"You're leaving a safe harbor ... and moving on to uncharted waters," S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford counseled nearly 500 South Carolina State University graduates Saturday.

The sun shone brightly on Oliver C. Dawson Stadium as Sanford, a Republican who took office in January, received an honorary doctor of laws degree and encouraged the graduates to "live your dream and to accept the mantle of leadership.

"In the wake of 9-11, what did people ask? 'What does it all mean and where do we go from here?' Who answered that question? The leaders," Sanford said.

"This city, this state, this nation, this world" are confronting many crises, from terrorism to energy to political disputes, but "the big crisis that confronts every one of us" is too few leaders.

"I beg you, I ask and implore each one of you to take the education you've received, take these four years, leverage them and become leaders," he said. "Become a leader in whatever you choose to do."

Having and pursuing a dream, a vision for your life, is essential. "Don't go through life with a plastic pail pulled down over your heads," he said.

He referred to the true story that inspired the movie "Rudy" of a "very mediocre athlete, or non-athlete, who has a big heart" and a passion to play football for Notre Dame.

"He lived his dream," Sanford continued. "A lot of people didn't think it was a possible dream, but it was his dream, and that's what mattered."

There was no "conventional wisdom" guiding Ted Turner to start a 24-hour television news network, or the Wright brothers to build a flying machine, or Gen. Douglas MacArthur to plan a daring raid at Inchon, Korea, Sanford said.

"Every one of the folks who have gone out and achieved significant success has followed their own dreams," he said.

"God made every one of you different. You've got to follow your dream, not someone else's," Sanford said, reminding the audience that the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did not stand up and proclaim that he shared "the committee's dream."

If you do what your parents, or someone else, want you to do, instead of what you would rather do, "you'll never be a leader because leadership requires passion."

Living your dream means being persistent and maintaining an unrelenting focus on your dream. It helps to "commit your course to paper." Most successful companies have a written business plan, he pointed out.

The framers of the United States had a written plan, too. They called it the Constitution. Sanford encouraged the graduates to "write your own family constitution" to help stay focused on family goals.

Sanford also advised "living the Army motto of 'Be all you can be'." After giving a summary of Jesus' parable of the talents from the Gospel of Matthew, Sanford said, "There are going to be folks with more talent than you have and folks with less talent than you have. It doesn't matter one bit. The only thing you're going to be judged on in life is what you do with your talents."

The governor counseled the graduates to chart a course in life "that includes others. If your life is about yourself, ultimately it will be an unfulfilling life. To be a great leader, you have to be a servant to others."

He related the ordeal of a two-year Antarctic expedition that encountered one calamity after another, but all of the men ultimately survived because their leader, Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, believed that "ordinary men were quite capable of heroic feats if the circumstances required. ... He believed the weak and the strong must survive together."

The best leaders "can blend extreme personal humility with intense professional will," Sanford said. "Indeed, they are incredibly ambitious, but their ambition is first and foremost for the institution, not for themselves."

By following this advice, "you'll be a leader. You'll make a difference in people's lives," Sanford said. "All of us gathered here at this celebration look forward to your future successes.

"It is a treat to be with you," Sanford said. "Today is about celebrating a milestone. Each one of you has accomplished something special. ... You need to offer special thanks to your parents and grandparents who supported you along the way. No one can make it alone."

Sanford, who also served three terms in Congress, received the honorary degree in recognition of his service as "a model citizen-legislator"; as "an advocate for the taxpayers in your efforts to limit government waste"; as one who has "demonstrated principles of conscience, humanity and inclusiveness in your service to all of the citizens of South Carolina"; and in recognition of his personal attributes of "hard work and frugality" which are shared by "the students that you have addressed here today."

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