Graduates, this ceremony is
held to recognize what you have both accomplished academically and
therapeutically. We, the SRA Community have witnessed the changes you have made
in your life and applaud your positive attitudes. We encourage you to keep strengthening
your positive attitude for you will find that by so doing you will meet and
succeed the challenges that come with living in today’s society. Ralph Waldo
Emerson once said, “what lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny
matters compared to what lies within us.” This idea is embraced by successful
people who expect to face challenges, for they know that overcoming challenges
is a normal, everyday part of life.
To strengthen your positive
attitudes, which has already brought change to your lives, I encourage you to
study and examine the lives of successful people, and by doing so, you will
find that success didn’t just happen to them, but rather they were successful
because they were persistent and because they possessed traits that are sorely
needed to meet the challenges of life.
The first of these traits is
commitment to excellence – when you are interested in doing something, you do
it when circumstances permit. However, when you are committed to something, you
accept no excuses, only results. Commitment is a prerequisite to success. Commitment
is the state of being bound – both emotionally, intellectually – to a course of
action. Commitment starts with a choice and is sustained by dedication and
perseverance. Everyone wants to succeed and those who actually achieve it are
those who are willing to put the blood, sweat and tears into their effort.
The second trait is attention
to detail The difference between failure and success is doing a thing nearly
right and doing it exactly right. Having a fervor for attention to detail is a
mindset. It must be an obsession, you can’t just talk about it. You have to
practice it every day for years. It is not enough just to do the best you can. You
also have to do everything you can.
A third trait is sound fundamentals. As you move on to
college you must continue your passion for knowledge. Enhance your insight by
continuing your own research and listen to people of wisdom. Continue to read,
for books are the mechanism by which we obtain knowledge, and knowledge will
increase your personal value. Once you have the knowledge you must practice the
sound fundamentals for practice leads to completing the task you face
flawlessly.
The fourth trait you will discover is discipline. Most
people aim to do right but often they fail, for whatever reason, they just
don’t have the wherewithal to finish the job. They are lacking discipline. It
doesn’t matter whether you are perusing success in business, sports, the arts
or life in general. Hope is not an option. The difference between working and
accomplishing is discipline. Discipline is about setting goals, figuring out a
schedule to achieve those goals and then following your plan.
The formula is the same for everyone. Have a
no-nonsense attitude, study hard, work hard and improve every day. Arrive early
and stay late if that is what it takes to get the job done. Go the extra mile. It
is one stretch of the highway of life where there are seldom any traffic jams!
So remember to develop the traits of commitment to
excellence, give attention to details, practice sound fundamentals and be a
disciplined person and if you do I believe that you will be able to meet the
challenges of life and you will have personal satisfaction.
Finally, take time today to thank the people who gave
you this special opportunity to change your life – mainly your parents who
deeply love you and to the therapists, faculty, CLDs, community coaches and
entire SRA family for the guidance and direction you have received to bring you
to this celebration of your accomplishments and on behalf of the SRA community
I extend wishes for you that are embodied in the ancient Native American
Blessing which states:
May you be as strong as the Oak
Yet flexible as the Birch.
May you stand tall as the Redwood,
Live gracefully as the Willow,
And may you bear fruit
All your days on this earth.
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