There are many life lessons that many of us learn too late to benefit from. Denzel Washington gave a speech at a graduation ceremony and came up with a few bits of great advice. In fact many of the lessons hold true at any age. Dream big, fail forward and be thankful for what you have.
Are you holding back and denying the world your talents because you are too scared of failure? Failure is a good thing provided you learn from it. As a mentor of mine says, Fail forward and fail fast.
The sooner you find out what doesn’t work, the sooner you can find what does. Many entrepreneurs don’t end up with the business they originally start. The lessons you learn from a failed venture will take you closer to your ultimate success.
You got to give it everything you got whether it’s, your time, your talent, your prayers or your treasures. Because remember this, 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?
Whatever your gift is. What are you going to do with what you have. Fail, that’s right fail. Because today is the beginning of the rest of your life, and it can be, could 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, take chances professionally, don’t be afraid to fail. 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, and they ultimately fuel disappointment, so have dreams but have goals, life goals, yearly goals, monthly goals, daily goals.
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 and consistency every day, not just want to miss a few days.
You have to work at it every day, you have to plan every day. You’ve heard the saying if we fail to plan we plan to fail. Working really hard is what successful people do. But 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. You can run in place all the time and never get anywhere. So continue to strive, continue to have goals, continue to progress. Nothing in life is worthwhile unless you take risks.
Nothing. Nelson Mandela said there is no passion to be found playing small and settling for a life that’s less than the one you’re capable of living. You know 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, to make sure you got something to fall back on. 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 have always liked the Thomas Edison quote about failure.
Thomas Edison famously said that he hadn’t failed, he had simply found a thousand ways that didn’t work. Every failed experiment is one step closer to success. Don’t be afraid to take risks in life.
There were three important points given in the graduation speech.
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 a 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 continue to fail and fail and fail, but it didn’t matter, because you know what there’s, an old saying, You hang around the barbershop 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. 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 every graduate here today has the training and the talent to succeed, but do you have the guts to fail.
If you don’t fail, you’re not trying
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 deathbed and standing around your deathbed are the ghosts representing your unfulfilled potential, the ghosts of your ideas. You never acted on the ghosts of the talents you didn’t use and they’re standing around your bed angry, disappointed and upset.They say 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 how many ghosts are going to be around your bed when your time comes. Don’t only take risks but be open to life, to accept new views and to be open to new opinions.
It may be frightening but it will also be rewarding. Never be discouraged, never hold back. Give everything you got and when you fall throughout life, remember this fall forward.
The end of the speech highlights the importance of giving thanks and showing gratitude. I am a great believer in keeping a gratitude journal. Every evening record 3 things that you have to be grateful for. These can be simple things. This should be a part of developing a healthy mindset for mental wellbeing.
Show gratitude
Say thank you. 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.
You want to do that thing that you want to do to help others, to grow and to make money, that desire that itch that’s, God’s work.
The ideal business for anyone, is to make money while serving a higher purpose. If you can make money while providing a product or service that benefits others then you will always be successful.
Work hard to get what you want and when you get it, reach back and pull someone else up. Don’t just aspire to make a living, aspire to make a difference.
Dream big, Fail forward
These are great ideals to live by. It’s a shame that in most cases people don’t learn life lessons from what they are told. Unfortunately many important life lessons are only learnt by experience. We all find our own mantras in life for the way we want to live. Certainly dream big and fail forward is great advice that I can’t fault.
Source : Youtube