Gupta shared a harrowing story from covering the Iraq war — caught in a sandstorm when his unit lost air cover and a young lieutenant ran in shouting 'We are being overrun.' People began writing letters in case they died, and Gupta was told to do the same. He used this experience to challenge graduates to live with enough courage to be scared, arguing that never being scared means being too safe, too careful, with too much talking and not enough action. He described his own sweet spot as 'being pushed harder than ever, doing the best work I've ever done, and being completely out of control.' Having been told he was too small, too dumb, stammered too much, and had a funny-sounding name, each rejection only inspired him more.