Last weekend I was invited to deliver the keynote address to graduates from a non-traditional high school. I’ve participated in commencement exercises before but this particular one was my smallest by far yet proved to be the most stressful. Big crowds typically have too many distractions for you to capture an audience’s attention for an extended period so as long as the wheels don’t completely fall off they’ll clap when you are introduced and clap harder when you finish. This event was different and maybe, just maybe, I could give these students something to think about the next day. In the end, I’ll let you be the judge as I’m sharing the transcript below…
Good Afternoon.
As mentioned my name is Geoff Sanderson and it is an honor to be asked to participate in today’s ceremony. I mean that. Oftentimes these types of speeches attempt to offer profound insight into lessons learned. They go something like “don’t be me, be you, but let me tell you how to be you.”
Right?
Or
“I’m here to tell you about the real world you’re about to enter as you leave behind the pretend world you’ve been living in.”
I’ve had the opportunity to participate in these types of ceremonies in the past and I’ve even delivered those same types of speeches I just criticized unfortunately. The venues were large, crowded, and impersonal so I was pretty excited when your principal invited me to your graduation ceremony.
It is yours by the way.
You students have obviously demonstrated resilience based on the milestone we are here to recognize and I would encourage you to share this day with those of your choosing. The credit is ultimately yours but I suspect many people have supported your efforts along the way. I would argue though today is not a capstone event and the differences are anything but subtle.
I am a school psychologist by trade although my work these days is much less practitioner-based. I do spend considerable time in research on a variety of matters that impact the learning process. One of the contemporary pioneer psychologists I continue to follow is Carol Dweck who gained popularity over a decade ago based on her published theories around mindset, that is, those beliefs that you hold about yourself and your most basic qualities. She is a living legend for people like me and I’d like to describe her ideas a little bit more.
And full disclosure, I am about to attempt to impart some wisdom while confessing that I am notorious for telling my own parents that free advice is worth every penny.
In her earlier studies, Dweck identified two types of mindsets, fixed and growth. In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. You either have it or you don’t; it can’t be changed. In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work – brains and talent are just the starting point. To illustrate, she describes two ways to think about a problem that is slightly too hard for you to solve. Are you not smart enough to solve it … or have you just not solved it yet? That captures the essential difference between the two paradigms.
Okay hold that thought. I’m not going to spend our remaining time (they say all good speeches should cut at about the 10-minute mark) I’m not going to spend our remaining time citing big ideas from more than a decade ago. So enough of that already.
Here it is – listen closely.
YOU NEED TO FIND YOUR PASSION. Students, that’s terrible advice. Let me tell you why (I’ve studied the research on this as well)…
This notion that we have built-in interests lying dormant and waiting to be discovered is a myth. That once you uncover it, your road to happiness is firmly cemented. Your calling in life is not hiding in the dark and all you need to do is look for it. If that were the case we’d be handing out flashlights along with your diplomas. You’re passion isn’t lost; it’s something you come to understand.
The illusion that interests are fixed is problematic because once you find it and you hit a snag, which you will, you’re left with no plan B. You know you have the power to make changes. You’ve proven it. While we can’t control everything about our lives, there are many facets we can control.
I would encourage you to be curious and open to new ideas. Don’t narrow your focus on any one thing because you may miss developing knowledge in other areas that you could have called upon at a later date. Success will more likely await those who take the time through investment and persistence to cultivate and grow their passions in a variety of areas. I do not believe there is only one thing you were meant to do. To prove this point, I’m going to ask for some quick audience participation. Now I realize the inherent risks associated with an impromptu survey among new found friends, but I have confidence in this crowd. By a show of hands, either your left hand or your right hand or both, how many of you can do more than one thing well? Adopting a growth mindset won’t turn you into a superficial generalist. That saying, a jack of all trades is a master of none, isn’t all there is to the expression. The original saying was “a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”
Now more than ever we need bridge builders and I hope you find the courage to share your unique gifts with a diverse group of others. And if you do surround yourself with them, be sure to listen to them, debate with them, even argue with them, but do so respectfully and let them have their say. Your opinions on matters of great importance are learned through study and experience, and I promise you, the truths you know today may not be the same truths you know tomorrow. Give folks the benefit of the doubt and that starts first with you. What I pray for my own children is not that they rule the world, but that they root it. This life is about choice, your choice, your freedom, your right. Always remember the strength that got you here today. And, in the immortal words of Mr. Miyagi, “Never put passion in front of principle. Even if win, you lose.”
Thank you.
What if? Why Not? 