Congratulations graduating class! You all joined McCombs as teenagers with great aspirations and now ready to take on the world as matured adults. Wish you all the very best.
It is a great pleasure to know you all and have witnessed the extraordinary intellect, energy, and passion. As you take the next step in your journey, I am convinced your energy and passion will change the world. Like me, you should always remember UT’s motto “What starts here changes the world!”
There is no greater joy than to see everyone becoming productive citizens changing the world a little bit better every day. That change can be accomplished being an entrepreneur, business leader, or community leader, championing social causes, and raising a great family.
Yet, there are some things that you want to remember. You are never measured by the input (i.e., working long hours), but only the output (i.e., results). Your value is not measured by how much wealth you accumulate, but by how much you change this world to make it better for the future. You will be only known in this world for what you do to someone you don’t know, than to someone you know. Impacting an unknown person is pure love, everything else is biased J So please remember to serve for the greater good.
Irrespective of the path you take, there are no shortcuts to success. And, there is no straight path to success either; in fact, the path is very bumpy! You will have to overcome hurdles, challenges, disappointments, rejection, failures, and other things that will make you angry, upset, and dejected. Success is about dealing with all these challenges effectively. Perseverance is key. That is when you need great friends and family. My own experience will tell you that the best friends are always those you have made in college. Keep in touch with your friends and cherish and relish all the memories you had last four years.
There are very few people in the world who have succeeded without mentors. So, make sure you identify the right mentors and seek their guidance.
You want to be humble yet, wherever you are, show confidence and make your presence felt. The saying goes “Don’t be too humble, you are not that great!” It is OK to recognize your weakness and improve on that, but perception becomes reality when you show weaknesses too often! Of course, when you are enormously successful being humble makes that success even better!
Frankly, none of what I wrote may be new to you. Nevertheless there is no harm in repeating what you may have heard many times. Wishing you all the very best. Make us – the McCombs family – your own family and friends proud.
And, do not forget to give back to McCombs :-)