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300 Ways to Get Inpired
I got a flat tire today and spent hours getting it fixed. Thanks to NPR for lifting me out of my mood with their curation of The Best Commencement Speeches, Ever. And like The Godfather, I defy you to click on the link without getting sucked in. My favorites so far are from Conan O’Brien, Amy Poehler, the late great Nora Ephron and George Saunders. Let me know of others I shouldn’t miss.
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14 comments for “300 Ways to Get Inpired”
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Haven’t checked out the link yet but remember the George Saunders speech. It’s one of the best I’ve heard. He’s a great interview as well. Looking forward to checking out the others.
I’m in love with George Saunders. He’s the best.
For reasons that escape me, the two main “hobbies” I have chosen in my life are ballroom dance and piano. I have little talent for either and my practice of these arts over many years has been largely dominated by failure to achieve the thing I am striving for. However, it has led me to a life motto, which I stand by: if a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly.
In ballet class today, the woman in front of me at the barre was a ballroom dancer. She was really good and could spin like a top. It was exciting to watch her. You would’ve enjoyed it, RS.
I have often told my students that some failure in life is necessary for success (and I believe there is research, or at the very least useful anecdotes, to back me up). It is said to be the key to creativity as well. I believe it. A life without failure is a life in which someone hasn’t really tried. I am now inspired to discuss this on the first day of my classes. That said, I need to impress upon my students the differences between the two kinds of failure: a)”Failure” due to trying something different and new and just not doing well or getting it and b) Failure do to NOT trying, which truly IS failing. You must hand in assignments, take exams, try to learn software, try to do math problems on their own.
I applaud RS for the hobbies (s)he has chosen–chosen for pleasure and delight, instead of being chosen for the likelihood of “success”. We humans tend NOT to search for pleasure, but rather many of us live our lives in ways to avoid pain.
BTW, RS, I too enjoy a hobby that I’m not good at. I’m a very slow runner, yet I still run half-marathons, sometimes stopping to take walk breaks. I’m just delighted to finish!
On graduation speeches: I don’t remember the speech during my master’s graduation and didn’t attend my Ph.D graduation (though I did go to the smaller department ceremony). But I do remember my Undergrad one–an exposition on the rich history of student drinking!
JK Rowling talking about failure, that’s something, huh. I suppose even she fails every now and then.
I haven’t checked out the link yet but look forward to it. One thing that does hold me back a lot is being afraid to fail, so I should try hard to keep this motto in mind.
I’ve had a secret wish to write a book for a long time, based on all the stories from my family’s past. I am certainly not a write though, so would have no idea where to start.
Lola, when I wanted to write about being single, I wasn’t sure where to start. So I took an adult education class at UCLA. It was the perfect way to dip a toe in.
Steve Jobs is another good commencement speech. I just loved his excitement about life and how his setbacks lead to his ultimate success.
His whole story is quite amazing. Fail your way to success.
I personally heard Conan O’Brien’s commencement speech at Dartmouth a few years ago and it’s still one of the best speeches I’ve heard. He talked a lot about not being afraid to fail and who you are and what you think you’ll be doing with your life will be completely different in 10, 20, 30 years and so on. It was nice to hear something other than another “follow your passion/do what you love” speech.
Conan’s speech is so well written. It’s near perfect.
You’ll notice more and more commencement speeches are being given by celebrities and others in the entertainment industry. A best-selling author is about as close as you’ll get to someone giving a philosophical view of the world for a recent graduate. The fact that students are protesting whenever someone is selected that doesn’t have a background or have made professional decisions they don’t agree with is pretty sad. I about fell out of my chair when I heard the women at Smith College were protesting the selection of Christine Laguarde, head of the IMF.
I can imagine all the machinations that go on with agents and managers to get their clients the right commencement speeches.