Tennis legend Roger Federer recently delivered an inspiring speech to the class of 2024 at Dartmouth College after receiving an honorary doctorate. The speech has since, gone viral on social media. The 20-time Grand Slam champion shared life lessons with the outgoing class, from his own tennis career. He commenced his speech by saying that this was only the second time he had ever set foot on a college campus.
Radhika Gupta, MD and CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Fund recently took to LinkedIn to share what she thought about Federer’s 25 minute speech.
“The Federer speech at Dartmouth is such a heartwarming 25 minute watch. A master class in speaking ironically from someone who doesn’t give speeches – simple, thoughtful and vulnerable. And the tennis lessons apply so deeply to both careers and investing,” Gupta said.
Sharing what stood out for her from the life lessons he shared, Gupta wrote, “Everybody can play well in the first two hours, when you are fast, fit and clear. It is when your body is tired, mind wandering and discipline fading that a champion finds a grip on themselves. Resilience is lasting for the long term.”
Secondly, “Talent is not gift, but grit. It has a broad definition. Trusting yourself is talent. Patience is talent. Discipline is talent. Process is talent. Managing yourself is talent. In the investing world too, all these are talents, more than picking funds and stocks,” she shared.
Thirdly, “A legend won 80 percent of his matches but only 54 percent of his points. You don’t need to win more than that in life and investing. Champions don’t win every point; they realise they will lose points and learn how to deal with failure and learn from mistakes,” she added.
Lastly, “Life is beyond the court, the office and certainly money. It is about being happy, using power, influence and wealth to spread joy, those memories with family and friends… and just being good. Never let happiness be decided by an NAV,” Gupta said.