Admiral McRaven addresses the University of Texas at Austin Class of 2014
Summary
TLDRDans ce discours de remise des diplômes, l'orateur, un ancien SEAL de la Marine, partage les leçons apprises lors de sa formation et comment elles peuvent s'appliquer à tous, quel que soit le contexte. Il encourage la classe de 2014 à changer le monde, en commençant par des actions simples comme faire son lit, en travaillant ensemble, en surmontant les obstacles et en restant optimiste même face aux défis les plus difficiles. Il met en évidence l'importance de ne jamais abandonner et de maintenir l'espoir, car un seul individu peut avoir un impact énorme sur le monde.
Takeaways
- 🎓 L'importance de commencer par les petits gestes, comme faire son lit, pour établir une routine positive et encourageante.
- 🚣♂️ La nécessité de travailler en équipe et de compter sur les autres pour changer le monde.
- 🌟 La valeur de chaque individu, indépendamment de son origine ou de sa taille, dans la réalisation de la réussite collective.
- 👔 L'acceptation des défis et des échecs comme partie intégrante du processus de formation et de vie.
- 🤸♂️ La résilience et la force intérieure qui peuvent être développées à travers les épreuves physiques et mentales.
- 🎢 Ne pas craindre les obstacles, mais plutôt les affronter avec détermination et parfois même en prenant des risques.
- 🦈 L'importance de ne pas se laisser décourager par les 'requins' (les défis) que l'on rencontre dans la vie.
- 🌌 La nécessité d'être concentré et performant même dans les moments les plus sombres et difficiles.
- 🎤 Le pouvoir de l'espoir et de l'optimisme, même face aux situations les plus désespérées.
- 🛎️ Ne jamais abandonner, symbolisé par le fait de ne pas 'frapper la cloche' pour renoncer à son entraînement ou à ses objectifs.
- 🌏 L'impact potentiel de la classe de 2014 à changer le monde, en commençant par des actions positives et en s'entraidant.
Q & A
Quel slogan de l'Université est mentionné dans le discours et en quoi consiste-t-il selon le locuteur ?
-Le slogan mentionné est 'What starts here changes the world'. Selon le locuteur, cela signifie que ce qui commence à l'Université peut avoir un impact mondial, en commençant par les étudiants qui peuvent changer la vie de personnes et de générations futures.
Combien de personnes, selon le discours, une personne moyenne rencontre-t-elle au cours de sa vie ?
-Selon le discours, une personne moyenne rencontre 10 000 personnes au cours de sa vie.
Quel exemple donné par le locuteur illustre comment un petit nombre de personnes peut avoir un impact énorme sur le monde ?
-L'exemple donné est que si chaque étudiant change la vie de 10 personnes, qui à leur tour changent la vie de 10 autres personnes, et ainsi de suite, en cinq générations, la classe de 2014 aura changé la vie de 800 millions de personnes.
Quels sont les éléments de formation du SEAL que le locuteur a mentionnés et comment ils peuvent être appliqués à la vie quotidienne ?
-Le locuteur mentionne des éléments tels que faire son lit chaque matin, travailler en équipe, ne pas se laisser décourager par les échecs, et persévérer malgré les difficultés. Ces éléments peuvent être appliqués à la vie quotidienne en développant des habitudes positives, en travaillant efficacement avec les autres, en surmontant les obstacles et en restant motivé face aux défis.
Pourquoi est-il important de faire son lit chaque matin selon le locuteur ?
-Selon le locuteur, faire son lit chaque matin est une petite tâche qui peut apporter un sentiment de fierté et encourager à accomplir d'autres tâches tout au long de la journée. Cela renforce également l'importance des petits détails dans la vie.
Quel est le message que le locuteur veut transmettre en utilisant l'exemple de l'équipe 'munchkin crew' lors de la formation SEAL ?
-Le message est que le succès ne dépend pas de la taille, de l'origine ethnique ou du statut social, mais de la volonté de réussir. L'équipe 'munchkin crew', malgré sa taille, a surpassé toutes les autres équipes, démontrant que la détermination et la cohésion peuvent triompher de l'infériorité apparente.
Que signifie le terme 'sugar cookie' dans le contexte de la formation SEAL et quel enseignement cela véhicule ?
-Le terme 'sugar cookie' fait référence à l'effet d'être en uniforme trempé et couvert de sable après avoir échoué un contrôle d'uniforme. Cela enseigne que parfois, malgré les efforts, on peut échouer et devoir faire face à des conséquences désagréables, mais il est important de continuer d'avancer.
Pourquoi les étudiants qui ont échoué aux épreuves physiques étaient-ils invités à un 'circus' et quel est l'enseignement associé ?
-Le 'circus' était une séance de deux heures de calisthénie supplémentaires destinée à épuiser les étudiants et à les pousser à abandonner. L'enseignement est que la vie est remplie d'épreuves difficiles ('circuses') et qu'il est important de ne pas craindre ces moments, mais de les utiliser pour grandir et se renforcer.
Quel est le conseil du locuteur concernant la façon de changer le monde malgré les obstacles et les échecs ?
-Le locuteur conseille de ne pas hésiter à affronter les obstacles tête baissée, de ne pas reculer devant les 'requins' (les défis), d'être le meilleur soi-même même dans les moments les plus sombres et de ne jamais abandonner, même face aux échecs et aux difficultés.
Quel est le symbole de l'abandon dans la formation SEAL et pourquoi est-il important de ne pas le sonner ?
-Le symbole de l'abandon est une cloche en laiton. Il est important de ne pas la sonner car cela représente le renoncement et l'abandon de la formation, qui est un voyage pour devenir un SEAL. Le locuteur encourage les étudiants à ne jamais abandonner, même face aux défis les plus difficiles.
Quel est le message final du locuteur pour la classe de 2014 et comment cela se relie-t-il au thème du discours ?
-Le message final est que la classe de 2014 est sur le point de commencer son propre voyage pour changer le monde pour le mieux. Le locuteur les encourage à commencer chaque jour avec une tâche accomplie, à trouver de l'aide, à respecter tout le monde, à prendre des risques et à ne jamais abandonner, ce qui est en accord avec le thème du discours sur la façon dont on peut changer le monde.
Outlines
🎓 Introduction et impact potentiel des diplômés
Le discours commence par des remerciements et une introduction personnelle du conférencier, qui souligne l'honneur de parler aux diplômés de 2014. Il partage ses souvenirs de son propre diplôme à l'Université du Texas, mais admet ne pas se souvenir du conférencier de commencement de cette époque. Il propose de rendre son discours court, mais significatif. Il cite le slogan de l'Université 'What starts here changes the world' et imagine la puissance de changer la vie de 10 personnes par étudiant, ce qui pourrait, en cinq générations, influencer 800 millions de personnes. Il encourage les diplômés à agir avec la conviction que leurs actions peuvent changer le monde.
🛏️ L'importance de commencer par un petit geste
Le conférencier partage la première leçon qu'il a apprise pendant son entraînement en tant que Navy SEAL : faire son lit chaque matin. Il explique que cet acte simple et quotidien peut avoir un impact sur la productivité et la satisfaction personnelle. Il insiste sur l'importance de commencer la journée avec une tâche accomplie et de reconnaître la valeur des petits gestes dans la vie. Il suggère que cela peut encourager à poursuivre d'autres tâches et à maintenir l'ordre dans la vie quotidienne, même en cas de journée difficile.
