Life more than wealth, riches

By Katrina Lockwood
Guest Columnist
Published: June 12, 2008

For those of you who don’t know me, I took a job this spring working with kids every day after school. At an evaluation with my supervisor I was asked, “What inspires you in this job?” Without hesitating, I replied “Why, the kids of course.”

But it made me stop and think: What inspires me in life?

Now, inspiration can mean many things. What drives you? Motivates you? Keeps you going? What changes the way you view the world around you?

I tried to figure out what inspired me in life, and what carried me through my high school years as I tried to become not only someone that my peers would look up to, but someone who Christ can be proud of. I realized that I drew from many different sources of inspiration to become who I am today.

Look around you, class of 2008. We have endless opportunities and so many sources of inspiration.

Every time I see a peer smile in the face of defeat, it inspires me to keep persevering. Every time I see a teacher pour his or her heart and soul out into a lecture, it inspires me to draw my fire from within, despite what others think. Every time I see a broken friendship mended, it inspires me and gives me hope that anything can be fixed if we put our minds to it. Every time I hear someone passionately stand up for what they believe, it inspires me to stay true to myself.

These aren’t grand events in life, but rather smaller, finer details that most of us overlook every day. It’s like driving the same route to school every day, and still not being able to tell what the sign you just passed had written on it. But if you take the time to just glance at that sign for a moment, it contains insight into something that can change the way you view the road ahead.

Each and every one of us are about to take new routes in our lives, whether it be college or the workforce. I challenge you to step back, and embrace solitude for once. Be secure in who you are as a person, so that when you feel as if the world has let you down or turned its back on you, you can delve into yourself and find that inspiration that you need to carry on.

On that note though, don’t completely rely on yourself. I know that every time I look at my father and see his pride in me shine from his eyes, it inspires and motivates me to continue on my path.

I know every time I hit a rough spot in life, and I see Tucker walking right beside me, trekking through, it inspires me and renews my faith in those around me. I know so many people that have changed my life—Eileen and her selflessness, Kathy and her courage, Ms. Fehn and her sincerity, Mrs. Tucker and her dedication.

Even though you may not know these people I am talking about, listen to the qualities they possess that inspire others. Draw from that and not only aspire to find the outlets of inspiration in your lives, but aim to reflect those qualities from within.

When you find something or someone who helps change the way in which you view those around you, stop and let the beauty of it surround you. The real challenge is to pass it on. Become a person who, when people look at your circumstances and pair it with your attitude, they become inspired.

I urge you to find what inspires you in the hectic world that surrounds us today. We’re about to embark on a new journey that brings unforeseen changes and life-altering decisions.  In order to create something, you must be something, and you must be firm in who you are. When you look back 10, 20, 30 years from now, the only excuse you’ll have for what you’ve become is yourself.

I don’t care what circumstances you’re thrown into, the only thing that decides where you end up after that trial is yourself and the attitude that you possess. I challenge you to live a life, so that when you look back years from now, you have no regrets, and you have an answer for everything you’ve done.
We have a greater purpose in life than just to earn wealth and riches.

Find your inspiration, find your purpose. Be someone who you are proud of, and become somebody that others can grow from.

Each of you has the same opportunities as the person sitting next to you. It’s a fresh slate, so go forward knowing that your past doesn’t matter; it’s only the future you should be caring about now.

I don’t care if you were known as the trouble-maker and spent more time in ISS than in the classroom. I don’t care if you barely passed your classes in high school.

You have the potential to be whoever you want to be. Look for the little things in life that inspire you, whether that be your faith, the qualities you see in others, or simply the beauty of nature.

You can find inspiration in anything; you just have to look. I challenge you to leave today remembering your past, but not being limited by it.
Everyone faces obstacles in life, but I have faith that each and every one of us will find the inspiration we need to get through them.

Thank you, and God bless.

(Katrina Lockwood is the valedictorian of the Madison County High School Class of 2008. The preceding is the full text of the speech she gave during her class’ commencement Saturday. She plans to attend Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. Her parents are Robert Lockwood of Brightwood and Diana Carmichael of Frericksburg. Contact her via e-mail at .)