Charles СAPPPeanutСAPP Tillman, cornerback for the Chicago Bears, had some words of inspiration for 1,615 new graduates of the СAPP.
The recipient of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award was the keynote speaker at the 2014 Spring Commencement on May 17. He is a 2002 graduate of UL Lafayette who was a four-year letterman and All-American.
Tillman was selected in the second round of the 2003 NFL draft. He has become known for his prowess on the football field and his generosity off the gridiron. ItСAPPs estimated that since 2005, Tillman's charitable efforts have impacted the lives of over a million Chicago-area children, for example.
Before beginning his keynote speech, Tillman told the audience he was going to mimic something he saw at the 2014 Academy Awards, referring to Oscars host Ellen Degeneres tweeting a photo of herself with other stars. He lifted his cellphone above his head and positioned himself to take a photo with the audience in the background.
Here is the selfie he snapped and posted to his .
Tillman encouraged the UL Lafayette graduating seniors to continue learning throughout life, and to have a positive impact on other people. СAPPSome believe you have to be famous, wealthy, or influential to be memorable. Those who inspire me the most are the ones that follow their passions in life and strive to help others."
He said he lives by a СAPPPGOW. A PGOW is what I call a Powerful Group of Words.СAPP
HeСAPPs inspired by a СAPPPGOWСAPP whose acronym is SCORE: self-discipline, concentration, optimism, relaxation, and enjoyment.
Excerpts from a transcript of his speech are below:
There are two types of ways we can communicate. One is body language. Body language, never whispers; it always screams. And, the second one is words. Words are important because . . . they lift us up, they tear us down.
To sum up, just how important words are: words create worlds. What a blessing it would be today if, in some small way, my words could help you create a new world. Now words canСAPPt create themselves by themselves СAPP you have to act on your words.
Back in 2003, I took a trip to Champaign, (Ill.), They made our rookies go down to Champaign, and, you know, IСAPPm thinking, СAPPWhy am I here? This is boring. I donСAPPt want to do this.СAPP And it was probably one of the best life lessons IСAPPve ever learned. We were given the task to memorize a mantra. IСAPPve lived my life by this mantra.
Basically it goes like this: СAPPLearning is the beginning of health, wealth, future, and fortune. You can multiply your life by two, by three, by five, by 10, if you donСAPPt neglect to learn.СAPP I take great pride in knowing that I try to learn something every year that IСAPPm in the NFL. And what I take from that phrase or that quote СAPP I donСAPPt care how old you are, you can always learn something new. IСAPPm 33 years old, and IСAPPm in graduate school right now. Hopefully, next year IСAPPll be doing what you guys are doing and graduating.
IСAPPm always trying to learn something new and I inspire you guys to do the same.
The message I want to leave you guys with today is about making your mark. Everyone can interpret that in a new way, in a different way. In my opinion, that means to be bold, to stand out, to not be afraid, and to do something and take a chance and risk something.
I believe we all have something that weСAPPve learned to make a mark.
The first, I think you all have learned at a young age: competition. I think competition brings out the best in everybody. I think you find out who you are and what youСAPPre made out of when you compete.
The second one is teamwork. You learn about being selfless, you learn about giving it up, putting it on the line for somebody else. You learn about what it takes, when you get knocked down, to pick yourself back up.
And third, as an athlete, we learn: whatСAPPs next? After a game, good or bad, win or lose, you go back to that locker room and you always wonder whatСAPPs next. You guys, once you get your degrees, your diplomas, youСAPPre going to walk out those doors and step into the real world, and youСAPPre going to wonder: whatСAPPs next? After that, the mental toughness comes into play.
I call it the strangest secret. To me, the strangest secret is that we become what we think about.
What does that actually mean? Take corn and nightshade, which has a deadly poison. Dig two holes in farm land, one for corn and one for nightshade. Cover it up, put water on it, give it sunlight. Invariably, the same thing will happen. The land will return what is planted. Good or bad.
Your mind works the same exact way. Good thoughts, bad thoughts, your mind will always return what you plant.
What I take from that side is a PGOW СAPP a PGOW is what I call a Powerful Group of Words. ItСAPPs my own little acronym. IСAPPve got all these crazy acronyms that I do, right? So, a PGOW. A powerful group of words.
For me to get into a zone when IСAPPm playing in front of 100,000, 60,000, Monday Night Football, whatever it is СAPP my PGOW is the SCORE. . .
S. Self-discipline. This is something that you have to do СAPP habits, rituals, you have to pay the price.
C. Concentration. This is intense focus. Keeping your eye on the prize, keeping your eye on the target. You canСAPPt hit your target if you take your eye off it.
O. Optimism. No negative self-talk. No matter what happens, you always have to be optimistic and positive about whateverСAPPs going on.
R. Relaxation. You canСAPPt get in the zone if youСAPPre tight.
E. Enjoyment. ThatСAPPs really having fun.
Some people believe you have to be famous, wealthy, or influential to be memorable. The people who inspire me the most are the ones that follow their passions in life and strive to help others. I hope I can be an inspiration to others by walking my talk.
Lastly, anybody seen the movie СAPPThe Gladiator?СAPP Great movie, right? In the movie СAPPThe Gladiator,СAPP Maximus, he says, СAPPAt my signal, unleash hell.СAPP Well, I think we already have enough hell on earth, right? So, as a proud alumnus, at my signal, IСAPPll say, СAPPUnleash yourselves.СAPP
Thank you.