Monday, May 31, 2010

Words of Wisdom at Bates College Graduation

Yesterday was Peter's graduation from Bates College. The day sparkled, a warm breeze blew and commencement began. We sparkled with pride and all was right with the world on this perfect day. I wanted to take it all in with my heart, mind , camera and as the speakers began I realized my pen would be a good idea as well. There were five speakers, all of whom were conferred honorary degrees. This post is on Lorenzo "Rennie" Harris who received a Doctor of Fine Arts for his groundbreaking work in hip hop dance. In five minutes (the time each of the five speakers had) he shared some of the most important things he had learned and some practical tips. I hope my scribbled notes do justice to his words.
He said
1) The moment is the only real thing.
2) Sieze the day.
3) You shape your reality each moment.
4) Being persistent and consistent will lead to success.
He then shared a useful and humorous story. When he was 27 he decided to write down all of his thoughts, conversations etc. and put them into one of three categories. The first was BS (no explanation needed) . The second was PM for potential money and the third was CM for confirmed money. After 2-3 months of writing everything down he saw the columns change and his vision clarify. This was the beginning of his career as a hip hop artist.
Other things he said were
5) Movement is the last manifestation of your reality. What you do is more important than what you say. Take action, define your reality.
6) Remember who you are as spirits on this planet and why you came here.... to understand love on many different levels.
The last and most important thing Lorenzo "Rennie" Harris said was
7) The only time you should ever look down on someone is when you are reaching down to pull them up.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks Robin! I feel like I was there! (and I was one year ago!)
    good thoughts. I love how you scribbled them down and shared them with me, the cyber world and anyone you may come across. The moment is now. Keep focus. Actions are what matter. Never look down except to pull someone up.
    This was wonderful.
    How was Jane Pauley?
    Eliza was there and mentioned she was also a speaker.

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