Graduation ceremonies always seem so hopeful, kids who just completed what ever program they dreamed of being a part of sit in gowns and depending on the school size and prestige, someone with an equivalently acceptable level of fame tells them the same thing all the other speakers at all the other schools tells them. Go and change the world! That’s what they tell them, maybe not in the same words, some will be funny some will tell stories of how someone possibly themselves did what they are telling them to go do. All of the graduates will sit in their seats and think to themselves, that they are going to do exactly that! The problem is that statistically it is highly probable that they will do little to change anything. Moving back to their parents home or getting an entry level job and spend most of their lives somewhere in middle management working to take the 2.3 children and wife to Disney world once a year becomes the reality. How do they go from hopeful to numb in less than ten years? Our dreams get crushed under the weight of the everyday, trying to get our dream to reality can be a lot like pushing a boulder up a hill. Every day can become tiring and we can lose hope that anything will ever change. The best advice I ever got was to look at life as a marathon not a sprint. A long consistent effort will win versus a short flash of speed. Maybe Graduation speakers should spend more time on the reality and tools needed to succeed rather than a flashy pep talk.