Shawn Gorman, L.L.Bean’s chairman and the great-grandson of the company’s founder, called on University of New Hampshire graduates at their commencement ceremony to live adventure-filled lives.
In the commencement address delivered on May 19, the 1989 UNH grad with an English degree said he found three themes : outdoors, values and balance, to be “key to living an adventurous and fulfilling life.”
The outdoors, according to Gorman, “is a critical antidote to this hyper-competitive, hyper-stressed, tech-driven world we live in.” While technology powers the world in wonderful ways, “it will never fill your soul like a sunrise in the mountains,” he said.
He urged the graduates to seek out people and organizations that match their own values, let those values guide their decisions and try to work with people who share their values and aspirations. Said Gorman, “I’m not suggesting that you wait for the perfect job. I’m pretty sure that doesn’t exist. But what I am saying is that it is possible to find a job that brings you joy and a paycheck.”
He ended by stressing the importance of balancing work lives with family, friends and time in the outdoors.
Gorman provided examples from his own life, including initially seeking out a career in advertising before finding his values fit better working at his family’s company. He also cautioned that he had been consumed by work at one time for nearly a decade at the expense of friends, family and spending time in the outdoors, but a fishing trip with friends awakened his need for balance. He said the trip made him realize “we work to live and not the other way around.”
The following is the full speech:
“Good morning fellow Wildcats!
“it is such as great honor to be with you today on this beautiful campus to celebrate the University of New Hampshire’s Class of 2018. (applause)
“While today is the day for celebrating your hard work and effort over the last four years, as the father of three college students, I now more fully understand and appreciate the amount of support from parents, family, friends and of course the faculty and administrators of this great university that is required to make this day possible.
“To those of you here supporting one of today’s graduates, congratulations on a job well done. (Applause)
“And in case I forgot to thank my family after my own graduation I’d like to do that now because they’re here among you in the audience today. Mom, dad, thank you for everything, then, now and everything in between. (Applause)
“Not too long ago I was sitting where all of you are. Well, it was kind of a long time ago since most of you weren’t born yet. But the memories are fresh. It almost feels like yesterday.
“Of course, when I think back to my own graduation, the images that come to mind aren’t the things that are so vivid to me now, like this stage and the prominence of the UNH emblem. Or the thousands of you graduating seniors and your family and friends who’ve come to celebrate this milestone with you today.
“Yes, I have those memories too. But when someone asks me what my college graduation was like, the first thing I share, or the first thing I confess actually, is that I nearly missed it all because I overslept.
“Shockingly, I’d been out late the night before. So what I remember most about the morning was having to run all the way down Main Street in a full sprint to the Field House, arriving just minutes before my class was to take the field.
“I made it, just barely, although not in time to sit with peers from the College of Liberal Arts (applause). But rather with the students from the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. (applause). So a late shoutout to those folks. Thanks for letting me blend in.
“Not the case this morning. Just a heads up to you graduates. In the spirit of things to look forward to, the ability to sleep in, let alone oversleep, will become a thing of the past.
“Case in point, I was up a 5:00 a.m. this morning in anticipation of today’s festivities. But before we look too far into your future selves, let’s take stock of where you are today.
“College graduation, you made it! Four years of classes, papers, labs and finals and here you are, transitioning from student to alumnus, undergrad to graduate, unemployed to unemployed but looking for work. (applause)
“Well done!
“The funny thing about graduation is we often view it as an ending,and to a certain extent, that’s true. Yes, your lives as college students is coming to an end. But there’s a good reason this event is called a commencement. Because it’s more about what’s beginning then what might be ending.
“What’s beginning is your next chapter and everything in your lives that has yet to happen, but will be shaped by what you’ve experienced, shared and learned as UNH students. As you all embark on this next chapter, no matter what your plans are or wherever they may take you, I wish for you to lead an adventure-full life.
“What does leading an adventure-filled life look like?
“Well, first off, it will be different for each of you because the first rule of leading an adventurous life is that it must be yours and yours alone to chart. But that doesn’t mean you should or even could do it all alone. Everyone who has helped you get to this point will still be there to support you along the way.
So, as I was thinking about what I could share as you prepare for what’s ahead, I compiled a few lessons from my own journey, a path that began with a 22-year-old kid nearly missing his own graduation that has wound its way all the way back to Durham on this special morning nearly three decades later.
The lessons I’ll offer for your consideration are framed by three small but powerful words: outdoors, values and balance. Each of which I found key to living an adventurous and fulfilling life.
Let’s start with the outdoors.
Whatever you do, wherever you go, let the outdoors be part of your life in whatever form or expression speaks to you. My great grandfather, Leon Leonwood Bean, or L.L. as he was known, was famous for a lot of great sayings. But one of my favorites is about one of the benefits of spending time in the outdoors. He said, “One thing I’ve learned in my lifetime is the fact that outdoor recreation, such as hunting, fishing and camping, has added years to my lifespan.” And since L.L. lived to 94, I’m pretty sure L.L. was onto something, something that you already understand.
