. it is denigrating already. somebody won the powerball jackpot, we don't know who yet. $120.nk murray just we will go to the videotape later and check it out. for breakfast, i had what i now could the breakfast of champions, yogurt. i recommend the raspberry. , i sat where you guys sit today. that is a decade before most of you who are graduating today were born. , myt with my parents classmates, and by golden retriever. some of you will get your orlomas from your parents some relatives today, my golden retriever gave me my to, in 1981. i don't remember much about that day. because it was a long

time ago. [laughter] it is more likely that it was due to the activities that we engaged in in the 12-24 hours preceding that great day. iso remember that i sat here the proud son of an immigrant, the product of a very solid upbringings ring -- and was about to go off to my first job in atlanta, georgia, running a restaurant. follow -- far from wall street and financial services. enough about that. today can we gather for not just any commencement, for your commencement. congratulations. [applause] this is not just any commencement, either. this is the 2013 commencement. at that means? we're going to spend a lot of

time and the number 13 today. but it went you to be left with at the end of this, this makes you special. nobody has an able to say they were the class of 13 since 1913. if you want to run around saying you are the only class of 13 from colgate, i am pretty sure nobody is around to argue with you about that. i saw a shirt in the bookstore yesterday that said you're the first class where the digits add , two plus zero plus one equals three. it until 2024 when you will not have that mantle to yourself. [laughter] you are here today with your family, i am with my family. i am blessed to have four of the five most important women in my lecture today, my mother, my godmother, my wife and my older daughter. i thank them for being here. you know all about -- [applause] thank you. you know all about 13. obits love affair affair with

,he number 13 goes back to 1819 13 men with $13 and 13 prayers. .ou have the zip code 13 you have 13 oh drive, even the motto on the big logo in the back. , it is forople say god and for truth, that is good. those of us who go to colgate no it only had a chance because it has 13 letters in the logo. 13.s all about the number my family has had a interesting journey with the number 13 as well. what order do i want to do this in? i will go back to 1948. my errands for one on june 13. born parents were worn -- on june 13. my oldest daughter was born on

may 13. my youngest daughter is 13. my mother lives on 13 potter road. this keeps following us around. what an honor for me to be able despite -- speaks to you guys. i can add it to my list for the next time i talk about the number 13. my relationship with this place goes back to 1976. i can tell you that if it were not for how hard my parents worked and the generosity of others who came before us here at colgate, i would not have been able to attend. i needed financial aid, grants, loans, and it was there for us. it also gave me the reason to get my passport for the first time. i went on in london study group , and i never had a passport before that. they gave me that opportunity. the restaurant i talked about going to run in atlanta, that was for a graduate of colgate. my first job at goldman sachs, a person from colgate helped me get that job. i ended up having a chance to pay it forward a little bit in the campaign for

colgate being on the trustees and now being with you today. i have to tell you, i never dreamed i would be here. when i was sitting where you were sitting, i did not think i would be the commencement speaker here ever, given the feedback i have gotten from some of my friends, i would say there were other people who agreed with me. [laughter] aba should have. teaches usn dream that anything is possible. i believe i am a product of that american dream. i am reminded of a story that happened a few years ago. we were doing a day for entrepreneurs at the exchange and snoop dogg was there with think is now snoop lion. i bet many of you were not thinking he would be quoted in a commencement speech, but he gave some really good advice that was elegantly simple. we are on the podium, he is about to ring the opening bell at the new york stock exchange, a successful entrepreneur in his own right, and one of the people says to him, did you ever think you would he here, ringing the

opening at the new york stock exchange apco he turned around and said, why not? i thought it was simple. he did not say anything else. [applause] that was all he had to say. why not convinced that the american dream is all about. this is the land of opportunity. as i said this at dinner last night, you find me another country in the world where the son of an immigrant can have the job of ceo of the new york stock exchange three quarters of a century later. it does not exist and it is something we should be proud of. thank you. [applause] i am so honored to have a chance to spend some time with you guys today. it is in that spirit that i 13 for 13.it i called on the quoted 13, but somebody beat me to that. all i would ask of you is two things.

one that you carry a few of these with you on your journey, and to that a few years from now, unlike me, you actually remember who your command speaker was. [laughter] number one, remember that your life in your career are a series of experiences, make the most of them. plan ahead, but don't over architected areas it is great to have a plan. don't preclude yourself from considering opportunities that will be presented to you and come your way. it will also give you the confidence to embrace new things and change and your generation is all about that. number two, contrary to popular belief, every boss you have is a role model. every boss you have is a role model. a great box is a great role model. a bad boss is at least a good role model. i learned just as much from a great role models as i did from my less good bosses, because i tried to remind myself how they made people feel and thought if