🚣♂️ Travail d'équipe et la nécessité de l'aide
Dans cette partie, l'orateur évoque l'importance du travail d'équipe, illustrée par l'expérience des équipiers de bateaux pendant le SEAL training. Chaque membre doit pédaler avec synchronisation et effort égal pour avancer à travers les vagues. Il utilise cette métaphore pour dire que changer le monde nécessite l'aide d'autrui, des collègues, des amis, et la bonne volonté des étrangers, ainsi que la guidance d'un chef expérimenté. Il insiste sur le fait que personne ne peut changer le monde seul et que l'on a besoin de l'aide pour atteindre les objectifs.
🏊♂️ L'égalité et la volonté de réussir
Le discours se poursuit avec une histoire sur l'importance de la volonté de réussir, indépendamment de la taille, de l'origine ethnique ou de l'éducation. Il raconte comment une équipe de 'petits', appelée 'la crew des munchkins', a surpassé toutes les autres équipes en force et en endurance. Il souligne que l'entraînement SEAL est un grand égalisateur et que la seule chose qui compte est la volonté de réussir. Il encourage les diplômés à mesurer une personne par la taille de leur cœur plutôt que par leur apparence physique.
👔 L'acceptation de l'échec et la persévérance
L'auteur partage son expérience des inspections d'uniforme rigoureuses pendant le SEAL training, où même les efforts les plus assidus pouvaient être déclarés insuffisants. Il explique que cette expérience enseigne à accepter que parfois, malgré nos efforts, nous pouvons échouer ou être traités injustement. Il suggère que comprendre le but de ces épreuves est crucial pour la réussite et que l'on doit persévérer même face à l'échec et continuer d'avancer.
🏋️♂️ Renforcement de la résilience face à l'épreuve
Dans cette section, il est question de la 'circus', une séance d'exercices supplémentaires infligée aux étudiants qui ne respectent pas les normes. Il explique que malgré la difficulté et la fatigue, ceux qui étaient souvent soumis à ces 'circuses' devenaient plus forts physiquement et mentalement. Il utilise cette expérience pour dire que la vie est remplie d'épreuves et que l'on doit apprendre à construire de la résilience et de la force intérieure face à ces défis.
🤺 Prise de risques et innovation pour surmonter les obstacles
L'orateur partage une histoire sur la manière dont un élève a brisé le record du parcours d'obstacles en prenant des risques et en innovant. Il met en avant l'importance de ne pas avoir peur de changer les choses et d'essayer de nouvelles approches pour surmonter les obstacles. Il suggère que pour changer le monde, il faut parfois être audacieux et ne pas hésiter à affronter les risques.
🦈 Avoir le courage de faire face aux défis
Il est question de la nécessité de faire face aux défis, symbolisés par les requins, lors des entraînements de nage nocturnes. Il encourage à ne pas reculer devant les obstacles et à rester courageux même face à la peur. Il suggère que pour changer le monde, il faut avoir le courage de faire face aux défis et de ne pas se laisser décourager par la peur.
🌑 Maintien de la calme dans les moments les plus sombres
Le discours se poursuit avec une description de la nécessité de rester calme et concentré lors des moments les plus difficiles, comme lorsqu'un SEAL doit nager sous le quille d'un navire. Il utilise cette expérience pour dire que pour changer le monde, il est important d'être à son meilleur dans les moments les plus sombres et les plus difficiles.
🎤 Le pouvoir de l'espoir et de l'unité face à l'adversité
L'auteur raconte l'histoire de 'Hell Week', une période d'entraînement intense où les élèves doivent faire face à des conditions extrêmes. Il partage comment l'unité et l'espoir, incarnés par la chanson collective dans la boue, ont aidé à surmonter les difficultés. Il insiste sur le pouvoir de l'espoir pour changer le monde et encourage à ne jamais abandonner, même dans les moments les plus durs.
