Inspiration - Mindy Kaling's Dartmouth Commencement Speech

I'm not sure if you've seen it yet, but on June 10, Mindy Kaling spoke at Dartmouth's Commencement. The speech was funny, captivating, and inspirational.  While much of it was directed at the graduates, there were elements that relate a lot to what I am going through right now (and that I honestly think everyone can relate to in some way).

The two main things I found inspirational are:

Supporting Yourself and Others

Mindy humorously spoke about her key to success in life, delusion. While this may not seem like the greatest piece of advice, what she was really speaking about was being confident and believing in yourself.

While at her own Darthmouth graduation, Mindy Kaling whispered to herself, "Why not me?". She kept whispering this to herself and is now where she is today. A successful actress, author, and show writer.

Believing in yourself will help you get further in life. Yes, skills, knowledge, and hard work are important, but if you lack confidence, you will likely be held back in other ways. Be your own cheerleader.

Along with cheering on yourself, it is important to support others. For women to support other women. In my mind, supporting others helps them gain more confidence and helps make the world a better place.

Don't Worry If You Stray from Your Checklist

In her speech, Mindy Kaling spoke about her checklist. When she started at Dartmouth she created a checklist of things she wanted to do while she was at college. She checked them all off. But, she only checked off one thing from the checklist she created for her 20s.

I can tell you, the three years since I've graduated University have not gone as planned. I thought that at this point, I would be close to or have already opened my own small retail store. Yes, I have my own business, but I didn't expect to have an e-commerce business, or to be starting school again.

Watch the Speech Here: