Chelsea Handler

In this episode of Commencement: Speeches for the Class of 2020, comedian, best-selling author, and activist Chelsea Handler challenges new graduates to do things that scare them, meditate, find a good therapist, and get a dog.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Commencement Speeches for the Class of is a production of
I Heart Radio. Class of Parents, Faculty, rising graduates, Welcome
to commencement. You made it. This year is a little different,

(00:23):
a difficult time to graduate because the traditional graduation day
has been put on hold. So we're bringing it to
you wherever you are, because this is still your day,
your moment. And now put your hands together. It's time
to be inspired. This year's commencement speaker the one and
only Chelsea Handler m Hello, college graduates. My name is

(00:54):
Chelsea Handler, and I am here to tell you first
and foremost, I am not a college grad to it.
I went to a community college for a full one
and a half semesters before I realized college wouldn't be
the best use of my time. In high school, I
took my say t S tripping on acid, so I
didn't do very well. But I had a great time

(01:15):
taking that test, and not a lot of people can
say that I've taken a not so traditional route to
my career. I had a lot of drive and a
lot of ambition, but I didn't know exactly for what
I wanted people to know my name to know. I
had strong opinions and I thought the world would improve
if everyone would just listen to what I had to say.

(01:36):
As a young person, I was quite an acoal, but
my dreams became my realities, and I have learned many
lessons about success. I know many of us rely on
first impressions. These are not as important as people tell you.
Many times when I've met someone right away with whom
I've hit it off with, and I'm like, oh my gosh,
this is the best person that I've ever met. This
is my person. Over time, many times that person ends

(02:00):
up not being as great as I initially thought. It's
actually the slow burn. People who don't make a huge
impression the first time that could end up being your
best friends, or your best allies, or sometimes the strongest
influences in our lives. Remember the term slow burn, and
also remember that term when you're smoking a doobie p s.
I am not a doctor. Embrace rejection, whether it's from

(02:23):
a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a co worker, or a boss.
Rejection doesn't feel like something you want to embrace. But
rejection is never permanent, just like success is never permanent,
and the sooner you can embrace rejection, the sooner you
get through it. Usually rejection catapult us all into this
ball of despair and insecure thoughts and the self consciousness

(02:44):
and have I ever made any right decisions? And am
I fake? Am I even good at my job? And
we have to remember that when we go through those
times in our lives, those are thoughts that are happening
in our heads. These thoughts are only our thoughts. No
one else defines you but you. Your perseverance, in your
tenacity is what people will remember. It's not that you

(03:04):
will fall down, because we know everyone falls down, and
it is how you get back up and that you
continue to get back up. What other people think of
you is never as important as what you think of yourself.
So trust yourself. Just don't be an owl. And if
you have to ask yourself, am I being in? The
answer is yes. Remember to go out of your way

(03:25):
when people are being treated unfairly or discriminated against. This
is important to stand up for people, not only when
it affects you, but when it affects others. Remember that
if you are white in this world, it is a
much different experience than being of color, And make sure
you take the time to understand and learn about ways
to embrace the people that are not like you, learn

(03:46):
about them, Grow with the world and not against it.
And remember, if you're having a terrible day, there's another
better day coming sooner than you think. There will be
times in your life where you will have to make
tough decisions. And what I've and from mine is it's
not about the right decision or the wrong decision. It's
about making a choice and then committing to that decision.

(04:07):
You direct the course of your life. So if you're
not on board with your own decisions, no one else
will be. Don't be an average friend to people. Be
a great friend. Show up when others stops showing up.
Be someone that people can rely on and that people
can turn to when they're in trouble or despair. Don't
let uncomfortable feelings prevent you from having real conversations. If

(04:27):
you are brave and you have strong beliefs, you can
indeed change the world. Maybe not all at once, but
you can change the world one person at a time.
You can save the world one person at a time.
Try to meditate, and if this sounds annoying to you,
join the club. I found meditation extremely annoying as well,
But if I had started it twenty years earlier, I
would have had a completely different way of looking at things.

(04:50):
So you've never heard from somebody, Hey, I started meditating
and then I turned into a real Also, when you
can afford to find a therapist, it will be the
greatest If you ever give yourself. Oh and get a
dog when you're financially stable and able to accommodate one.
This will help you find happiness every single day. Whenever
I see something or here's something that I retreat from

(05:11):
and I close up, I'm like, oh, I have to
go do that. That's a good policy. We don't learn
until we're not interested in doing things and then doing them.
Dare to do things that scare you. If you can
embrace the unknown and fully jump into what life has
to offer you to be open to new experiences, there
will be much to celebrate and much to enjoy. Congratulations,

(05:32):
Class of get out there. You can find a collection
of incredible commencement addresses from all your favorite speakers at
the Commencement Podcast on I Heart Radio or wherever you

(05:53):
listen to podcasts.