In case you didn’t know, the former First Lady Michelle Obama released a memoir in November of last year, which I consider is nothing but a tank of inspiration and idealism.
Haven’t gotten your hands on the book yet? Don’t worry, I have collected a few lessons from Becoming that can hopefully spark up your day.
Michelle was once told by a counselor that she wasn’t a Princeton material. Then, as politely as she could, she walked away, focusing her energy on applying to the Ivy League school. Nearly seven months later, an acceptance letter from Princeton arrived at her house. It turned out that not only was Michelle Princeton Material but she was also made of something far beyond that - the First African-American First Lady of the US.
Obama wrote in Becoming, “I wasn’t going to let one person’s opinion dislodge everything I thought I knew about myself”.
The lesson is not to ever limit yourself just because of the marginalized opinions of other people, they don’t know who you are. Know yourself, have faith, and work hard. She wrote in her memoir, “The noise [the criticism] doesn’t go away, but the most successful people I know have figured out how to live with it, to lean on the people who believe in them, and to push onward with their goals.”
2. Follow your passion.
Obama was once thrown into confusion by the complacency of her high-paying yet boring job as an attorney. Even though she earned more than a hundred thousand dollars a year with her job, she found the job unfulfilling; she wanted more joy and meaning in her life. She wrote, “Could I be a teacher? A college administrator? Could I run some sort of after-school program….” She struggled for a long time, as quitting her job meant she would have to let go the luxuries an attorney salary had allowed her.
She eventually decided to follow her passion - working to bring about positive change in society. She worked in the Chicago mayor’s office, at the University of Chicago, and at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Obama also founded the Chicago chapter of Public Allies, an organization that prepares young people for careers in public service. Although the salary she was offered was half of what she had been paid as an attorney, she found her life more fulfilling.
The lesson that let your passion and what you believe in lead your way in dark times. Do what you think will make your life more meaningful and fulfilling.
Haven’t gotten your hands on the book yet? Don’t worry, I have collected a few lessons from Becoming that can hopefully spark up your day.
- Try hard and have faith in yourself.
Michelle was once told by a counselor that she wasn’t a Princeton material. Then, as politely as she could, she walked away, focusing her energy on applying to the Ivy League school. Nearly seven months later, an acceptance letter from Princeton arrived at her house. It turned out that not only was Michelle Princeton Material but she was also made of something far beyond that - the First African-American First Lady of the US.
Obama wrote in Becoming, “I wasn’t going to let one person’s opinion dislodge everything I thought I knew about myself”.
The lesson is not to ever limit yourself just because of the marginalized opinions of other people, they don’t know who you are. Know yourself, have faith, and work hard. She wrote in her memoir, “The noise [the criticism] doesn’t go away, but the most successful people I know have figured out how to live with it, to lean on the people who believe in them, and to push onward with their goals.”
2. Follow your passion.
Obama was once thrown into confusion by the complacency of her high-paying yet boring job as an attorney. Even though she earned more than a hundred thousand dollars a year with her job, she found the job unfulfilling; she wanted more joy and meaning in her life. She wrote, “Could I be a teacher? A college administrator? Could I run some sort of after-school program….” She struggled for a long time, as quitting her job meant she would have to let go the luxuries an attorney salary had allowed her.
She eventually decided to follow her passion - working to bring about positive change in society. She worked in the Chicago mayor’s office, at the University of Chicago, and at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Obama also founded the Chicago chapter of Public Allies, an organization that prepares young people for careers in public service. Although the salary she was offered was half of what she had been paid as an attorney, she found her life more fulfilling.
The lesson that let your passion and what you believe in lead your way in dark times. Do what you think will make your life more meaningful and fulfilling.