Mr. Washington was born in New York in 1954.
His dream was to be an actor. But he didn’t have it easy.
He was rejected again and again at every casting he applied for.
No one on Broadway wanted to give him a chance because he couldn’t sing.
However, he never gave up.
As everyone knows, he got it and won two Oscars and three Golden Globes.
Denzel Washington is living proof that those who persist make it.
A few days ago, I discovered his graduation speech.
And from it, I gleaned three great rules for success.
Rule one: Fail big.
You’re only going to live one life. It’s worth the risk to live it big.
Whatever you do, you’ll have thousands of people doing the same thing you’re doing. There’s never been a time with more competition than this.
It’s a fact that you’re going to have a tough time. That’s why dreaming big makes so much sense.
Dreaming big sets you apart from the rest.
Dreaming big pushes you to think outside the box.
Dreaming big forces you to innovate.
Dreaming big will make you big. Dreaming small will make you mediocre.
Denzel insists that we must differentiate ourselves from the competition by dreaming big. But he also reminds us that dreams without goals are just dreams.
Dreams only become reality through action.
Set goals: yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily.
Commit to those goals.
Commitment to your goals will make your dreams come true.
Be disciplined and consistent every day, not just a few.
Rule two: Make plans and stick to them.
“We don’t plan to fail. We fail when we don’t plan.”-Denzel Washington.
Doing a lot more doesn’t mean you achieve a lot. -Denzel tells us in his speech.
Make sure to distinguish movement from progress.
You have to know where you want to go to get somewhere. Otherwise, you’ll end up exhausted halfway there.
Denzel’s mother always told him, “You can run in circles and never get anywhere.”
Listen to his mother. Work hard, but work smart.
Come up with a plan and stick to it.
Rule three: You’ll never see a moving truck behind a hearse.
It doesn’t matter how much money you have. You can’t take it with you.
Life is no longer about status.
It’s not about what you have.
“It’s what you do with what you have,” Denzel tells us at the end of his speech.
Joy and success come from helping others. (From what you do with what you have).
Don’t believe me?
Think about the companies that work.
Why do they make money?
Because people pay for their services and products.
And why do they pay for their services and products?
Because they satisfy their needs.
Moral: Learn to identify the needs of others and commit to finding solutions that meet them. That’s giving.
Learn to give.
The ability to give is the ability to abound.
A virtual hug
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