What if Every Day Was Commencement Day?

10374534_1125175214176193_6473482074373959340_nIt’s the time of the season. High school seniors are donning caps and gowns, assembling in auditoriums and saying goodbye-hello to the past and the future. It is, whether they realize it or not (I did not), a seminal moment.

And though I do not ordinarily go in for such pomp and circumstance, I do so love the aura of joy and sadness, fear and hope, uncertainty and expectation that fills the stage and permeates into the crowd during a high school graduation.

And even more so, I love the speeches. From the class valedictorian, the high school principal, the class treasurer, the guest speaker. I love the heavy handed retrospectives and the hopelessly romantic and optimistic forecasts. But mostly, I love the encouragement.

For that one moment in time – a moment that never happened in the previous 12 years and likely will never happen again – these young adults are treated to a comprehensive coating… an unapologetic slathering of invigorating, uplifting, motivating inspiration. So much so, that even a grizzled old dog like me is moved to exhilaration.

With that in mind, I would like to make a suggestion: every day (not just high school graduation day) should be commencement day.

Every day should be a challenge to achieve greatness. To do more, to go further, to excel, to make the younger you proud of who you are becoming and the older you proud to look back on what you’ve accomplished. Never stop trying, pushing, dreaming, fighting, excelling. You deserve greatness. You can achieve greatness.

If we never really stop being that high school senior – innocent and hopeful and full of potential – then everything remains possible.

Jim Sweeney

CEO & COO

Jim is a veteran of the agency industry and the founder of Sweeney. He is uncommonly passionate about the idea of creating and implementing insanely great marketing campaigns that achieve insanely great results. He pioneered the full-service, full-circle agency model and continues to forge new ideas in an ever-changing industry. And he is accessible to everyone about anything, seemingly all the time, serving as a mentor to all agency personnel and clients.