🔔 La persévérance jusqu'au bout et la signification de ne jamais abandonner
Le discours se termine avec une réflexion sur la signification de ne jamais abandonner, symbolisée par le fait de ne pas frapper la cloche qui signifie arrêter l'entraînement. Il encourage les diplômés à persévérer dans leurs objectifs et à ne jamais cesser de travailler pour un monde meilleur. Il les exhorte à utiliser les leçons apprises pour créer un impact positif sur le monde et à ne jamais lâcher l'espoir.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Commencement speaker
💡Changer le monde
💡Navy SEAL
💡Entraînement SEAL de base
💡Faire son lit
💡Solidarité
💡Discipline
💡Resilience
💡Espoir
💡Risques
💡Persévérance
Highlights
The commencement speaker admits not remembering his own commencement speaker, emphasizing the importance of brevity.
The University's slogan 'What starts here changes the world' is mentioned as a source of inspiration.
The potential impact of the graduating class of 2014 is calculated to reach 800 million people over five generations.
The speaker's personal experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan demonstrate the power of individual decisions.
The idea that changing the world can happen anywhere and by anyone is presented.
Basic SEAL training is described as a crucible of challenges designed to find leaders in adversity.
Making your bed every morning is highlighted as a simple act with profound implications for success.
The importance of teamwork and synchronizing efforts is illustrated through the boat crew paddling exercise.
The 'munchkin crew' story exemplifies that success in SEAL training is not about physical size but willpower.
The 'sugar cookie' exercise shows the importance of perseverance despite seemingly unattainable standards.
The 'circus' is introduced as a metaphor for life's challenges that can build inner strength and resilience.
Innovation and risk-taking are encouraged through the story of breaking the obstacle course record.
The 'sharks' analogy is used to discuss overcoming fear and adversity in the pursuit of goals.
Conducting underwater attacks is described to illustrate the need for calm and focus in challenging situations.
Hell Week and the power of hope are discussed as crucial elements of SEAL training and life.
The significance of never giving up, symbolized by not ringing the bell, is emphasized.
The commencement speech concludes with a call to action for the class of 2014 to start changing the world.
Transcripts
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Thank you, President Powers, Provost Fenves, Deans, members of the faculty, family and
friends and most importantly, the class of 2014.
It is indeed an honor for me to be here tonight.
It's been almost 37 years to the day that I graduated from UT.
I remember a lot of things about that day.
I remember I had throbbing headache from a party the night before.
I remember I had a serious girlfriend, whom I later married—that's important to remember,
by the way—and I remember I was getting commissioned in the Navy that day.
But of all the things I remember, I don't have a clue who the commencement speaker was,
and I certainly don't remember anything they said.
So, acknowledging that fact, if I can't make this commencement speech memorable, I will
at least try to make it short.
The University's slogan is, "What starts here changes the world."
I've got to admit, I kinda like it.
"What starts here changes the world."
Tonight there are almost 8,000 students, there are more than 8,000 students graduating from
UT.
That great paragon of analytical rigor, Ask.Com, says that the average American will meet 10,000
people in their lifetime.
10,000 people.
That's a lot of folks.
But if every one of you changed the lives of just 10 people, and each one of those people
changed the lives of another 10 people, and another 10, then in five generations—125
years—the class of 2014 will have changed the lives of 800 million people.
800 million people.
Think about it: over twice the population of the United States.
Go one more generation and you can change the entire population of the world: eight
billion people.
If you think it's hard to change the lives of 10 people—change their lives forever—you're
wrong.
I saw it happen every day in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A young Army officer makes a decision to go left instead of right down a road in Baghdad,
and the 10 soldiers with him are saved from close-in ambush.
In Kandahar province in Afghanistan, a non-commissioned officer from the Female Engagement Team senses
something isn't right and directs the infantry platoon away from a 500-pound IED, saving
the lives of a dozen soldiers.
But, if you think about it, not only were these soldiers saved by the decisions of one
person, but their children were saved.
And their children's children.
Generations were saved by one decision, by one person.
But changing the world can happen anywhere, and anyone can do it.
So, what starts here can indeed change the world, but the question is: What will the
world look like after you change it?
