Thank you for having me here, and congratulations to the class of 2018. It’s a privilege to be back at my alma mater (mah-dur) with you and your families to celebrate this important milestone.

Many of you already know what you want to do, and will follow that path….. And to those of you who aren’t quite sure what you’ll be doing, here’s a little secret: I wasn’t always sure either….And there are days when I’m still not sure….

I may be a Governor now… but my path wasn’t straight… and it wasn’t always easy…. And it’s still not easy.

Just 20 years ago, I didn’t have a political bone in my body…(There are still days when I wake up with that same feeling BTW)…..but  as a small business owner, I became increasingly frustrated with Montpelier, meaning state government. They didn’t seem to understand the day-to-day struggles I, as a business owner, faced….. they still don’t, by the way.

And then one day I thought, instead of complaining so much , maybe I should step up and add my voice and perspective…

So I ran for the State Senate in 2000, and have worked to be part of the solution ever since.

My point is this: … you never know what hand you’re going to be dealt, or where your path will lead you. What you can count on, is that you will face adversity throughout your life… and you’ll be faced with choices, big and small, every single day.

My first bit of advice is to not shy away from the tough decisions….And over the last two years as Governor,  I’ve made some of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever had to make.

So when I’m faced with them…I take the politics out of it and think:…what’s the RIGHT thing to do?

Not what’s best for the next election….or my political career….but what’s the RIGHT thing to do!
My second piece of advice to you today is… don’t let the fear of failure hold you back…. Don’t be afraid of pursuing those opportunities when they come along… try new things and take some of those risks. Because if you don’t put yourself out there, you’re selling yourself short.  

Of course, no matter how hard you work… there will be times in your life when you might question whether you’ve got what it takes… You might think to yourself… there must be someone out there who’s more capable… You might even want to give up after life throws you a curve.

But If you find yourself in that situation… if you hesitate to pursue that dream job or take that opportunity… keep this quote from hockey great Wayne Gretzky, in mind: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
Think about that for a minute….you miss every single one of them

So take that shot, and even if you don’t get what you’re shooting for… always be the person who wants it the most… gets to work first…and on time… goes that extra mile… because people notice that…I notice that!... and remember, sometimes it’s the little things in life that people remember most.
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Last week… I attended the funeral of former Governor Phil Hoff…. I didn’t have the pleasure of knowing him, and we weren’t from the same political party… but I have a great deal of respect for him and the kindness he showed to friends and foes alike.

I want to share a passage that was read at his funeral… an excerpt from a speech President Teddy Roosevelt gave on April 23rd in 1910…. that I think sums up the lessons I just shared…
He said:

“It is not the critic who counts… not the person who points out how the strong person stumbles… or where the doer of deeds could have done them better….
The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood… who strives valiantly… who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming…

…but who does actually strive to do the deeds… who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions… who at the best knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement… and who at the worst, if he or she fails, at least fails while daring greatly… so that his or her place shall never be, with those cold and timid souls, who neither know victory nor defeat.”
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By being here today and earning this degree… you’ve shown you can work hard and put yourself out there. So, keep that up,,,

As you celebrate the achievement of this day… and you start your career, or wherever your path leads you… don’t stand on the sideline because it’s safe… enter the arena… whatever that may mean for you… knowing it won’t be easy, but knowing you’ll do great things, or have, at the very least… shown the courage to try.
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Thank you for spending your last few years in Vermont and I hope you’ll consider making this your home … Congratulations to all of you.