Commencement Address To the Lincoln University Graduating Class of 2013 Joseph D. Johnson May 11, 2013 Jefferson City, Missouri Page 1 of 5
As I look out and see this large, happy and impressive gathering of students, parents, family, friends and faculty, I am humbled and reminded that my task here is one I must take very seriously and that I must also do it in a very short time! As I begin, I want to give honor to God and thank Him for the gift of eternal life. I want to give honor to my parents, Archie and Curley Johnson, who gave me roots to keep me grounded, and gave me wings so I could fly. And to my lovely wife, Julie, who I met 50 years ago right here at Lincoln University on our very first day of Freshman Orientation, and I set her life ablaze. To my daughters, Joy Laurice and Joelle Devon, who in turn set my life ablaze. To my late in laws, Gladys and Winfred Hamilton, who dedicated so much to LU and this community; to Interim President Dr. Hamacher; to the distinguished Administration, Faculty and Staff; to the Board of Curators; to our new President and leader, who is not with us today, Dr. Kevin Rome; and to today s graduates, families and friends I congratulate you and I applaud you. During my time at Lincoln, the value of extended family was reinforced through the meaningful relationships and memories I was blessed to create with many in the LU family, some of whom are still with us, and some who have gone on. A few I d like to mention who are still in the community include Dr. T. D. Pawley, Mrs. Georgia Cureton, Dr. Mary Harris, the spouse of Mitch Ferguson, who worked at maintenance here at the University, and the spouse of Sgt. Simms, who worked on the staff at the university. I could name many, many more, because I find I ve learned so much, not only from students and faculty members, but also from LU staff and people in the community. I also want to acknowledge a couple of lifelong friends who are here with me today: Victor Pasley, whom I also met on the first day of freshman orientation; Robert Rashad; my brother in law, Ed Hamilton, and Eyvonne Norman Harris. Lincoln prepared me and sent me into pro fessional life with a wide view of societal needs, a global view of people skills, and the common sense to make a difference. Now, as I was reflecting on the honor I have to speak to you today, I observed a pattern from my own graduation ceremonies: from my undergrad degree, I don t remember the speaker, I don t remember whether they were male or female, and I don t remember a word they said. From my graduate degree, I don t remember the speaker, whether they were male or female, or a word they said. From my Honorary Doctorate you guessed it I don t remember the speaker, whether they were male or female, or a word that they said. This pattern helped me understand somethin g very clearly: That I and my remarks are all that s between you and your walking up here and getting the diploma you ve worked so hard, for so long, to earn. And it helped me understand that I should say something short and memorable and then I should probably move on. So, I did a little research on the shortest and most memorable speech in history. And I found the story of Winston Churchill, in 1941, speaking to the graduating class at his alma mater, and making what is believed to be one of the shortest and most memorable speeches ever. The story goes that he stood before the graduates and said: Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER give up. And then he sat down to a loud round of applause. Now, I m sure that, if I sat down right now, there would be a thunderous round of applause for me as well. But my wife, Julie, told me, Page 2 of 5
You ve got to say more than that! So let me just try and do that pretty quickly. Each one of us is an impossibility, existing in an impossible world, in an impossible solar system, in an impossible universe. What do you think are the chances of your being here today? What are the chances of you being a living, breathing human being at this particular place in the world, at this particular point in time? What are the chances of you being here today receiving a degree from what was originally the Lincoln Institute for Colored Students? And it was an improbable human relationship between colored soldiers and their white lieutenant that created this school. Together, they had a goal to build this school. But they not only had a goal to build it; they had a purpose for building it, and that purpose was bigger and broader than simply building the school, it was deeper and more abundant, more lasting. That purpose laid the foundation for this beautifully diverse student body, faculty, staff and families. That purpose laid the foundation for the impossibility of your presence here today, almost a century and a half later. And today I want to give those soldiers and that lieutenant a round of applause. So, while each of you have now met your goal of graduation, you must know that there s a deeper, broader, bigger purpose for this day and for your life. In an abundant universe, I suggest that God gave you a unique purpose with the possibility of abundance. You are unique. Never before has there been a combination of your skills, your life experiences, your interests, your hopes, your fears, your neurosis, and your dreams. Unique, too, is the contribution you alone can make to this world that is in desperate need. Psychologist and author, James Hollis reinforces this when he says, You are not here to imitate those who have gone before you, for that was their life, their journey. We are each here to figure out and serve what life asks uniquely of us. Your unique purpose will be something that will call to you persistently over time and it might not be what you majored in. Trust your enthusiasm. That s your hint and God s wink to you. The root of enthusiasm is en theos which means from God, so when you experience enthusiasm for something, trust it as a signal from God. I suggest that you are, and that each one of us is hard wired as human beings with a deep desire for Contribution, for Service, and yes, for Recognition. The way we fulfill that deep desire within us for Contribution, Service and Recognition is through work. But not simply work. Work is not just something you do from nine to five; it s not just something you do simply to get dollars. Work is how you make progress in any area of life, whether it s the work of communication, the work of relationships, the work of marriage, the work of parenting, the work of creating, the work of building, the work of learning, the work of teaching, and the work we do for pay. Work is how human beings connect and create all of our life s worth. And this is the reason that all of our life s work, all aspects of our life, come together to create what I call Lifework. When you think about your life, which includes your family life, social life, spiritual life, business life, et cetera don t think of it as life over here on one side, and work over there on the other side. That s a seesaw mentality, and with a seesaw, when one side is up, the other is down. Instead, look at your life as one whole thing you are creating, one individual, unique, complete Lifework. Page 3 of 5
