ATG 229: The Commencement Speech No One Has the Guts to Give

All It Takes Is A Goal

Jon Acuff

Self-improvement, Goal, Author, All, Is, Takes, Do, Speaker, Start, Jon, Over, Soundtracks, Acuff, It, Finish, Education, A

5 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 12 May 2025

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, I'm delivering the graduation speech I've never been asked to give. I've packed it with seven brutally honest pieces of advice for Gen Z graduates that you won't hear from those boring traditional speakers droning on about "wings" and "moxie." Whether you're 18 or 48, you'll find something in this graduation manifesto that might just change your life. And no, I didn't bring merch to sell afterward (though I definitely would if they'd let me). In This Episode: Make sure to fo...

Transcript

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0:00.0	I've been really surprised at how many people who listen to this podcast have reached out to me about having me speak at their events.
0:06.5	I love that. And here's why. Over the last 13 years, I've had the honor to help hundreds of companies like Nissan, Walmart, Microsoft, and Comedy Central at events around the world.
0:18.0	And during that time, I've developed three big goals for your event. Number one,
0:22.6	I want to slingshot your audience into the best year they've ever had. Whether I'm opening,
0:27.5	closing, or somewhere in the middle of the event, I want to launch everyone out of that room
0:31.3	with actionable, memorable things that they can apply to their work and lives immediately.
0:36.5	Number two, my second goal,
0:38.4	I want the sound team engaged and laughing. The sound team has heard it all. They have, and if I can
0:44.6	make them laugh and learn along the way, the audience is going to absolutely love the keynote.
0:50.1	And number three, my third goal, I want you to get text messages during the keynote.
0:55.0	My favorite sentence to hear from you after I speak is,
0:58.0	John, my phone was blowing up during your keynote.
1:01.0	I'm there to make you look like a rock star, not me.
1:04.0	If your boss texts you during my speech and compliments you on how well the event is going,
1:10.0	then I know I've done my job.
1:12.0	Whether it's virtual or live, 10,000 people in an arena, or 15 sales team members on WebEx or
1:18.3	Zoom or Microsoft Teams, I'd love to help you with your next event.
1:24.5	Fill out the quick form at acuff.me.
1:26.4	Speaking to check my availability.
1:29.0	That's ACUFF, A-C-U-F-F-F-M-E slash speaking.
1:43.2	Hey everyone and welcome to the All It Takes a Goal podcast.
1:46.6	If you're new around here, I'm a late bloomer who discovered the power of goals in his mid-30s,
	...

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