Steve Harvey delivers the ASU 2016 Commencement Address
During his address, Harvey said he wanted to challenge the graduates to be great.
“What you have done up until now has been a major accomplishment; I take my hat off to you,” said Harvey. “But what you’ve accomplished so far to this point is to become successful. I want you to go a little bit past successful. I want somebody in here to be great. There is a difference between success and greatness. You got your degree; that’s successful. So far, this has been about yourself … but great people change other people’s lives. Great people put other people’s needs in front of theirs. Great people go back to their communities and change lives. We need somebody from ASU to go out of here and be great — to be a life changer.”
Harvey brought thunderous applause as well as laughter from the audience as he used stories from his own life to teach the lessons that he said each of the graduates would need after receiving their diplomas.
Spring 2016 Commencement Harvey’s lessons:
#1. “Live your life so that your children’s grandchildren will know who you are.”
#2. “Learn how to fail and win anyway.”
#3. “Quit asking God to make your life easy.”
#4. “Your greatness is in your imagination.”
Harvey said one of his greatest life lessons came on December 21, 2015, when he misidentified the winner of the Miss Universe Pageant.
“The day after, my name was Googled two billion times in 48 hours,” said Harvey. “I was on the front page of 64 countries’ newspapers. God had answered my prayers and increased my global persona and reputation, but it happened in a moment of adversity.”
Harvey said his adversity included global embarrassment and death threats. But he said because of the notoriety of the incident, he also received several “blessings,” including his first Super Bowl commercial.
“Behind every moment of adversity, (remember)…two things are going to happen: a lesson and a blessing. And you have to learn to wait on both of them,” Harvey added.
The conclusion of his address comes from Hebrews 11:1.