Each individual Lifework has a unique purpose. Once you understand your purpose, then you are ready to venture out and find the abundance that the Good Lord has made for you. So, first, you need to understand your purpose, but you must also know that it s necessary to have an integrated web of relationships, in order for you to achieve your purpose. Purpose alone, without relationships, is not going to get you too far, just as relationships without purpose won t get you too far. It is purpose and relationships, working together, that will allow you to make the difference that God put you here for. Through these relationships you can collaborate with others, you can co work together. And co working multiplies your opportunity for Contribution, Service and Recognition. So relationships are critical. Goals are for you, purpose is for others. We were put here on earth to serve others. That is why an attitude of serving and giving leads to happiness and fulfillment. Show me a person who is generous with their time, energy, commitment and money, and I will show you someone who is wealthy in all the ways that really count friendships, enriching experiences, life satisfaction, happiness and, yes, financially too. Happiness is a byproduct of contribution and service; it is a byproduct of living a purposeful life. So, find the unique way in which you were created with an enthusiasm to serve, and you will find lasting happiness. For example, your parents had a goal to have a child, but when that child came, they had a purpose in their raising of that child. And you are realizing a big part of that purpose today, which is why these parents are so excited, because not only did they achieve their goal of having a child, but they are achieving their purpose for you to become a successful and contributing member of society. Now, what s the message for you? You had a goal to receive your degree. But what s going to be your purpose? Your goal is your what. Your purpose is your why in life. Find that purpose. You were not meant to end here. Receiving your degree was a goal for you, and it has also fulfilled part of your parents purpose. But you must now set out and find your purpose for yourself. It s really important, because you will not find continued happiness, unless you find that purpose. It may be unclear to you at first. But, as Joseph Campbell says, if you can see the path clearly before you, you are probably on someone else s path. Listen to the hint, listen to that enthusiasm, listen to the inner voice that calls you. I majored in Elementary Education. I got a Master s in Elementary School Administration, but I have never taught. I went into business instead, and I ve found throughout my business career that the learning I got from studying to become an educator has helped me in business. But the point is that I heard a call from beyond the classroom. I realized there was a global classroom that was calling me. And that s the call that I answered. And so I m saying to you: find the thing that you are called to do. Find your purpose. And know, too, that in life there will be setbacks. I always remember one of my earliest. In late October of the year I was in 2 nd grade, my family moved from Neelyville, Missouri to Poplar Bluff, Missouri, which is 18 miles away. My new 2 nd grade teacher in Poplar Bluff was Mrs. Muriel Diggs, who was a Lincoln graduate. Well, I was in Mrs. Diggs class for about four weeks, when one day she told me to come with her, and she walked me from our 2 nd grade Page 4 of 5
classroom down the hall to another classroom, and she said to me, Joseph, this is your new classroom, you will be very successful here. You will be a leader here. Now, I actually thought I got promoted, but I learned later that the new classroom to which Mrs. Diggs had taken me was, in fact, the 1 st grade classroom! I learned that I had not been promoted, I had been put back. But I came to understand later in life that that setback was a great gift. I came to understand that Mrs. Diggs put me back to give me a greater foundation to lean forward. In life there will be setbacks, but they are meant for purpose as well. They are meant to strengthen your resolve. They are meant to grow you so you will be able to fulfill your purpose. It s really important for you to understand that. The other thing that s important to understand is that everything is not going to go your way. My first English paper when I came to LU was for Mr. Claus. I had been an honor student in high school and I came here to LU, and I wrote my first paper. And when it came back, it had a big F on it that was as big as the whole page. I was devastated. Here I am, off to college, feeling pretty good about myself, and I get this F. Now, Mr. Claus had said to us, If anybody wants to talk about their paper, come and see me. So I went to see him, and I couldn t wait to see him. And he said to me, Mr. Johnson, you are now in college. That paper that you got an A on at Poplar Bluff High School will not make it here. Now, you talk about getting a message with my first paper! And how important that message was! It was extremely important. After that experience, I began to figure out that there must be something that I needed to do differently. And I found that it was inside of me already. I was prepared for it. I just hadn t known that I needed to reach that high. Just two final points I want to leave you with today. The first is illustrated by a story I read on the Internet, of a lady who had three strands of hair. One day she woke up and said, I think I ll braid my hair today, and she had a wonderful day. The next day, she woke up with only two strands of hair, so she said, I think I ll part my hair today, right down in the middle, and she had a grand day. The day after that, she woke up with only one strand of hair. She said, Today I m going to wear a ponytail, and she had a fun day. On the fourth day, she woke up without a single hair on her head. She says, Yippie! I don t have to do my hair today. You see, there are three keys to success and happiness in life, no matter the task, situation, challenge or difficulty, and that lady had them. The first is attitude. The second one is attitude. And the third one is attitude. I want you to remember that. Finally, let me end by sharing something someone told me years ago. Remember that God has a role in your lives. As you go through life and you find that you are not getting the things you want, here s a simple thing I want you to remember: If your request is not right, God will say, No. If you are not right, God will say, Grow. If the time is not right, God will say, Slow. But when you and everything else are right, God will say, GO! G O, GRADUATES, GO! Joseph David Johnson, LL.D., a Missouri native and graduate of Lincoln University, is founder and President, CEO of The Telein Group, Inc., a global firm specializing in leadership and organizational effectiveness. Page 5 of 5