually change the world doesn't matter. It's all about the effort, the perspective, the introspection, and the challenge.
John Legend says so many other wonderful things that I will let you discover them for yourself. Enjoy!