Well, I am confident that it will look much, much better.
But if you will humor this old sailor for just a moment, I have a few suggestions that
may help you on your way to a better a world.
And while these lessons were learned during my time in the military, I can assure you
that it matters not whether you ever served a day in uniform.
It matters not your gender, your ethnic or religious background, your orientation, or
your social status.
Our struggles in this world are similar, and the lessons to overcome those struggles and
to move forward—changing ourselves and changing the world around us—will apply equally to
all.
I have been a Navy SEAL for 36 years.
But it all began when I left UT for Basic SEAL training in Coronado, California.
Basic SEAL training is six months of long, torturous runs in the soft sand, midnight
swims in the cold water off San Diego, obstacles courses, unending calisthenics, days without
sleep and always being cold, wet and miserable.
It is six months of being constantly harassed by professionally trained warriors who seek
to find the weak of mind and body and eliminate them from ever becoming a Navy SEAL.
But the training also seeks to find those students who can lead in an environment of
constant stress, chaos, failure and hardships.
To me, basic SEAL training was a lifetime of challenges crammed into six months.
So, here are the 10 lesson's I learned from basic SEAL training that hopefully will be
of value to you as you move forward in life.
Every morning in SEAL training, my instructors, who at the time were all Viet Nam veterans,
would show up in my barracks room, and the first thing they would inspect was my bed.
If you did it right, the corners would be square, the covers pulled tight, the pillow
centered just under the headboard and the extra blanket folded neatly at the foot of
the rack.
It was a simple task, mundane at best.
But every morning we were required to make our bed to perfection.
It seemed a little ridiculous at the time, particularly in light of the fact that were
aspiring to be real warriors, tough battle-hardened SEALs.
But the wisdom of this simple act has been proven to me many times over.
If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day.
It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task,
and another, and another.
And by the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed.
Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that the little things in life matter.
If you can't do the little things right, you will never be able to do the big things right.
And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made—that
you made—and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.
If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.
During SEAL training the students...during training the student are broken down into
boat crews.
Each crew is seven students—three on each side of a small rubber boat and one coxswain
to help guide the dingy.
Every day your boat crew forms up on the beach and is instructed to get through the surf
zone and paddle several miles down the coast.
In the winter, the surf off San Diego can get to be 8 to 10 feet high and it is exceedingly
difficult to paddle through the plunging surf unless everyone digs in.
Every paddle must be synchronized to the stroke count of the coxswain.
Everyone must exert equal effort or the boat will turn against the wave and be unceremoniously
dumped back on the beach.
For the boat to make it to its destination, everyone must paddle.
You can't change the world alone—you will need some help.
And to truly get from your starting point to your destination takes friends, colleagues,
the good will of strangers and a strong coxswain to guide you.
If you want to change the world, find someone to help you paddle.
Over a few weeks of difficult training my SEAL class, which started with 150 men, was
down to just 42.
There were now six boat crews of seven men each.
I was in the boat with the tall guys, but the best boat crew we had was made up of the
little guys—"the munchkin crew," we called them—no one was over five-foot-five.
The munchkin boat crew had one American Indian, one African American, one Polish America,
one Greek American, one Italian American, and two tough kids from the Midwest.
They out-paddled, out-ran and out-swam all the other boat crews.
The big men in the other boat crews would always make good-natured fun of the tiny little
flippers the munchkins put on their tiny little feet prior to every swim.
But somehow these little guys, from every corner of the nation and the world, always
had the last laugh, swimming faster than everyone and reaching the shore long before the rest
of us.
SEAL training was a great equalizer.
Nothing mattered but your will to succeed.
Not your color, not your ethnic background, not your education and not your social status.
If you want to change the world, measure a person by the size of their heart, not by
the size of their flippers.
Several times a week, the instructors would line up the class and do a uniform inspection.
It was exceptionally thorough.
Your hat had to be perfectly starched, your uniform immaculately pressed and your belt
buckle shiny and void of any smudges.
