Four Life Lessons - Corte McGruffey
Again, President Norton, faculty, staff and students, thank you for having me, it is an honor to speak to you today.
The education I received at the University of Northern Colorado has given me so much it is tough to know where to begin. However, if I step back and take a look at all the wonderful experiences I’ve had here, four life lessons come to mind.
The first is having the courage to take risks. In other words, not being afraid to be great. So many people go through life and never put themselves out there. They are scared of not succeeding, scared of failure. In order to accomplish anything worthwhile, you have to put yourself on the line fully! I have found that if you commit fully to your goals, you will accomplish them more often then not. Have the courage to take risks.
The second lesson my education has taught me is the value of hard work and perseverance. You have set your goals. You have taken the risk to be great. Now it’s time to put in the work. In my office, I have a quote on the wall that says, “some people dream of success, while others wake up and work hard at it.” It’s awesome to have goals and dreams, but until you put in the time and effort that is exactly what they will stay….just dreams.
It won’t be easy as you travel on this path to success. This is where the perseverance comes in. There will be bumps all along the way, or to put it in football terms, life throws safety blitzes at you all the time. Sometimes you are going to get sacked and it is going to hurt…but guess what? You have three more downs to get the first. That’s why you keep getting up, because eventually that safety is going to blitz again and this time you will be ready. This is when you hit your receiver over the top on a post route for a touchdown!
The third lesson my education at UNC has taught me is that no matter how hard we work to make our dreams a reality, we can’t do it alone. It takes team work. I couldn’t have accomplished what I did on the football field without the hard work and dedication of my teammates and coaches. Dr. Schreck, my advisor in the Chemistry department, helped me get through a tough science curriculum. Without him I don’t think I would have never finished my senior thesis.
And finally the last lesson: Now that you have put in all that time and hard work surrounded yourself with people that believe in you and accomplished your goals, remember to stay humble. Keep life in perspective, because tomorrow it will be time to set another goal. Good luck to all of you as you begin your own paths at UNC.