I hope you experience misfortune.

[MotivationDistrictYT]

This video starts with many clips from the movie “Coach Carter.” In the clips, the topics of teamwork, sacrifice, and dedication are discussed. The video then shifts to a commencement speech that denounces many of the common themes of ordinary commencement speeches. While different from other commencement speakers, the narrator does provide his audience with tools to succeed in the future. The narrator agrees that graduation from college or a training academy is not an end, but a beginning. However, he mentions that in order to know where you are going in the future, you must learn to look back and appreciate where you have been. By looking back at the events of our lives, we further appreciate the support we have gained over the years and the confidence that it has resulted in. 

Instead of wishing the commencement class luck in their future endeavors, he hopes that the class experiences some hardships in their lives. The narrator hopes that the class is treated unfairly so they can truly understand the importance of justice. He hopes the class experiences loneliness so they fully appreciate their friendships. He wishes that the class is ignored so that they can learn the importance of being heard. He hopes that they suffer betrayal to be able to appreciate loyalty. He hopes that they experience pain to fully feel passion. By experiencing these misfortunes firsthand, the class will be able to see and better understand the messaging behind them. 

The narrator also encourages his audience to be themselves and constantly reinvent themselves. Constant evolution can only be attained if you learn who you truly are. An “unexamined life is not worth living.” Self-reflection is the key to reinvention. Self-reflection allows us to better understand our core values. This video from Motivation District is full of lessons that are appropriate for all stages of life. Whether you are a recent graduate, a current student, or later on in your life, there are lessons that can be applied to all of our lives. This video can be accessed below.