The message I want to give you today — that we all have the ability to achieve our dreams, if only we can envision what we want and plan to make it happen.

You have to ask yourself, what will you do with the degree? How will you use it to achieve your goals? And the answer to that depends on how far you can see. You must have a vision for your future. You must pair that vision with a plan.

If you have a vision for yourself, it won’t matter that others may be blind to what you can see. That vision will help you see past many factors that can discourage you. That vision will help you see past the setbacks — and setbacks will happen.

It’s not enough to just be able to see. That’s only the beginning. The real question, the more important question is, what will you do with what you see? What are you going to do with that vision?

You don’t have to be rich, powerful or famous to be great or successful. In fact, your vision doesn’t have to be of you becoming rich, powerful or famous.

Unfortunately, in this society we oftentimes measure success in shallow and material ways: How much money do you have? How powerful are you? Are you famous? How big is your house? What kind of car do you drive? All these questions reinforce the misguided belief that success is somehow tied to material things that benefit the self. I have, I do, I am.

I have had a lot of success in entertainment. But I didn’t really become successful as a person until I began to give of myself to others who needed my help.

I’d like to challenge each of you to define success for yourself. You will find that making a commitment to others as well as yourself will be key.

Create a vision based on your specific gifts, talents and tools. There is greatness in simply being you and using your skill to do something with your vision — and to put your personal plan in motion.

You are ultimately responsible for how far you can see. Your future belongs to you, and you alone.