High school student's graduation speech emphasizes why you should always believe in yourself

There are days you might experience where every second might feel like nothing works in your favor and that no one has faith in your potential, including yourself. You might not have much evidence to offer to yourself about how well you can do. You might not have extraordinary achievements to use as a foundation of your self-efficacy, but despite all, you owe it to yourself to have faith in the chances you give yourself. Reminding us how important self-faith can be, one student's graduation speech has been stealing the spotlight on the internet. Nick Giardono explained at his Mohonasen High School graduation ceremony what he means by "trying my best."

In a TikTok video uploaded by @nickygzz that went viral with almost seven million views, the 18-year-old can be heard saying, "You're probably wondering what I'm doing standing up here. I was not the class president, the captain of the football team and certainly not the valedictorian. It's just me, good old Nick. And you know what? The world is made up of people just like me. I have a lot in common with Tom Brady." Amusingly taking the example of former football quarterback Tom Brady, he explains, "Nobody thought when Tom Brady entered the NFL, he was going to amount to anything. The experts said he wasn't fast enough. He wasn't athletic enough. He didn't win enough. They came up with every reason not to believe in him. He was picked in the sixth round of the NFL draft. For nonsports fans, there are only seven rounds. The only person that believed in him was himself. All he needed was a chance. In life, there will come a time when the only person who believes in you will just be you."

He shares that he learned this from his dad, who he regards as his most prominent role model. "I know some people think I'm a goof or a clown. I don't take things too seriously in life. You know, who believes in Nick? Tom Brady," he says. He claims to keep predicting that the Yankees would win the world series. He shares that he is bad at math and geometry but doesn't need math to argue about the Yankees. His reason is he holds faith. He reiterates that faith is the only thing you can sometimes hold on to in life. "I have faith my parents love me, faith my friends like me. I have faith I'll be the best I can be. What data or stats can we use to prove those things? My heart might get broken or I might fail Chemistry again. But that's the good thing about having faith. There will always be a new season of believing," says Nick. 

"I want you to believe in yourself even when nobody else will. You'll get better. As they say, 'It ain't over till it's over.' If I have learned anything from my History classes, it is 'Was it over when the Germans bombed us at Pearl Harbor? That's right. It wasn't. It is okay to have blind faith and trust your gut," he added. Everyone, who heard him at the ceremony or who watched his clip, loved his speech. "Well said, young man. Teachers said I would never amount to anything in life, yet here I am making 6 digits a year with a half-resource class diploma," commented @aaroncasey40. "This is the most amazing thing I've ever heard," commented @lil_crawford.