But it seemed that no matter how much effort you put into starching your hat, or pressing
your uniform or polishing your belt buckle, it just wasn't good enough.
The instructors would fine something wrong.
For failing the uniform inspection, the student had to run, fully clothed into the surf zone.
Then, wet from head to toe, roll around on the beach until every part of your body was
covered with sand.
The effect was known as "sugar cookie."
You stayed in the uniform the rest of the day—cold, wet and sandy.
There were many a student who just couldn't accept the fact that all their efforts were
in vain.
That no matter how hard they tried to get the uniform right, it was unappreciated.
Those students didn't make it through training.
Those students didn't understand the purpose of the drill.
You were never going to succeed.
You were never going to have a perfect uniform.
The instructors weren't going to allow it.
Sometimes no matter how well you prepare or how well you perform you still end up as a
sugar cookie.
It's just the way life is sometimes.
If you want to change the world, get over being a sugar cookie and keep moving forward.
Every day during training you were challenged with multiple physical events—long runs,
long swims, obstacle courses, hours of calisthenics—something designed to test your mettle.
Every event had standards, times you had to meet.
If you failed to meet those times, those standards, your name was posted on a list and at the
end of the day those on the list were invited to a "circus."
A circus was two hours of additional calisthenics, designed to wear you down, to break your spirit,
to force you to quit.
No one wanted a circus.
A circus meant that for that day you didn't measure up.
A circus meant more fatigue, and more fatigue meant that the following day would be more
difficult, and more circuses were likely.
But at some time during SEAL training, everyone—everyone—made the circus list.
But an interesting thing happened to those who were constantly on the list.
Over time, those students—who did two hours of extra calisthenics—got stronger and stronger.
The pain of the circuses built inner strength and physical resiliency.
Life is filled with circuses.
You will fail.
You will likely fail often.
It will be painful.
It will be discouraging.
At times it will test you to your very core.
But if you want to change the world, don't be afraid of the circuses.
At least twice a week, the trainees were required to run the obstacle course.
The obstacle course contained 25 obstacles, including a 10-foot wall, a 30-foot cargo
net and a barbed wire crawl, to name a few.
But the most challenging obstacle was the slide for life.
It had a three-level, 30-foot tower at one end and a one-level tower at the other.
In between was a 200-foot-long rope.
You had to climb the three tiered tower and, once at the top, you grabbed the rope, swung
underneath the rope and pulled yourself, hand over hand, until you got to the other end.
The record for the obstacle course had stood for years when my class began in 1977.
The record seemed unbeatable.
Until one day, a student decided to go down the slide for life head first.
Instead of swinging his body underneath the rope and inching his way down, he bravely
mounted the TOP of the rope and thrust himself forward.
It was a dangerous move—seemingly foolish and fraught with risk.
Failure could mean injury and being dropped from the course.
Without hesitation the student slid down the rope perilously fast.
Instead of several minutes, it only took him half that time.
And by the end of the course he had broken the record.
If you want to change the world, sometimes you have to slide down the obstacles head
first.
During the land warfare phase of training, the students are flown out to San Clemente
Island, which lies off the coast of San Diego.
The waters off San Clemente are a breeding ground for the great white sharks.
To pass SEAL training there are a series of long swims that must be completed.
One is the night swim.
Before the swim the instructors joyfully brief the students on all the species of sharks
that inhabit the waters off San Clemente.
They assure you, however, that no student has ever been eaten by a shark—at least
not that they can remember.
But, you are also taught that if a shark begins to circle your position, stand your ground.
Do not swim away.
Do not act afraid.
And if the shark, hungry for a midnight snack, darts towards you, then summons up all your
strength and punch him in the snout, and he will turn and swim away.
There are a lot of sharks in the world.
If you hope to complete the swim you will have to deal with them.
So, if you want to change the world, don't back down from the sharks.
