By by Ian Gronau / Delaware State News
DOVER — As Wesley College graduation commencement speaker, KISS front-man Paul Staney eschewed “smoke machines, lasers, electric guitars and makeup” for the occasion. He jokingly said it was due to a deal he made with college staff to behave.
Instead, he shared some advice with the outgoing class of 2018.
“Make the most of your life and be proud of what you do,” he said during his commencement speech. “Make sure at the end of the day, you can look at yourselves in the mirror and like who you see. Go forward, have a great life and remember that even on its worst day — and I’ve had my share — life is a miracle. Go out and prosper. Make this a better world, you can do it. And, take some time to rock ’n’ roll too.”
Mr. Stanley, who’s also an author, entrepreneur and philanthropist, shared stories of how fighting against adversity in his own life pushed him to succeed.
Born with microtia — a congenital deformity resulting in an underdeveloped ear — he said he was ridiculed as a young child and later mocked for his desire to pursue music.
“I’m deaf on my right side and have no ear canal — I didn’t have an ear on that side,” Mr. Stanley said. “People asked, how can you go into music? But, I’ve always said that you have to innately know what you’re capable of doing, no matter what anyone tells you. People say that those who are successful are lucky. It’s not luck. People who are successful look at situations and see opportunities others missed. The people who tell you it’s just luck are the ones who didn’t succeed. It’s a rationale for their failure. Don’t be one of those people.”
