By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
Regardless of what career goals those graduating from Bowling Green State University Saturday have in mind, commencement speaker D.C. Crenshaw told them they should become stars in a reality show.
That reality show isn’t one that would air to compete with the Kardashians or various Real Housewives franchises. No, Crenshaw, who himself had a bit part in a reality show, said it should be the reality show of their own lives.
D.C. Crenshaw addresses BGSU graduates Saturday, Dec. 17.
Crenshaw was speaking before the fall commencement for the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education and Human Development.
This weekend, BGSU graduated 1,002 graduates in two ceremonies.
Crenshaw said he felt right at home back in Bowling Green – “cold, snowy, ice.” That’s what the 1991 graduate remembered about the town from his days here, and what he experiences in Chicago where he’s made his life and his career.
A former Falcon football player, Crenshaw has gone on to become an entertainment and media entrepreneur.
That came about by accident, he said. “I was doing pretty well for myself” as a regional sales manager. Then in January, 2008, the company he was working for shut down. He wasn’t concerned at first. He was confident he’d find a new position. He had contacts and an impressive resume.
A year later he was “an unemployed stay-at-home dad still trying to find a job. We were in a recession and I was scared.”
Then, he realized he couldn’t depend on someone else to provide him employment. “That’s when my creative juices started to flow, my work ethic increased tenfold,” he said. He sought out like-minded people. The result was an Emmy-nominated TV show, a tequila brand, network TV appearances, and a lifestyle magazine.
Crenshaw drew his eight tips for being a reality star in real life from those experiences.
- “Don’t let anyone define you,” he said. “Define yourself. Create your own path and never believe people who tell you, you can’t do something. Put your ears on mute and don’t listen to the naysayers.”
- “Change the game,” he continued. “Create your own category. Create your own dream. If no one wants to hire you, create your own dream job.” Crenshaw said people sometimes approach him with business ideas. Often they hate their jobs and want to move on. “I tell them to find something they love to do and figure out how to make money from it.”
- “Never blow out someone else’s candles to make yours seem brighter.” People may be frustrated with their progress, he said, but those who persist end up where they want to be.
- “Don’t be afraid to fail. … I’d much rather get advice from someone who’s fail many times over and bounced back versus someone who’s never failed at all.”
- “Life is short. Try to do as many things as you possibly can when the opportunity presents itself.” He doesn’t know if his mother had a bucket list when she died of cancer in August, but he does know there were many things he would have liked to do with her. “No one is promised tomorrow, so you must take advantage of today.”
- “Work hard.” The cliché, Crenshaw said, is true. “Your reality is that hard work trumps talent.” He’s known plenty of athletes whose careers were cut short because they never put in the effort to fully realize their talents. “You may be talented but if you don’t work hard, you probably won’t succeed.” That means focusing on the little details that others ignore.
- “Stay humble.… Your reality is both your success and failure define who you are.”
- “Invest in yourself.” Stay fit, stay healthy, eat right, but don’t be afraid to experience things outside your comfort zone, he said. “Maintain your integrity and surround yourself with friends that truly want the best for you. … Hang out with people smarter than you. It’ll make you smarter and more humble.” And, he added, “stand up for what you believe, but understand not everyone is like you. If you can’t take a walk in some else’s shoes, at least try to understand where those shoes have been. That in my opinion is the start to the end of racism and discrimination.”
He concluded by telling the graduates: “Your reality is the better you feel about yourself the more you will be able to contribute to help others, which is what life is all about.”
Then he had a final request, a selfie with the graduates on their way to a new reality.
