On May 9, 2015, Oscar-award-winning actor Denzel Washington spoke at the Dillard University commencement ceremony. He began with the usual thank yous and congratulations. Then he moved into some powerful advice for the young men and women.
He gave the graduates three “stories” which were life tips that worked well for him.
The first was about how just as he didn’t make it on his own, the graduates haven’t either. He summed it up with three words:
Put. God. First.
Washington explained further:
Put God first in everything you do. Everything that you think you see in me, everything that I’ve accomplished, everything that you think I have, and I have a few things, everything that I have is by the grace of God.
The second “story” was “fail big”:
You only live once, so do what you feel passionate about, passionate about. Take chances, professionally. Don’t be afraid to fail.
There’s an old I.Q. test with nine dots and you had to draw five lines with a pencil within these five dots without lifting the pencil. The only way to do it was to go outside the box. So don’t be afraid to go outside the box.
The final “story” was about not focusing on “stuff”:
You’ll never see a U-Haul behind a hearse. I don’t care how much money you make, you can’t take it with you. The Egyptians tried it. They got robbed.
