Thank you very much!  That’s how I began my speech, which I gave as a godfather on April 5, 2019, to the students of the  Business Administration and Management graduating class of my Faculty at the University of Alcalá.

Today is a very special day . The graduating class has chosen me as their patron, precisely on my last day as a university professor.  I’m retiring at the end of the academic year.

I would like to share a few paragraphs from my speech . I have given it a lot of thought and have tried to express the feelings and thoughts that my students have suggested to me during my life as a university professor.

“ Now I’m facing a new stage in my life . I’m leaving my teaching position at the University and at our beloved Faculty. But don’t think I’m going to be idle. I’m full of exciting projects, some of which you already know about. I’ve ‘reinvented’ myself, or in other words,  I’ve changed my attitude and my professional projects…”

Throughout my life I have needed to make several career changes…

You are destined to change in the near future.  You are no longer students. You will have to look for work and find a profession that excites you, and you clearly want to be happy. You wish to develop a professional career that will help you realize your personal life goals. You have aspirations and surely dream of developing a professional project that will help you improve both personally and professionally…

The first lesson I want to share with you is the  importance of having a career plan that aligns with your life goals . You need to answer many questions: What do I want to do with my life? What kind of work would I like to do? How will I look for a job, and how much time will I spend on that search? Since I feel like I don’t know enough after graduating, I’ll need further training to find a job more easily. How can I get the training I need? Should I do a Master’s degree? What kind of Master’s?

Much can be said about designing a professional project.  The important thing is to design a strategy : first, analyze my current situation: What am I like? What are my values ​​and the principles that guide my decisions? What knowledge do I have? What are my skills and abilities? Do I know my strengths and weaknesses?

After analyzing myself, I need to  set some realistic and achievable goals . Goals that inspire me and motivate me to strive and put in the effort to achieve them, to be patient, and to become a better person.

Once I’m clear about who I am and what I want to achieve, I have to  choose the most suitable path to reach the goals I’ve set for myself . You have to make decisions.  Choosing means taking the risk of making a mistake, of failing.  Not making a decision is itself a decision.

To find a job and develop your career,  you need friends . Having a friend is like having a treasure. Having people with whom you can share your hopes and fears. Friends are people you trust.  I need to have many friends, not just acquaintances . This takes time. Without dedicating time to friends, you can’t build a lasting friendship.  You need to love and feel loved; otherwise, you’ll never be happy . That requires time and affection. The same goes for our parents, grandparents, boyfriend, or girlfriend . The secret is “time and affection.”

Personally, caring for others has helped me a lot.  Having a passion for helping others . Everyone’s experience is that helping others makes us better people and makes us feel happy.

Besides helping others,  we must be kind and grateful to everyone we meet in our lives : our coworkers, our bosses, and everyone who provides us with a service. Even the police officer who gives us a traffic ticket. Because  people are what truly matter . Everyone deserves respect and kind, grateful treatment.

We must be very clear that we will encounter difficulties . Sometimes they will seem insurmountable.  We must also prepare ourselves to suffer and endure injustices , often without understanding them. Why are these things happening to me?… But it’s not all sacrifice and suffering.  There are many joys and moments of happiness.

We need to  be happy, cheerful, have a good sense of humor, and a positive outlook . Be optimistic! Difficulties can always be overcome if we have the love of our family and friends.

It’s very important to know when to ask for advice  from people who know and love us,  even if they don’t necessarily agree with us . Sometimes the best advice doesn’t come from experts or top professionals. Before making a decision,  turn to the people closest to you : your parents, your boyfriend or girlfriend, that teacher you had a good relationship with.

I need to finish. I want to do so with  a few short sentences , so they’ll stick in your minds easily:

Learning to read is learning to think, learning to write, and learning to speak.

The first job is almost never the final one.

He who does not live to serve, is not fit to live.

When you have a why, you can almost always find a how.

The best gift: a smile.

Who you work with is more important than what you work on.

Your character and behavior are more important than your resume.

A friend is a treasure. Try to have many.

The important thing is to work well, pay attention to detail, and have a service-oriented attitude.

No complaining allowed!

What is gained or lost is trust.

Trust is inspired, not imposed.

Perfectionism is a stumbling block in our path, preventing us from progressing as we would like.

It is a sign of good breeding to be grateful.

The memory of the heart is gratitude.

The most important thing in life is that what’s most important is truly what’s most important.

And a final thought.

Faced with life’s various crossroads, I recommend the Serenity Prayer, also known as the Prayer of Serenity. It is the beginning of a prayer attributed to the German-born American theologian, philosopher, and writer  Reinhold Niebuhr  , and its most cited version goes like this:

Lord, grant me the serenity to accept all that I cannot change,

strength to change what I am capable of changing

and wisdom to understand the difference.

José Miguel Ponce