A quick introduction on who Kerry Washington is. Kerry Washington is a multiple award winning actress who is the lead character in one of the biggest shows on TV called Scandal. She finished her doctoral degree in George Washington University in 2013 where she gave the speech you are about to read.
This is one of the speeches I love so dearly and I thought I would share it today as on our Friday Inspirations segment. I hope this speech inspires you as it has inspired me. ENJOY!
''It is through stories that we understand ourselves and each other. When we engage in a story whether it is a great novel, film or documentary, we learn more about who we are, who we want to be and in that way stories transform us as we journey along with the hero of any story. We realise that we too are the lead characters of our own lives.
I am here today to remind each of you that you are the heroes of your story... Your life is your story and the adventure ahead of you is the journey to fulfing your own purpose and potential.
So I want to share a little something with you about stories and about heroes and about how this all works.
It was here in GW that I first read the work of Joseph Campbell and what attracted me to his writing was the conecpt of the hero's journey. He wrote, the hero's journey always begins with the call. One way or another, a guide must come and say ''look you are in sleepy land, awake! Come on a trip. There is an aspect of your conciousness, your being, that is not being touched and so it starts''.
This call to adventure is what we call in film, the inciting incident. It is the invitation out of your comfort zone and into your strength because by definition, being a hero requires pushing beyond the bounds of what's comfortable.
...I want you t look back on the journey that brought you here. What moments challenge you most? When were you asked to step outside your familiar territory in order to rise to the occasion of your potential? How have you pushed passed your fear?
I want you to remember those moments because they will embolden you and affirm you and remind you that you did this. You completed this journey. You answered the call and now you can continue to do so but the choice is yours.
When you leave here today and commence, you can follow someone else's script, try to make choices that will make other people happy, avoid discomfort, do what's expected and copy the status quo or you can look at all that you have accomplished today and use it as a fuel to venture forth and write your own story. If you do, amazing things will take shape. Look at the stories you have already begone writing...
Your list of accomplishments is as long as the list of the graduates today. Because as you sit here you are not only graduates, you are adventurers. In my eyes, you are heroes who have faced fears and taken risks and forged ahead to conquer one of the most important chapters of your life.
Now that you have achieved the goal of this great quest, you must ready yourself for when the call to adventure comes again. And when it does, don't follow the path prescribed by someone else, don't give in to fear. Continue to define your unique path in faith and with the experience of the accomplished adventurer that you are.
You and you alone are the only person who can live the life that writes the story that you are meant to tell and the world needs your story because the world needs your voice, every single one of you.
And as your story unfolds you will inspire others to find their stories and so on and so on and other stories, George Washington graduates of the Class 2013, those are the stories that I can't wait to watch...
Graduates, may God bless you in all that you do. It is an honour to share this day with you...Congratulations and welcome to the club!''.
Be Inspired.
I hope you were inspired by this post? Please kindly share with others to inspire them too.
If you want to take part in the Friday Inspirations Forum or you are in the dark on what it is all about, please kindly find out more details here >>> http://chidinmainspirations.blogspot.com/2014/04/friday-inspirations.html?spref=tw …
Here is last week's Friday Inspirations >>> Friday Inspirations: Celebrating Talent (Episode 6): 20 Unbelievable 3D Arts http://www.chidinmainspirations.com/2015/04/friday-inspirations-celebrating-talent.html?spref=tw … or you can search this blog for previous Friday Inspirations with the hashtag #FridayInspirations to not feel left out.
Yours Truly,
Chidinma
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