Ralph Opacic, drawing from his life experiences, encourages each of his students to discover their voice and inspire others throughout their journey. By sharing his story of aspirations and how they guided him in his career, Opacic wishes for his students to remain true to their passions and make a positive impact on others using their talents. Despite the challenges that may arise in life, he firmly believes that with determination, bravery and unwavering enthusiasm anyone can transform their dreams into reality. Ralph Opacic’s rich experiences and valuable insights serve as a lesson for those who seek success. Through his endeavors, he aims to motivate others who are striving towards their own dreams.
Picture it: I’m giving my commencement speech as a keynote speaker at Cal State Long Beach, where I once graduated as a student in 1981. Let’s be honest, many students won’t remember who the guest speaker was at their graduation or what they said, but they will remember how hopeful they felt and how excited and nervous they were for the future.
As I think back to that time, I ask myself: What would I tell my 18-year-old self? In 1978, I was ready to move cross-country. Being a small-town Virginia boy, I was ready to become the next Billy Joel. I had big dreams and aspirations, and perhaps today I’d warn myself against going that far, but alas, I followed my heart. What I’ve come to find over the years is that there are four pillars to success, and that is passion, dedication, perseverance, and vision – and the notion that we must give back our gifts to the world in order to thrive.
I believe some lines by Oprah Winfrey describe this perfectly, “You cannot continue to succeed in the world or have a fulfilling life in the world unless you choose to use your life in the service of others and give back what you have been given. That’s how you keep it. That’s how you get it. That’s how you grow it.”
In essence, find your voice and inspire others to find theirs.
Dr. Ralph Opacic OCSA Founder Keynote in CSULB 2013 Commencement
Passion: Unveiled
In order to fulfill a dream, you have to have the passion to make the big leaps necessary to achieve it. My journey started when I was ready to leave my small-town life behind for a glitzy life in Hollywood to become the next Billy Joel or Barry Manilow.
In my junior year of high school, I participated in the Virginia All-State Chorus, where I met a man named Frank Pooler, guest conductor. His “Hollywood cool” attitude made me want to pack my bags for California livin’ (and dreamin’). He helped launch the careers of Richard and Karen Carpenter and was the Director of Choral Studies at Cal State Long Beach. I made the move, studied under his wing, and eventually realized a new dream that veered away from my rock-n-roll trajectory. Through the world of choral arrangements and vocal music that Mr. Pooler opened up for me, I suddenly realized education was my future.
Through passion, we find unopened doors we’d never consider opening, and educating other aspiring musicians to help grow their art is what I’ve had the privilege of doing for the past 30 years.
In Steven Covey’s book, The Eighth Habit, he talks about finding your voice and inspiring others to do the same. As a singer, this really spoke to me. To find your voice means to find your passion, and if you stay true to that passion, that gift, once you discover it, is to help others find their passion.
Devotion and Dedication
The second pillar of success is dedication. It’s one thing to have the drive and passion for what you want to do, but without the daily work of showing up consistently, you can only get so far.
In the book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell puts forth the premise that to be an expert in your field, one requires a devotion to their art or craft for at least 10,000 hours. When studying people, Gladwell found that innate talent played less of a role than working extremely hard at their craft. He went on to give examples like the Beatles, who, before making it big, had logged more than 10,000 hours of playing on stage in four years while similar bands only had a fraction of that experience. Similarly, Bill Gates, through serendipitous opportunities, logged more than 10,000 hours of programming by the time he dropped out of Harvard in his first year – giving him an enormous advantage over other developers at the time.
In short: even if you have incredible talent, it’s not enough to succeed. You have to put in the hours, be dedicated, and be extremely hard-working.
The Triumph of Perseverance
I have been told, “It can’t be done” innumerable times in my life. In 1987 when I introduced the idea of the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA), my colleagues dismissed the idea as foolish and unsustainable. At that time, schools were cutting art programs, not building them. I chose to see this “pitfall” as an opportunity, introducing the third pillar of success: perseverance.
Because other schools were lacking in art programs, Orange County School of the Arts became the premiere place for students who were serious about pursuing a career in the arts, and eventually, it flourished.
Of course, there were many challenges along the way: building a school and keeping it funded (while also growing it) resulted in dealing with inadequate facilities, uncertain fundings, and unfulfilled expectations that asked me again and again to persevere. I love these two quotes to keep me going in times when I have to pick myself up and persist again and again, no matter what:
“The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.” – Randy Pausch
“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” – Maya Angelou
Vision: Beyond Targets
Last but not least, I introduce vision as the fourth pillar of success. The world is always changing, and rapidly. Young students just graduating will likely have jobs in the future that don’t even exist yet. Vision goes beyond goals and elevates beyond the concreteness of the present. It transcends to what is possible for our world. You have to develop a vision for your future that stretches beyond the limits here and now. As Schopenhauer said, “vision is hitting a target no one else can see!”
My 40-year journey took me to places I never would’ve imagined were possible or even in existence when I was 18 years old. I put one foot in front of the other because of my passion for the arts and music, which later expanded into education. I encourage students to embrace passion, dedication, perseverance, and vision to achieve their goals and hit targets beyond their wildest dreams. I am so grateful for the transformative power of these four pillars, and have hope that the next generation will be as determined, hard-working, and visionary as the greats of the past.
