Graduation Speech: Explore. Dream. Discover

I am about to give you a final challenge as a high school student. I am about to ask you to do something you were sure you wouldn’t have to do again for a while with the ending of high school. I am asking you to think. Please, just this once, take a moment to put that educated mind to work. Think of something you really want right now, go ahead, don’t complain, just do it. What do you really want?

A few of you searched your minds and out of the millions of things you are sure you want, not one could surface above the rest. The most common thoughts you had were probably "I want to eat" or "I want to sleep" or, "I want to move this hanging thing over to the other side of my cap now so that I can be on my way." There’s something in common with what everyone just thought about. It’s something to make you happy.

In a world of ever-growing business and technology, we hear about the new millionaires captured by stocks and the booming world of computers and along with them the amounts of money beyond the comprehension of most of us. This year, I believe I speak for the majority when I say we’ve felt so poor, cutting back on McDonald’s and TCBY to save up for an expensive trip to prom, a grad night party and college applications for which you sent the money away and weren’t even guaranteed anything but probably a nice postcard in return. Now, all of a sudden if we end up somehow with a $5 bill in hand, we think we’re all set and ready to go. A $5 bill is endless possibilities. The truth is, you won’t miss your $30 application fee in a few years, you’ll be happy if you have a job you look forward to every day. You won’t miss the money you spent on prom in 10 years, you’ll be happy if you are content with your life. Perhaps for you this means a family. As Einstein once said, "Happiness is the ability to enjoy the passage of time."

Different people can reach happiness in so many different ways, but to everyone it is all that really matters. At this point in our lives it’s difficult not to think that happiness is had by material products — the newest technology, the nicest clothes around, or that car you probably aren’t getting for graduation.