Fall 2024 Commencement Speech: Bounce Back

December 14, 2024

This truly is a wonderful day, and it is undeniably your day.  Before we confer the degrees, I want to take just a just few moments to offer you some thoughts on how you might more successfully navigate your future pursuits.  And don’t worry, I will not be long because this day is not about me.  As I said, it is all about you.       

In 2016, a rapper by the name of Big Sean (Not sure why he calls himself Big Sean because he is a relatively small guy) released a track entitled, “Bounce Back.”  In his refrain, Big Sean declares, “Last night I took an L, but tonight I bounce back.  Wake up every morning, by the night I count stacks.”  Now for those of you who might not quite understand Big Sean, let me translate what he means by referencing the “L” in the refrain.  For Big Sean, the “L” represents a loss; something that he had set out to accomplish but had failed to achieve in the way that he had envisioned.    

Now, not all “Ls” are the same.  Some “Ls” stem from a lack of preparation, energy or planning.  You got an “L” because you simply didn’t give it your best-that’s what I call the “Effort L.” Other “Ls” derive from the fact that you are trying to get something or be something, but you don’t fit the traditional mode of who is usually chosen.  Maybe you’re too young, too Arkansas, too much a woman or minority, too much of a maverick, too differently prepared to be quickly accepted into the position to which you are seeking.  I label that the “Systemic L.”   

Then, there is the “L” that derives from the fact that what you are seeking is simply not best for you, but you don’t know it yet.  For example, when you want to date somebody who does not appear interested in you and you’re left feeling so hurt by it — lonely and broken hearted.  But, years later, reflecting (and looking at that person in his/her present state) you are so grateful that it did not work out.  I call that the “Destiny L.”     

The point here is that everybody experiences “Ls.”   No one, and I mean no one, is immune to them.  Oprah Winfrey was fired from her first TV news anchor job because she was considered too emotionally invested in her stories.  Walt Disney was fired from his first newspaper job because he was accused of lacking creativity.    

Thomas Edison was told by his teachers that he was “too stupid to learn anything,” before he invented the light bulb.  Henry Ford failed in five businesses and was broke before he founded Ford Motor Company.  Abraham Lincoln, deemed by many the greatest president in American history, lost more political contests than he ever won.  Elvis was fired after his first public performance, and told, “You ain’t going nowhere son.  You need to go back to driving your truck.”   Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player of all time, was cut from his high school basketball team.  Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback in NFL history, was a six-round draft choice.  Everybody takes “Ls.”  So, the real question is not whether you will lose sometimes (because you will), but rather, what will you do about it?  Big Sean has the answer. He suggests that you, “Bounce Back!”  

Big Sean and other successful people underscore the power in cultivating a strong ability to exercise resiliency.  Success is not some linear progression towards more and better.  In fact, successful journeys are often inundated with peaks of accomplishments and valleys of disappointment. Too many times, when people experience the valleys, they become so overwhelmed that they wallow in defeat and despair, failing to see that the loss is simply an opportunity to learn the lessons that empower you to bounce back.    

President Franklin Deleno Rosevelt declared in his inaugural address that, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself, nameless, unreasonable, unjustified terror that paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”  In other words, true fear should not be of failure but of failing to try.  The loss is not a sign that you have been defeated.  Rather, it is as an indication that you are on a path leading to new discoveries, greater outcomes, and more purposeful success. Why? Because a loss indicates that you are trying to do something.  And, if you keep trying with strategy, drive, grit, resiliency and determination, you will transform those losses into wins.  You will bounce back.      

Finally, Big Sean states in the second part of his refrain, “Wake up every morning, by the night, I count stacks.”  I love this part because it suggests energy and activity.  You have to get up in the morning and get busy about something if you want to achieve something worthwhile.  You cannot sleep your way successfully through “Ls.”  No, to be a winner, you must be a worker, driven to labor tirelessly towards your goals.  And, if you do this, if you put in the work, you can and you will bounce back.  Then, you can and will be able to “count stacks.”    

For Big Sean, “counting stacks” was largely about making lots of money.  There is nothing wrong with that.  It is just too limited for me.  The truth is that you can use your bounce back to count stacks for anything that you value.  You should count stacks for good health.  Count stacks for the family and friends who love, care, and support you.  Count stacks for the opportunity to live in the greatest nation in the world that values the rights of citizens and allows them to pursue the American dream.  Count stacks for possessing a strong sense of community where you realize that your success is not just about you, but it is inextricably tied to making things better for others.  Count stacks for being forever connected to a university that has enhanced your knowledge and skills and has empowered you to have more productive futures.  

We love you so much here at the University of Arkansas that we permanently carve your name in concrete so that the whole world will forever know that you are a part of us.  Count stacks graduates, count stacks, every time you make yourself and the world better by bouncing back.   

Last night I took an L but tonight I bounce back.    

Wake up every morning, by the night I count stacks.    

My mission is my power!    

I’m well prepared for flak.    

Going hard in the paint, when I fail, I bounce back.    

I’m gonna win this race.   

No matter what the pace.    

My stride is long; my gait is strong; my confidence intact.    

So hit me with your best.    

You can’t subdue my quest.   

My destiny’s decided: bounce back-count stacks. Boom!  

 Congratulations, graduates.