Friday, May 29, 2009

"Never stop building your body of work"

Below is President Obama's commencement address to the recent graduates of Arizona State University. In it, Obama calls the graduates to rise to the challenges of our current situation, and to do it in a way apart from the old norms of yesterday. He urges them (and anyone listening) to focus less on status and wealth and to instead focus on community and the less fortunate through acts of altruism.

He also makes the brilliant point that many of the greats of history didn't make their mark until later in their lives and after weathering some failed attempts and grim defeats. His message: "Never stop adding to your body of work." and "Your work is never really done." spoke to my life for sure. Life is a journey and an adventure. If you can help others along the way, that journey will be a great one :)




"That is what building a body of work is all about - it's about the daily labor, the many individual acts, the choices large and small that add up to a lasting legacy. It's about not being satisfied with the latest achievement, the latest gold star - because one thing I know about a body of work is that it's never finished. It's cumulative; it deepens and expands with each day that you give your best, and give back, and contribute to the life of this nation. You may have set-backs, and you may have failures, but you're not done - not by a longshot.

...it is moments like these that force us to try harder, to dig deeper, to discover gifts we never knew we had - to find the greatness that lies within each of us. So don't ever shy away from that endeavor. Don't ever stop adding to your body of work. I can promise that you will be the better for that continued effort, as will this nation that we all love."

(Read the FULL Text here)

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Keep on friends!

~ashli

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