Complete inspirational speech by Dr. Taylor Swift: “When we lose many things, we also gain many things”

Taylor Swift’s commencement speech received a lot of attention from fans around the globe.

Last May 19, Taylor Swift attended the ceremony awarding the Honorary Doctorate of Arts degree at New York University. This is an honor that Taylor Swift absolutely deserves for her huge contributions to the global music industry over the years.

Honorary Doctorates are often awarded by Universities to an individual with outstanding contributions in a respective field. Only great artists with special influence can receive this honor: Aretha Franklin, Céline Dion, Ed Sheeran, Rihanna,…

The event took place at Yankee Stadium attracting tens of thousands of attendees including New York University students and numerous fans. The honorary doctorate ceremony also marked Taylor Swift’s first public appearance in 2022: not an entertainment event, not a grand red carpet, but an educational event.

It is not difficult to see that Taylor Swift truly turned New York University’s graduation ceremony into her own fan meeting when the female singer occupied the spotlight throughout her time at Yankee Stadium. Tens of thousands of spectators continuously cheered and expressed excitement, congratulating Taylor Swift on her big day. The scene was no different from a concert at Taylor Swift’s usual stadium.

Notably, “Doctor – Artist” Taylor Swift also gave a speech nearly 4,000 words long to tens of thousands of attendees. Taylor Swift’s inspirational speech is also attracting the attention of global fans.

Below is the full translation of Taylor Swift’s speech at New York University’s honorary doctorate ceremony.

Last time I was in a stadium like this, I was dancing around in high heels and wearing a sparkly leotard. And the outfit I’m wearing now is much more comfortable. I would like to express my profound gratitude to NYU Board of Regents Chairman Bill Berkeley, all of the trustees and members of the board, NYU President Andrew Hamilton, Provost Katherine Fleming, and the faculty and alumni. member here, today so the ceremony can take place. I feel very proud to share this day with honorees like Susan Hockfield and Felix Matos Rodriguez, who have transformed our world with their research.

As for me, probably 90% of the reason I’m here is because I have a song called 22. It’s really a pleasure to be here with, with all of you – as we celebrate and graduated from the Class of 2022 of New York University.

None of us here can do these things alone. Each of us is a blanket woven from the feelings of those who loved us, who believed in our future, who showed us empathy and kindness, who told us we know the truth even when it is not easy to hear.

Those are the people who told us “we can do it” even though there is still no clear proof. That’s the person who told you stories and helped you keep your dreams alive, giving you moral rules between right and wrong for you to try to live by. It’s the person who tries his best to explain every concept in this crazy complicated world to the “child” in you, as you ask a million questions like ‘how does the moon work’ and ‘ Why can we eat salad but not grass?’

Maybe they didn’t do it perfectly, no one did. They may not be with us right now, and in that case, I hope you will remember them now. And if they are here, right in this stadium, I hope you will find your own way to express gratitude for all the things right and wrong that have brought us to this day. , right now.

I know that words are considered my strength, but I will never be able to find the words to thank my mother, my father, and my brother, Austin, for the sacrifices they have made. The days that I could go from singing in coffee shops, to standing up here with all of you today, words will never be enough.

To all the parents, family members, tutors, teachers, relatives, friends and loved ones here who have supported these students in their pursuit of rich educational career, I would like to tell you: “Welcome to New York. It’s been waiting for you” (Taken from the lyrics of the song Welcome To New York, translated: Welcome to New York. The city is waiting. waiting for you…” – Reporter)

I want to thank NYU for helping me become a PhD, at least on paper. It’s not like “Doctor” is something you need in an emergency, unless your emergency at that moment is that you need to listen to a song with a catchy hook, and a strong emotional bridge. Or if your emergency is someone who can name over 50 cat breeds in a minute.

I never had a normal college experience. I attended public high school until the tenth grade and completed my education studying with tutors while moving around the airport terminal floors. After that, I left to participate in a series of exchanges with television stations. It sounds extremely flashy, but in reality it only has a rented car, a motel, and my mother and I pretended to argue loudly while boarding the plane, sometimes fighting over the empty seat.

