Everyone here, just like everyone in life, is engaged in two wars—the war of the mind and physical battles. If you must win the battles around you, you must overcome the wars waging in your mind.  

You might say, but I am not fighting any battle in my mind! I am not holding grudges with anyone, neither am I holding a pistol to anyone's head in my mind. While that is applaudable, that you will succeed is a battle to be or not to be. It is a battle against your own self. It is perhaps the greatest type of battle we will continuously fight in life. It all starts from the mind. 

Some not too many years ago, as you might have imagined, I was seated like you—a different school, a different gown, but like you, also a fresh student. Perhaps also like you, I was not just clad by a gown and cap, my mind was shrouded in questions, aspirations, prospects, excitement...even doubts! I wondered what the years ahead had to offer. Was my dexterity with numbers enough to see me through the rigors of a tertiary institution? (I studied Statistics in the University, by the way) Am I made of fabrics that can stand the extremities of a learning citadel? I had more questions than answers. And all of these were happening in my mind. So you see what I mean? 

In the next few minutes, I am going to share some very vital tips with you. I call them “When all Chips are Down Tips”. Not to scare you, there will be times when all chips will be down and that will happen even to the best of us. What will matter is how you handle moments like this. The question then is, how?! 

While you have the advantage of time over me, I have experiences that can help you turn out as a far better version of who I turned out to be in life. This is where the “how” comes in. Stay with me. 

In a lot of ways, a learning environment such as this prepares one for the outside world. You have been hearing this a lot and so at the risk of sounding cliche, I am going to reiterate it with a few points. 

First is the discipline that comes with routine. Most people don't like routines. Maybe you are one, I am not judging you...but with the four walls of the classroom comes some forms of routine. And if you are disciplined enough to adapt and follow these routines, your success is in some measures already guaranteed. 

Another way school prepares you for all of the good things you desire is that it makes networking easier. By the end of your courses here, if you cannot say with confidence that you have made destiny-helping friends and that your networking skills have improved, then you might have to stay a little longer than planned. 

Furthermore, study the systems here and learn how they work. Whether you will work corporate or start your own business, you need to understand how systems work...and that's on period! 

Having said that, as you go through this important journey of life, there will be times of hunger, and this is not a curse or a negative wish. It is inevitable for some of us. You will question your life choices when you check the deepest parts of your storage and find no food for the day or the days ahead. You will wonder why school is remotely important, especially when you are reminded that the road home is far and untrekable. Hey, you will ask if God is really just, because why would other students around you have more than enough to throw around when you can barely afford a meal per day.  

There will be times of cluelessness. You will wonder why inventors of theories and formulae would decide to intentionally make life difficult after them. You would ask for clarifications that your teachers might not get to provide succinctly. Like the different levels of grieve, you will experience different levels of frustration—shock, "Dr. John Doe would definitely not expect us to figure out this kind of thing"; denial, "it is not that bad, I will figure it out."; bargaining, "if I do well in test, all I need is just a little more mark in my exams"; depression, "school is not for me, I think I will just drop out". 

There will be times of extreme joy and happiness as well. You will feel invincible. You will feel like the next best thing the world is about to witness. You will walk with shoulders raised high with your heart beating countless confidence per second. Nothing matters at this point, your self-esteem is intact. 

Both times are almost inevitable. What matters is how you handle yourself each time you go through such phases. In pain, hunger and before difficult courses, would you throw in the towel and back down? Would you resign to the que sera sera side of life? Would you stay down because life is unfair to you? Or would you put the pieces of your life together and relentlessly seek ways out of your misery? 

Same with moments of joy. Would you stay carried away by the excitement of being on top of the world? Would you live like nothing exists beyond the present you can see? Or would you seize the day and make it count; leveraging on the positive energy to build something more lasting?  

Which will it be? Because life is about what we make of it! 

I will have you know that success does not happen at the point when your name is announced as the Best Graduating Student at the end of four years, it is happening every day, every minute, every moment, starting from now!  

Success is being Steve Jobs, who despite being kicked out of his first company, built another one that became even more successful. 

Success is the proud look on the faces of your parents at each milestone you attain. 

Success is self-fulfillment. A satisfaction accompanied by "I did that".  

Success is for you! 

So, I would like you to know that all chips will be down at more times than you plan or can plan for. When they do, I only hope one or two of the things I have said today make enough impression to keep you going at those times. At the least, remember that you owe yourself the debt of a successful life.  

Congratulations again; stay audacious!