Like me, I imagine that the location of this beautiful campus nestled in the great state of New Hampshire was a draw for many of you when choosing a college. From the oceans to the lakes and mountains, spending time in the outdoors is an unofficial part of the curriculum at UNH.
The outdoors to you might mean hiking in the White Mountains or simply walking to class across campus. Where and how you choose to be outside doesn’t matter. What is important is recognizing that being outdoors is a critical antidote to this hyper-competitive, hyper-stressed, tech-driven world we live in. Yes, technology powers our lives in all sorts of wonderful ways. But it will never fill your soul like watching a sunrise from a mountain.
So part of living an adventurous life is knowing when the slow down and take in the beauty of the world around us. Because you will find that as your lives pick up steam and everyday stresses takes hold, spending time outdoors becomes even more important and more precious.
One of our recent advertisements tells that story. It opens with a man standing in the doorway of a remote log cabin looking outdoors, greeting a day full of sunshine, lush greenery and chirping birds. He then bends down to view his welcome mat and he spins it around so it’s pointing to the outside, in effect, welcoming him to the outdoors and to a great day of adventure.
Now, think of this day, this moment, as your own welcome mat to the outside world, to the world beyond this campus, to the one that is calling you to begin your adventurous life. You may be wondering if you’re ready; you are. Because joining you are the values that have enabled you to reach this important milestone and will continue to carry you forward.
Values like kindness, respect and honesty that your parents, coaches, teachers and this highly-respected university have ingrained in you.
To be happy in your adult lives, just as you’ve found here on campus, you’ve need to seek people, affiliations and organizations whose values align with your own. And trust in those values to guide your decisions. But don’t be alarmed if they take you to places you never expected.
This might surprise you, but when I was in your shoes, my initial job path didn’t include L.L.Bean. In fact, it was the furthest thing from my mind. Yes, it’s my family’s company, but that wasn’t a big draw for me back then.
I had my sights set on an advertising career, which meant New York or Boston, not Maine. But as fate would have it my graduation coincided with a recession. So when the doors didn’t open on Madison Avenue, I took a sales position in Portland, Maine.
The job was okay. I was having some success, but at the same time the fit wasn’t quite right. I wasn’t passionate about what the work was and eventually I realized I needed to make a change. So I took another look at L.L. Bean and I was hired into an entry-level position in our advertising department. That was 27 years ago, and I can say today with 100 percent certainty that I can’t imagine working anywhere else.
In fact, within just a few days, I’d realized working at L.L.Bean was completely different from what I’d imagined. Rather than being locked in a cubicle pushing paperwork around, I was part of a community of outdoor enthusiasts, like-minded people who shared a passion for the outdoors, doing right by our customers and each other. In fact, it was everything I could have hoped for in a workplace. A company that matched my values and a culture built around those values.
So as you begin your career search, I encourage you not just to look for a job but rather search for a role, an industry or organization where you can imagine doing great work and having fun with people who share your values and your aspirations.
I’m not suggesting that you wait for the perfect job. I’m pretty that doesn’t exist. But what I am saying is that it is possible to find a job that brings you joy and a paycheck. And if you don’t find it right away, don’t despair. Course correction is all part of the plan. The secret is to keep going and keep searching. Remember, it’s an adventure, and adventurers never settle.
And that brings me to my final word, which is balance. Which is best explained by a story. A story that is about being out of balance.
Soon after I graduated, I felt it was time to make the transition to so-called adulthood. So I took on a rather singular focus or goal of checking the boxes: finding a job, making money and starting a family. All good and wonderful goals, goals I’m sure many of you have.
Unfortunately for me, one of those goals took on too much importance, and over time I became so consumed by my career and achieving success at work that I forgot to prioritize the things in life that matter most: my family, my friends and time in the outdoors. The things I had in abundance when I was a student at UNH.
This went on for about a decade, and I knew I needed to make some changes but I wasn’t sure how. Ironically, what helped me get my life in balance was a fishing trip with friends that I didn’t think I’d have time to attend. And honestly I didn’t want to attend because none of the people I was going with knew how to fish.
I went rather reluctantly, but that reluctance quickly melted away, and there I was for five days tying flies for my friends, teaching them how to cast, taking in the quiet beauty of a northern Maine stream and most importantly, having fun.
And this is when I came to the realization that we work to live and not the other way around.
So from that moment everything changed. I put my family, my friends, myself first. I made time for the outdoors. I was happy, balanced and, much to my surprise, even more productive at work. This experience helped me to see that true success comes from living a life where your personal and professional are tended to with the same amount of personal care and attention, so all the important aspects of your life are in line or balanced with one another.
I actually share this story with my kids all the time and they never listen to me. But I hope I have better luck with you this morning. Perhaps you can let me know in 20 years or so.
So there you have my three small words for consideration: outdoors, values and balance.
As you each prepare to leave this great university behind and turn your welcome mats around, away from the formal learning you’ve received as UNH students and towards the life-long learning that is just beginning for you, Class of 2018, congratulations to all of you on all you’ve achieved to reach this point. But the outside is waiting; it’s time to go be adventurous.
Thank you! (applause)
The full ceremony can see seen here.
Photo courtesy University of New Hampshire