As a kid, I always thought I’d go to College, imagining the posters I’d hang on my freshman dorm wall. I even set the ending of the MV Love Story in an imaginary university, where I met a “male god” guy reading a book on the lawn and with just a glance, we realized that We have loved each other since our previous lives. That’s exactly what all of you have experienced at some point in the last 4 years, right?

But I can’t complain when you yourself don’t have the normal college experience because you entered NYU in the middle of a global crisis. Basically, you guys were locked in your dorm or had to study on Zoom. Everyone at the University, who in normal times is stressed about test scores, now has to pass 1,000 COVID tests. I imagine that all people want is just regular schooling.

But in this case, you and I both know that you don’t always get what you want, it’s not as simple as ordering and getting it all in a delivery bag. You will get what you deserve. And as I like to say, you should still be proud of what you did. Today, you’re officially saying goodbye to New York University, and then you’re out in the world in search of what’s next. Me too!

So as a rule, I try not to give advice to anyone unless they ask for it. I will go deeper into this issue later. I guess I was “planted” into this situation, to impart any wisdom I may have and to impart to you what has helped me get to where I am today. Please note that I never feel qualified to advise you what to do. You’ve worked and struggled and sacrificed and learned and dreamed your way – so you know what you’re doing. You will do different things than I did!

So I won’t advise you what to do because no one likes that. I just give you some life tips that I wish I had known earlier in my career to navigate life, love, pressure, choices, shame, hope and love. Friend.

The first thing is… life can be very heavy at times, especially if you try to take it all on at once. Part of growing up and moving on to new chapters in your life lies in embracing and releasing. Know what to keep and what to release.

You can’t carry everything with you, every grudge, every update about your ex, every enviable promotion your school bully got at his uncle’s investment fund. I am the founder. Decide what is yours to keep and let the rest go. Usually, the good things in your life are lighter anyway, so there will be more room in your heart. A toxic relationship can be so much more than simple joys. You can choose things that suit the “capacity” of your heart and time. Be wise!

Second, learn to live with people who cower. No matter how hard you try to avoid being withdrawn, you will look back at your life and reminisce. I promise you, you’re probably making or wearing something right now that you’ll look back on later and find cool and fun. You can’t avoid it, so don’t try. For example, I had a phase where throughout 2012 I dressed like a 1950s housewife. But you know what? I was very happy. Interesting trends and trends. Looking back, it’s so funny!

While we’re talking about things that make us nervous but really aren’t worth it, I want to say that I’m all for not hiding your enthusiasm for things. It seems to me that there is a false stigma surrounding the idea of always wanting to keep our surroundings “stable”. This mindset makes most people think that it is not good for an individual to always be eager and longing to get something. People who are not “desiring and eager” are considered more “luxurious” than those who are enthusiastic about exploring everything.

I’ve done a lot and was certainly never an expert at this “luxury” thing. Hear me out: Never be ashamed of trying. Effort is legendary. The people who want it the least are the people I wanted to date and be friends with in high school. The people who want that the most are the people I hire to work for my company now.

I started composing at the age of 12 and since then, it has been the compass that guides my life and vice versa, my life has guided my composing. Everything I do is just a supplement to my own creations: whether it’s a music video or short film, a tour or a stage performance. Everything is connected by the love of the craft, the thrill of working through ideas, narrowing the scope and ultimately refining everything.

Then you can wake up in the middle of the night and throw away the whole old idea because you just came up with a newer, better one. A plot ties the whole thing together. There’s a reason they call it a “hook” – (hook both refers to a part in the song and literally means “hook” – PV). Sometimes, a string of words worries me from day to day, unable to concentrate on anything until they are recorded in compositions.

As a musician, I have never been able to sit still or stay in one place while composing. I have made and released 11 albums and in the process, I have continuously switched genres from country to pop and even folk. It sounds like it’s just aimed at those of you who dream of being musicians but actually, in a way, I really think we’re all writers.

We all write in a different voice for different situations. You write on your Instagram Stories differently than you write on your senior thesis. You send a different type of email to your boss than you send to your best friend at home. We’re all literary chameleons and I think that’s fascinating. And I know you will be truly overwhelmed when you find the right path for yourself. Who you are now and how you act will lead to where you want to go. The good news is that you have complete control, everything depends on you!

