About 5-6 months back, I came across a commencement speech delivered by Dolly Parton to the outgoing class at the University of Tennessee. Given my short attention span, I was not really sure I would watch the entire video. Frankly, I was not even sure if I would even enjoy the speech. I had heard about Dolly Parton in passing and didn’t have any idea of what I would expect.
2 minutes into the speech I was completely hooked. After I listened to the entire speech, I had a great uplifting feeling. There was something in that speech that resonated very deeply within me. The speech was profound, philosophical, humorous, and very well delivered. I was totally mesmerized to say the least. Immediately, I asked my wife to watch the video. She liked it as well. I found myself going back and listening to this speech whenever I felt I needed an uplifting message to brighten up, bring energy and purpose to my day.
I tried searching for other videos of Dolly Parton and could not find anything that came close to what I had experienced after listening to her commencement speech. I thought it would be good to put my thoughts on Dolly Patron (based on this speech) down to paper. It felt like a good way to begin writing after a long hiatus.
1. Dolly is authentic
What struck me about Dolly the most was her authenticity. She was comfortable in her own skin. She was not afraid of who she was. She talked openly about her looks – the wigs, the big breasts, the push-up bras, the high-heeled shoes and the tight clothes. It was very refreshing for me to look at a person who was supremely confident about who she was. She spoke the truth and she was authentic while doing so! I loved the part where Dolly said her idea of fashion came from a “town trollop” that lived near Sevierville, Tennessee.
This resonated with me powerfully, as there are many times I do not speak the truth, am afraid to express my feelings. Sometimes, I find it hard to accept myself and I wish I could be better (for example, I wish I could listen better to my wife!!).I am also a little skeptical when I try to talk about people who have influenced me as I believe I will be judged “negatively”.
Just watching Dolly being truthful and humorous was a great learning experience for me. It taught me that we need not be afraid of who we are, our beliefs, backgrounds etc.
2. Dolly had great stories
The best part about Dolly’s speech were the stories. The stories helped create a connection with Dolly and they helped the message she was trying to convey much more vivid. I could visualize Dolly at her home with a tin can attached to the end of her broom singing for the chickens. I could see the passion that Dolly had for music at such a early age. I could see the strength of Dolly’s convictions when she talked about how she felt embarrassed when the entire class laughed when she said she wanted to be a Star and that she never let this embarrassment come in the way of achieving her dreams.
The speech had a great message conveyed through memorable stories. A really deadly combination that we can use while giving talks ourselves!
3. Dolly had uplifting messages
If I had to boil Dolly’s message in one line, it would be:
Dream More, Learn More, Care More, and Be More.
I do not have words to describe how simple and powerful this message is. Each mini-lesson (Dream More etc) were packed with great insights. My personal favorites were:
1. Dolly’s thoughts about Dreams and how they light a fire in our gut and how we should be willing to pay the price to achieve our Dreams
2. Dolly tells us how we should take complete responsibility and not blame somebody if something goes wrong
3. Dolly’s message about continuous learning and taking chances and not being afraid to try something new
4. Dolly’s message about pursuing excellence and not being mediocre
4. Dolly showed her spiritual side
At the end of the speech, Dolly talks about how we can Be More. She mentions how each one of us has a “God Core” – our spiritual center, according to Dolly the place where heaven and earth meet (17:10 mark in the speech). Dolly emphasizes the need for us to listen to our “God core”. For the past couple of months, I am coming across various references to this “God Core” – Our “Essential Self” according to Martha Beck, our “Psychic being” according to Sri Aurobindo.
In all honesty, I do not have an understanding of what the “God Core”, “Essential Self”, “Psychic being” is. I do believe in my heart that Dolly has a deeper understanding of life. I believe part of her stupendous success can be attributed to the fact that she listens to her “God core”.
My hope/wish/desire is that all of us can connect with our “God Cores” and live a fulfilled and “limitless”/”boundless” life.
Please feel free to share your experiences if you have watched the video. I would like to know how this video affected you personally!
