CSC alum gives graduates tips for good living

Owens-Nauslar, who earned a bachelor’s degree from CSC in 1970, injected laughter and school pride to her alma mater’s commencement ceremony while delivering the keynote address.

Since graduating from CSC and entering the health and physical education profession, Owens-Nauslar has been writing and teaching about health and wellness. Her articles have been published in journals, health and physical education curriculum guides and self-help books. She has delivered more than 2,000 speeches and presentations and said she is nearing 2 million miles of air travel. She is employed by GeoFitness, a company based in Orlando, Fla., that encourages physical activity and fitness.

The vivacious speaker also holds a doctorate from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. A native of Newcastle, Wyo., she takes pride in being a cowgirl and ranches with her husband, Red Nauslar, west of Lincoln.

“Some folks get up and say ‘Good morning, Lord.’ Others get up and say Good Lord, it’s morning.” I live in a peak performance body, so I get up every morning and say, ‘You sexy thing, don’t you ever die,’” she said, prompting laughs throughout the audience.

While telling about the importance of setting goals and sharing them with others, she related an experience from obtaining the master’s degree she earned from UNL in 1976. After she completed her thesis, her advisor required her to write personal and professional goals for the next five, 10, 15 and 20 years. He signed and laminated the finished product. She didn’t rediscover the document until cleaning out a flooded basement 20 years later, but was ecstatic to realize that she had accomplished each item.

About healthy living, she told the students to “eat smart and move more.” She noted Americans know more about being healthy than ever before, yet obesity and diabetes rates in the United States continue to rise.

In managing stress, she encouraged students to “take charge of the things you can take charge of,” and to not be obsessed by things of which they have no control.

“If your horse is dead, dismount,” she said.

She also told the students to laugh a lot and always help others.

The speaker encouraged students to continue becoming effective communicators and, as an example, related a quote from the billboard of a veterinarian and taxidermist: “Either way, you get your dog back.”

She expressed pride in the success of CSC’s football team, which had its second consecutive undefeated regular season this fall. She encouraged students to be proud of their alma mater, as well as their individual accomplishments.

“Be proud of your accomplishments and being a ‘Chad grad.’ You are an amazing group of talented individuals, embarking on the next steps of life. You represent yourself, your family, your beliefs and Chadron State College.”

In relating the widely circulated motivational quotation, “Leaders are like eagles. They do not flock, you find them one at a time,” she told the class that they will cross paths with many other CSC alumni during their travels.

“Wherever you roam in the world, I guarantee you, you will find Chadron State Eagles. From Lincoln to London, from Gothenburg to Germany, Chadron State alums make their mark on the world.”

She also left the graduates with another favorite quotation about living:

“People who want milk should not seat themselves on a stool in the middle of the pasture and wait until the cow backs up to them.”