As Navy SEALs one of our jobs is to conduct underwater attacks against enemy shipping.
We practiced this technique extensively during training.
The ship attack mission is where a pair of SEAL divers is dropped off outside an enemy
harbor and then swims well over two miles, under water, using nothing but a depth gauge
and a compass to get to the target.
During the entire swim, even well below the surface, there is some light that comes through.
It is comforting to know that there is open water above you.
But as you approach the ship, which is tied to a pier, the light begins to fade.
The steel structure of the ship blocks the moonlight.
It blocks the surrounding street lamps.
It blocks all ambient light.
To be successful in your mission, you have to swim under the ship and find the keel:
the centerline and the deepest part of the ship.
This is your objective.
But the keel is also the darkest part of the ship—where you cannot see your hand in front
of your face, where the noise from the ship's machinery is deafening and where it get to
be easily disoriented and you can fail.
Every SEAL knows that under the keel, at the darkest moment of the mission, is the time
when you need to be calm, when you must be calm, when you must be composed, when all
your tactical skills, your physical power and all your inner strength must be brought
to bear.
If you want to change the world, you must be your very best in the darkest moments.
The ninth week of training is referred to as "Hell Week."
It is six days of no sleep, constant physical and mental harassment and one special day
at the Mud Flats.
The Mud Flats are area between San Diego and Tijuana where the water runs off and creates
the Tijuana slues, a swampy patch of terrain where the mud will engulf you.
It is on Wednesday of Hell Week that you paddle down to the mud flats and spend the next 15
hours trying to survive the freezing cold, the howling wind and the incessant pressure
to quit from the instructors.
As the sun began to set that Wednesday evening, my training class, having committed some "egregious
infraction of the rules," was ordered into the mud.
The mud consumed each man 'til there was nothing visible but our heads.
The instructors told us we could leave the mud if only five men would quit—only five
men, just five men and we could get out of the oppressive cold.
Looking around the mud flat it was apparent that some students were about to give up.
It was still over eight hours till the sun came up, eight more hours of bone chilling
cold.
The chattering teeth and shivering moans of the trainees were so loud it was hard to hear
anything.
And then, one voice began to echo through the night.
One voice raised in song.
The song was terribly out of tune but sung with great enthusiasm.
One voice became two, and two became three, and before long everyone in the class was
singing.
The instructors threatened us with more time in the mud if we kept up the singing, but
the singing persisted.
And somehow the mud seemed a little warmer, and the wind a little tamer and the dawn not
so far away.
If I have learned anything in my time traveling the world, it is the power of hope.
The power of one person—Washington, Lincoln, King, Mandela and even a young girl from Pakistan,
Malala—one person can change the world by giving people hope.
So, if you want to change the world, start singing when you're up to your neck in mud.
Finally, in SEAL training there is a bell.
A brass bell that hangs in the center of the compound for all the students to see.
All you have to do to quit is ring the bell.
Ring the bell and you no longer have to wake up at 5 o'clock.
Ring the bell and you no longer have to be in the freezing cold swims.
Ring the bell and you no longer have to do the runs, the obstacle course, the PT, and
you no longer have to endure the hardships of training.
All you have to do is ring the bell to get out.
If you want to change the world don't ever, ever ring the bell.
To the class of 2014, you are moments away from graduating.
Moments away from beginning your journey through life.
Moments away from starting to change the world for the better.
It will not be easy.
But, YOU are the class of 2014—the class that can affect the lives of 800 million people
in the next century.
Start each day with a task completed.
Find someone to help you through life.
Respect everyone.
Know that life is not fair and that you will fail often, but if take you take some risks,
step up when the times are toughest, face down the bullies, lift up the downtrodden
and never, ever give up—if you do these things, the next generation and the generations
that follow will live in a world far better than the one we have today, and what started
here will indeed have changed the world—for the better.
Thank you very much.
Hook 'em horns.
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