Commencement Speech Ideas Funny Graduation Speech Ideas

5 Best Commencement Speech Themes and Ideas 🎉

That Will Inspire You No Matter How Old You Are!

Graduation season is around the corner! Many people say that the university was the best years of their lives. Not solely because of the friends they made and great memories forged along the way, but because it was a time in their life where they experienced the most growth and self-discovery.

At commencement, it marks the end of one era of life and the beginning of something new.

Graduating college is like jumping off a plane with no parachute. Nobody teaches you how to fly as you fall. You have just received a degree from the school of hard knocks.

There's something magical about graduation speeches because they are so on point to summarise the world's best knowledge in merely 10 minutes. And that is spoken to a group of accomplished students who are about to embark on the next chapter of their lives.

The life experience and wisdom of a single person combined with hours of their own research putting it together is something of a sight to hear. They are about someone who has already walked the path providing insight and possible steps to get there, but most of all, proof that it's possible (and that everything will be OK!)

I've compiled five of the best commencement speeches we've ever seen on overcoming doubt, fear, hardship, and tackling the working world with confidence.

With that said, here are my top 5 graduation speeches themes and ideas:

1. Do not let others define who you are.

Steve Jobs (Stanford, 2005)

Favorite Quote: "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice."

Steve's speech is the classic emotional, inspiration and simple structured one. At 22 million views on YouTube, Steve Jobs' commencement speech did connect deeply with millions of souls around the world. It's for everyone who seeks meaning in their lives and their career: Do what you love. Don't settle. Keep looking.

Life has no written rules.

It did not come with a handbook telling us what we should do by the age of 20, 30, or 40. One's dream is constantly evolving, rising and falling, changing course… Whatever you think your dream is now, it will probably change, and that's OK.

2. We build resilience in ourselves.

Sheryl Sandberg (UC Berkeley, 2016)

Favorite Quote: "When life sucks you under, you can kick against the bottom, find the surface and breathe again."

This was the graduation speech that got me crying. What really grabbed me was that this was the first time she had spoken since the death of her husband and the raw emotion you can feel from her words is so authentic and awe-inspiring that it just grips you in your seat as you hang on every word describing her road to recovery and resilience.

She said that this speech would be a little bit different. She was not going to talk about what she learned in life, but what she learned in death. The death of her husband, Dave and how the grief had changed her in very profound ways.

In the face of the void, or any challenge, you can choose joy and meaning.

It is the hard days, the days that challenge you to your very core that will determine who you are.

Your life is not determined by what you achieve but how you survive.

Sometimes Option A will not be available, so you just got to "kick the shit out of Option B". It's just so true, isn't it?

3. The Fringe Benefits of Failure

J.K Rowling (Harvard, 2009)

Favorite Quote: "It is impossible to live without failing at something unless you live so cautiously, you might as well not have lived at all– in which case, you fail by default."

Do you have goosebumps yet? I do.

While Rowling is most notably known for her brilliant creation of the Harry Potter series, there's a lot the world doesn't know about her, and a plethora of great advice and wisdom she has to bestow upon the rest of the world.

As Rowling points out, to get through life without failing would not be a life worth living. Rather than attempt to avoid failure altogether, we must be willing to accept that it is going to come and be ready to build our lives off it.

4. Don't Doubt Yourself

Natalie Portman (Harvard, 2015)

Favorite Quote: "Achievement is wonderful when you know why you're doing it, and when you don't know, it can be a terrible trap."

I love how she is so humble about her life experience. She emphasizes the importance of doing things only that you're passionate about simply for the experience making them and the opportunity to meet people that could later become your best friends.

Dive into your own obliviousness.

Embrace your inexperience and your not knowing how to do things because you'll try more things than you ever thought or imagined.

5. The Meaning of Life

Jim Carrey (Maharishi University of Management, 2014)

Favorite Quote: " I have no limits. I cannot be contained because I'm the container. You can't contain the container, man!"

Even though Jim Carrey is a comedic actor, this address actually has a lot of poignant moments instead of just entirely comedy.

His best story and message really comes from his father: "You can fail at what you don't want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love."

He states that he discovered that the purpose of his life was to "free people from concern", just like his dad. That's all you have to figure out because the effect that you have on others is the most valuable currency there is.

There are a ton of golden nuggets in this one, almost every line is one that I would highlight. He finishes talking about our egos and how we'll have a tendency to never be satisfied. "Just relax and dream up a good life."

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Source: https://medium.com/the-post-grad-survival-guide/5-best-commencement-speech-themes-and-ideas-5c374c49690b

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