Meaningful achievement. Lasting success.
June 10th, 2010
The President and perseverance
President Obama delivered the commencement address at Kalamazoo Central High School on June 7. His speech roused the graduates to consider the future they are holding in their hands. Here’s what the President said:
Now, graduates, all these folks around you, I have to say, though, with the cameras and the beaming smiles — they’ve worked hard to give you everything you need to pursue your dreams and fulfill your God-given talent. Unfortunately, you can’t take them with you when you leave here. (Laughter.) No one is going to go
follow you around making sure that you’re getting to class on time, making sure you’re doing your work. Nobody is going to be doing that for you. Going forward, that’s all on you — responsibility for your success is squarely on your shoulders.
What does “responsibility for your success” really mean? To me it means having a goal and taking actions that get you to your goal. It means being focused. Most often, up through high school, we are carrying out what someone tells us to do. But as we leave high school the terrain shifts. We have to take charge of our own goals: to be able to define them and to work towards them. This can be challenging or downright difficult if we are used to doing something only “because we have to.” The shift is to do something because you want to. It means having a dream– your dream– and working towards it. It means being able to recognize when you are becoming distracted and how to get yourself back on track. Successful people are focused: they are clear on their goals, and they stay connected through consistent action until they reach their goal. Success means “happy outcome,” and that is what happens when you reach your goal through your own hard work.
The President went on to say, “…meaningful achievement, lasting success — it doesn’t happen in an instant. It’s not about luck, it’s not about a sudden stroke of genius. It’s not usually about talent. It’s usually about daily effort, the large choices and the small choices that you make that add up over time. It’s about the skills you build, and the knowledge you accumulate, and the energy you invest in every task, no matter how trivial or menial it may seem at the time.”
Look at your goals and ask yourself: “Are these my goals or someone else’s?” If they’re not yours you will lose motivation sooner or later. Once you are clear that you own your goals then ask yourself, “Am I doing the things I need to so I can reach my goal, or am I doing things that take me away [distraction]? Be honest with yourself. We have the example of a President who reached his goal through determined, focused action. He did it. You can.
