Success and Risk: A Beautiful Combination

“There will always be critics and cynics on the sidelines tearing people down; but just as harmful are those with good intentions who make no contributions at all. The sidelines are not where you want to live your lives … there are problems that need to be solved and injustices that need to be ended. The world needs your energy, your passion, your impatience with progress. Don‘t shrink from risks and tune out those critics and cynics. History rarely yields to one person … but when it does that could be you, that should be you, that must be you.” Tim Cook, Apple CEO

This afternoon, Apple chief executive Tim Cook delivered the commencement address to the graduating class of George Washington University in Washington, DC. Taking a page from Dr. King and President Kennedy, Cook encouraged the almost 6,000 graduates to be active participants in the world; not to forget “the problems that need to be solved and the injustices that need to be ended.” He also told a captive audience that there will always be “critics but it is better to take them on and risk mistakes and failures than to sit idle on the sidelines.” This was for me the most important part of his address because it is a vital message that should be shared with students in classrooms everywhere (long before they enter college). Nothing can ever be accomplished without taking risks. This can be a hard lesson for students to hear but it is a necessary one. I truly believe Tim Cook hit the right note, and I hope every graduate takes his message to heart and follows his lead. Click here to view a portion of Cook’s speech. tlb

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