TO THE STANFORD CLASS OF 2024

FROM A GRADUATE OF 1974

Forgive me if I’m not too impressed with that diploma in your hand--mine from 50 years ago still sits in a box.  It’s just a piece of paper that says you’ve read some, taken a bunch of tests, BS’d a few teachers and maybe learned a few things.  Oh sure, you’ve had accomplishments.  If you hadn’t, you wouldn’t have been accepted into Stanford.  Up until now, though, you’ve been carefully crafting your life.  You’ve taken all those AP’s, joined whatever would look impressive on your CVS and worked hard to take the risk out of everything.  You were focused on success.

Now it’s time to dump all that carefulness and plunge forward into the chaos of the unknown.  Hopefully, you’ll try many things and have failures along the way!  Don’t worry about making mistakes.  Make them at home and in the workplace.  Be bold in your mistake-making.  Don’t just slip on a banana peel.  Ride it across the road.  Talk about your mistakes with others.  It will make them feel better about themselves.  The more failures you have, the more likely you are to succeed and become human. The best part are the lovely stories you will have to tell someday.