The Illusion of Arrival, the Importance of Purpose, and the Act of Falling Forward
I’ve been thinking about the days after big moments. Not the events themselves — not the applause, the pictures, the performance—but the quiet, strange days that follow. The day after you hit ‘submit’ on your last university application. The day after our final FNL. The day after we get the acceptance letter from our university.
We expect euphoria. What we often get is silence. And that silence is not failure. It’s the moment the world asks a harder question: Now that you’ve done it, what will you do with it?
And that’s what this speech is about. Not just how we got here, but what this moment demands of us.
Today is a celebration—but also something more. It’s a moment to ask ourselves what comes next. So instead of just applause and reflection, I want to offer three provocations. Three ideas that challenge the stories we’ve been told: The Illusion of Arrival, The Importance of Purpose, and The Act of Falling Forward.
