Leaning and moving forward

Tom Hanks, one of the most beloved actors of our time, is known for his profound storytelling both on and off the screen. In a commencement address filled with wisdom and humor, Hanks reminds us of the challenges and responsibilities that come with stepping into adulthood and navigating life’s complexities. His message is one of resilience, urging us to embrace fear, have faith, and continually move forward.

Hanks’ story about a friend’s wealthy uncle serves as a lighthearted reminder of the inevitability of work. Yet, he reframes the daily grind as an opportunity to find purpose and make meaningful contributions. Life’s fulcrum, he suggests, is the balance between fear and faith—a choice we must consciously make every day to lean into faith and move boldly toward our goals.

“I once had a friend who had a rich uncle who promised to pay for his college as long as my friend wished to stay in school. “You should stay in school as long as you can” the rich uncle said, “because when you get out of college you gotta work every day for the rest of your life.”

“So Commencement Day arrives – your work begins. Work that will not be always joyful to you, labor that may not always fulfill you and days that will seem like one damn thing after the other. It’s true you will now work every day for the rest of your lives. That full time job, your career as human beings and as Americans and as graduates of Yale is to stand on the fulcrum between fear and faith. Fear at your back. Faith in front of you. Which way will you lean? Which way will you move? Move forward, move ever forward and tweet out a picture of the results!”

_{Source: Hanks, Tom. Yale University. New Haven, Connecticut. 22 May 2011. Class Day Speech. (Transcribed from video).}