Conan O’Brien's 2011 Dartmouth College Commencement Address

To this day, I still don’t understand exactly what happened. But I have never had more fun, been more challenged, and (this is important), had more conviction about what I was doing. How could this be true? Well, it’s simple. There are few things more liberating in this life than having your worst fear realized. I went to college with many people who prided themselves on knowing exactly who they were and exactly where they were going. At Harvard, five different guys in my class told me they would one day be president of the United States. Four of them were later killed in motel shoot-outs. The other one’s briefly hosted Blues Clues before dying senselessly at yet another motel shoot-out. Your path at 22 will not necessarily be your path at 32 or 42. One’s dream is constantly evolving, rising and falling, changing course.

But the point is this: It is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique. It’s not easy. But if you accept your misfortune and handle it right, your perceived failure can become a catalyst for profound reinvention.

No specific job or career goal defines me and it should not define you. In 2000, I told graduates to not be afraid to fail. And I still believe that. But today I tell you, whether you fear it or not, disappointment will come. The beauty is that through disappointment you can gain clarity. And with clarity comes conviction and true originality.