ASHTABULA TOWNSHIP – People fail and succeed at things every day.
Dr. Brad Foltz offered the Edgewood High School Class of 2026 some advice that might not limit the failures, but will help to increase the opportunity for success.
Foltz, a sports psychologist and assistant professor at The Ohio State University, wanted the Class of 2026 to understand they can help themselves.
“First, one of the biggest ones I see is people waiting, saying to themselves, ‘I’ll do that thing when I’m ready. I’ll take that step,’” Foltz, the featured alumni speaker for Edgewood High School’s commencement exercises on Thursday, May 28, said. “Here’s what I learned: no one is ever fully ready to go on to the thing they’re going to do next. Not before a big game, not before starting college, not before starting a family. I told my wife, much to her consternation, I wasn’t ready for a child for a long time. But then once you have a child, once you start school, once you do those things, it really makes a difference.”
“What I want you to understand is that confidence doesn’t come from success, confidence comes from before even trying to step into the ring,” Foltz said. “The athletes who grow the most are the ones who were willing to step into an uncomfortable situation before they were ready. If you take one thing tonight, let it be this – don’t wait to be ready to start, you just have to get started.”
A fear of failure also holds people back.
“I work with a lot of athletes with incredible talent, “Foltz said. “They play tight, they get too much in their head instead of just letting the body do what it already knows to do.”
“The idea is not to be without fear, but just not let that fear dictate what you do,” Foltz continued. “The best performers I work with don’t avoid failure, they expect it. They understand that failure is not a verdict of who they are, just information. It doesn’t change what you do. Instead of asking, ‘What if I fail,’ try asking, ‘What can I learn from this opportunity, from this mistake?’ A mistake will only last as long as it takes you to learn a lesson from it.”
Overthinking can also be a barrier to success.
“The goal is to eliminate your thoughts, because you can’t do all things all the time,” Foltz said. “The brain is on. Instead, the goal is to not let those thoughts control your actions. Instead let your actions lead the way your thoughts are evolving.”
Foltz offered the Class of 2026 a few tidbits that may help it find success.
“The most important is resilience,” Foltz said. “We used to talk about mental toughness. I don’t like mental toughness. Toughness suggests that you’re not allowed to be fazed. That’s not what’s going to happen in your lives. You will be fazed. Something will knock you down. What you want to rely on is resilience. It’s not about never struggling, never getting knocked down. Can you get back up?”
“Every high-level athlete I’ve worked has faced setbacks, injuries, losses and doubts,” Foltz continued. “It’s not that they avoid those things. They keep going. They adjust. They learn. Resilience is built in small moments you choose not to quit. It’s not something grand. It doesn’t have to be something amazing, it’s just trying one thing.”
Foltz told the graduating seniors that confidence is something that is built over time.
“A lot of times people will say confidence is a feeling,” Foltz said. “The most stable form of confidence is not how you feel, it’s how you act. Confidence is built through recreation, effort, following through on the things you say you’re going to do. It’s building evidence. You don’t achieve your goal today. We talk about this with athletes all the time. Accomplishments don’t take place on the first day and only happen once. Allow yourself to feel successful every single day. Instead of waiting to feel confident, build on it.”
Lastly, Foltz reminded the Class of 2026 to let go of the things they could not control.
“The last thing that helps you succeed, one I think is underrated by so many people, is stop focusing on things you can’t control,” Foltz said. “Don’t waste energy on what other people’s opinions of you are or things that have already happened. Bring your attention back to the moments you can control. Your method, your preparation, your response to the moment. That shift alone will change everything.”
Student Council President Sebastian Evans related the self-doubt that most students learning to drive experience to the road of life.
“You might have once doubted yourself as a driver, but you didn’t get your license as an accident,” Evans said. “You made that decision despite how you felt and look at you now. My point is I’m here, talking to you right now, and you’re here because you all pushed through loaded schedules and awkward phases, and it took guts to be here right now. This is no accident.”
“There are going to be bumps, flat tires, repairs that you need to do on the road of life,” Evans continued. “Don’t think for a second you have to quit. You need to have the audacity to believe that you can make it, that you can beat the odds to win the race. It’s just enough ego and arrogance that you need to strive for the best you can achieve. Most of you won’t even have enough confidence in yourself to do that. Be that person.”
Natalie Houser-Stover, elected to speak on behalf of the female portion of the Class of 2026, asked her classmates to show gratitude to those who helped them along the way.
“I want to thank my family for always supporting me through the many years through constant involvement in many activities both in and out of school,” Houser-Stover said. “Without their constant encouragement, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish everything I have. As I’m sure many of you can relate to, I never showed my appreciation as much as I should, so thank you.”
“Without our families, no matter who they have are to us, we wouldn’t be where we are today,” Houser-Stover continued. “Make sure you give someone special a tight hug next time you see them. It’s just as hard for them see us though our success as it is for us to move forward into the world.”
Robert Walker, speaking on behalf of the male half of the Class of 2026, implored his classmates to seize the day.
“We told ourselves we’ll take risks later, that we’ll figure it out eventually,” Walker said. “After all, sitting here at 16, 17 years old, 18 years old, later feels like it’s guaranteed, but the truth is, no one knows how much time we have. This begs the question, how can we slow down the moment better than we did in high school? Honestly, the answer to that question is we really can’t. You can’t slow down time. You can’t just sit here and pause our graduation and appreciate it a little longer.”
“Unfortunately for us, the best thing we can do is live in the moment, let the time pass and help us recognize the value of these moments,” Walker continued. “Don’t be mistaken. I’m not trying to tell you guys to be fearful about trying to do everything before you guys die. I’m simply saying stop postponing things that matter for us like our careers, relationships and families. Carpe diem. It’s Latin for seize the day. Today is the only moment we’re ever guaranteed to actually live. When we go off to the college, the workforce or the military, carpe diem, because this next chapter of our lives belongs to people who are willing to seize the day, people willing to take the risks they may not even be ready for, people who don’t wait for permission, because the people truly seize the day understand that the perfect moment never truly arrives. Let’s take those risks, let’s fill out everything possible, let’s apply for those positions that we’re not qualified for because if we wait until we’re ready, we’ll never stop waiting.”