I told you earlier that I never give advice unless someone asks me for it, and now I’ll tell you why. As someone who started his career at the age of 15, I paid a lot. And that price is many years without any guidance from anyone. Being the youngest person in the biz for over a decade meant I was constantly getting “glares” from older members of the music industry, the media, reporters, and executives.

See, I was just a young woman in the public eye at a time when our society was completely obsessed with stereotypes and ideals of the perfect young woman. It feels like in every interview I do, the reporter comments that I’m increasingly “going off the rails” – meaning I’m increasingly different from the role model everyone has in mind. So I became a young adult with the expectation of not making any mistakes from the public!

All of America’s children will grow up to be perfect angels. However, I felt that if I slipped out of orbit, the entire earth would fall off its axis and everyone would see it as entirely my fault and a pop star like me would go to jail forever. It all revolves around the idea: every mistake is a failure. In the end, you will lose your chance to have a happy life.

This is not my experience. My experience is that my mistakes have led to the best things in my life.

Being embarrassed when you mess up is part of life’s experience. Get up, dust yourself off and see who still wants to hang out with you later, considering it was just a joke? It is a gift of life.

Remembering the times I was rejected: not participating, not selected, not winning, not passing… looking back, I really feel like those moments were more important than the moments I received. get consent.

Not being invited to parties and dinners in my hometown made me feel hopelessly lonely, but because I felt lonely, I would sit in my room and write songs to earn myself one. tickets somewhere else. Having a label executive in Nashville tell me that 35-year-old housewives listen to country music and there’s no room for a 13-year-old on their roster made me cry in the car on the way home. But then I would post my songs on MySpace and would message other teenagers like me who loved country music, but had no one to sing along to.

The fact that journalists write quite in-depth, sometimes critically, about people they claim to be me makes me feel like I’m living in some strange simulation world, but it also makes me look deep inside to learn about your true self. I saw that the whole world watched my life and love like a sport with spectators around me, where I lost every match.

It wasn’t a great way to date in my teens and twenties, but it taught me to protect my private life fiercely. Being publicly humiliated over and over again at a young age was incredibly painful, but it forced me to balance being loved with these things. Being ostracized on the internet and almost losing my career gave me a great knowledge of all types of wine.

I know I seem like an optimistic, perfect girl, but I’m really not. I often lose my emotions. Sometimes things just feel completely meaningless. I see the pressures of your life through the lens of perfectionism. And I know I’m talking to a bunch of perfectionists because here you are, graduating from NYU today.

And this can make it hard to hear. In life, you will inevitably do the following: say the wrong thing, trust the wrong person, react carelessly, overreact, hurt people who don’t deserve it, think too carefully, don’t think at all , self-destruction. You may create a reality where only your experience exists, ruining perfectly good moments for yourself and others, denying any wrongdoing, not taking steps to correct it. right again, then feel very guilty, let the guilt eat into you, hit rock bottom, finally deal with the pain you caused, try to do better next time, rinse, repeat . And I won’t lie, these mistakes will cost you a lot.

I’m trying to tell you that lost doesn’t just mean lost. Many times, when we lose many things, we also gain many things.

Now you leave the framework of school and chart your own path. Every choice you make leads to the next choice, which leads to the next path, and I know sometimes it’s hard to know which path to choose. There will be times in your life when you need to stand up for yourself. There will be times when the right thing is to step back and apologize.

There are times when the right thing is to fight, and there are times when the right thing is to turn and run. There are times when it’s right to hold on with everything you have and sometimes it’s right to let go at will. Sometimes the right thing to do is to throw out old schools of thought in the name of progress and reform. Sometimes the right thing to do is to listen to the wisdom of those who came before us. How do you know what the right choice is during these critical times? You will not.

How do I give advice to this many people about their life choices? I will not.

The scary news is: you are now alone.

The exciting news is: You are now completely autonomous.

I leave you with this: We are guided by our instincts, our intuition, our desires and fears, our scars and our dreams. And sometimes you’ll mess it up. Me too and when I do, chances are you’ll read it on the internet. Either way… hard things will happen to us. We will be healed. We will learn from experience. We will become more resilient because of it.

As long as we are lucky enough to breathe, we will inhale, exhale, breathe deeply, exhale. And I’m a PhD now, I know how to teach you how to breathe!

I hope you know how proud I am to share this day with you. We are doing this together. So let’s keep dancing!