Ambition

No dream is too big, no vision is too bold; as long as we stay hungry for education and let that hunger be our North Star, there is nothing, graduates, nothing that we cannot achieve.

It's about having the courage to give in to passion for an idea that makes your heart race. And if it doesn't scare you, you're probably not dreaming big enough.

What would you do if you weren't afraid? Take a moment and ask yourself that question. And then go do it.

Believing you can do something is the first step to doing it. Don't let anyone put limits on you. Don't put limits on yourself.

Hard work beats talent if talent doesn't work hard. Don't be content to work around the edges of your profession. Speak up. Volunteer. Show your enthusiasm. Knock on doors.

It betrays a poverty of ambition if all you think about is what goods you can buy instead of what good you can do.

Do all the other things, the ambitious things — travel, get rich, get famous, innovate, lead, fall in love — but as you do, to the extent that you can, err in the direction of kindness.

Do not take no for an answer. Not when you're applying for jobs. Not when you actually get a job. The food court at the mall is littered with people who didn't fight for it. Fight for it.

Don't get comfortable. Ever. If you're not too comfortable, it's always easier to leave, to move on, and hopefully to move up.

Be bold, make courageous choices, and bet on yourself. You don't need to know now what that impact will be or how it will happen, because nobody ever does.

You don't have to have a dream. Be micro-ambitious. Put your head down and work with pride on whatever is in front of you. You never know where you might end up.

Let your dreams be your only limitations.