i could be the antithesis of them, that was a good leader. don't think if you end up with a bad boss in one of your early jobs that you can't learn something. you can learn a lot and if it is about what not to be. third, know that the road less traveled is much more interesting. my father had the pleasure of being in middle barry when robert frost was the poet in residence. roadamily has adopted the not taken as one of our mantras. what did he tell us in that gecko -- in that? two roads diverged in a wood and entity one less traveled by matt has been dubbed the difference. why. why is that important ca? stand by your convictions. why's that so important, because of of number four. conventional wisdom is synonymous with playing it safe and looking backwards and is most of the advice from people when you asked. my advice to you is be afraid of old ideas, not new ideas. when you are soliciting advice, which is a good thing to do, just consider and renumber the

and understand all advice you get has implicit biases. every member when alison and i were thinking about moving to tokyo and volunteering volunteering in the early 1990's. the first thing we did was survey landscape and ask 20 of my colleagues what they thought about moving to asia. 18 of the 20 told me it was a bad idea, we knew it was the right thing to do and volunteer the next day. [laughter] the same thing happens on the school that the president mentioned a few minutes ago. when we embarked on a campaign to build a special needs school in new jersey, all the experts told us he could not be done. everyone we asked said, you guys don't know what you are doing, you have never done this before. it is not going to work and here are the 15 reasons why. the message there is, follow your heart, not somebody else's mind. passion and energy

to what you do every single day. there is a great speech from i want tovelt, quote from that. i'm sure many of you have heard it already. i think it is one of the most powerful ages, filled with is just for everybody. credit belongs to the man in the arena who knows rate enthusiasms, great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause. who, at the best, in the end, nosy tramp of high achievement and not the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. leave it on the field. purchase paint, don't spectate. number six, understand that awareness with quotient. you know your strengths better than anybody else. play to your strengths, pursue your passions and learn from shortcomings. , certainly at my age my weaknesses are weaknesses. it is unlikely that a weakness of mine at 53 will be a strength at 60. i should play to my strengths

and pursue my passions. remember your roots and keep your friends and family close. not just for the reason you think. it is not just about worklife allen's. -- work-life balance. they are the ones who will always get unfiltered feedback from. they will be your foundation, your compass, and they will keep you grounded. number eight, i think you already know this, be prepared for every encounter. calvin coolidge taught as a long time ago that there is nothing in the world like to take the place of perseverance. it was from somebody that said the only place success comes before work is in the dictionary. show up every day prepared. does not mentor -- matter who you are presenting to. i can be presenting to a class of third graders as it was a couple of weeks ago. everyone deserves what. be prepared. number nine, the high road is

less crowded but it is where you should always aspire to be. people will make it tough to say there. the good news for me, i really hate traffic and there are no traffic jams on the high road. number 10, treat everyone with respect and kindness. it does not matter who they are or what they can do for you. the measure of a human being is, if you take care of people who you know can do anything for you the same way he did take care of people who can, you are a good person. number 11, think about the difference between optimism and pessimism. pessimist sees the challenges in every opportunity. the optimist sees the opportunities in every challenge. be enough to miss. hang out with optimists. i met colin powell the other day, if you don't like the guy already, he is an amazing man, you will like him even more when ,ou hear israel's leadership

guess how many he has? -- roles ofership. leadership. be optimistic. number 12, understand you have received a great deal and more will be expected of you and that is a pic. andct more of yourself those around you, it will make life more fulfilling. last but not least, for number 13 in every situation you encounter, leave it better than you found it. do it professionally and personally. pay it forward. we all say it, too few of us do it. find your own way to do it. a lot people say, i don't have the means or the time. find your way. it will evolve as you go through life. allison and i have decided personally along with our family that our way of paying it forward is tied to autism, raising awareness, building schools and moving toward

employment and housing for these young adults with autism. professionally, i spent a lot of time on financial literacy, and a lot of time trying to create jobs in this country. most recently, getting very involved with veterans and talking on the time about the importance of hiring returning veterans and helping them transition to civilian life. a message on all that is be a giver and support those who give. in closing, as i contemplate somewhat jealously the wonderful journey on which you are about to embark, i am reminded of clarence clemons. of those who follow springsteen will know who he is. late great sax player. probably the the best i have ever heard in my life. he said to bruce well into their career, going out another tour, he said this could be the start of something big. [laughter] for you guys, this could be the start of something big. it will be what you make of it. fasten your seatbelts. no one will give you an instruction manual, but your generation does not need one.

nothing you buy anymore comes with an instruction manual. [laughter] we get an iphone, and ipad, we're like, where is the book jack then you ask your kids and they teach you. that is great. pay more attention to yourself worse than your net worth -- self-worth than your net worth. participate, don't spectate. have the feelings of victory and defeat, it will make you a stronger person. by all means, keep cold day close to you. as for that number 13, we will be celebrating the schools opening later this year. the one conventional wisdom said was not visible. he won the experts said never who don't. when? september 13, because nine plus one plus three equals 13. friday the 13th