Michelle Obama's LIFE ADVICE On Manifesting Success Will CHANGE YOUR LIFE | MotivationArk
Summary
TLDRThe speaker shares their journey from growing up in a working-class Chicago neighborhood to overcoming challenges in education, including doubters and impostor syndrome. They emphasize the importance of hard work, education, and mentorship in personal growth. Reflecting on their experiences at Princeton, they discuss societal biases and the need for self-confidence. The speaker advocates for women’s empowerment, education, and the value of mentoring others. They also highlight how small, everyday actions can lead to meaningful change and encourage young people to focus on self-care and mentoring those around them.
Takeaways
- 📚 Education is key to personal and societal growth, especially for women and girls, who are at the heart of raising the next generation.
- 🌍 Exposure to diverse ideas and cultures is crucial to breaking down barriers created by ignorance and limited worldviews.
- 💪 Overcoming doubt is a continuous process, and hard work is often the remedy for self-doubt and imposter syndrome.
- 👩🎓 Affirmative action applies in many forms, not just for underrepresented groups, but also for athletes, legacy students, and others.
- 🧠 Critical thinking and analytical skills are essential to navigate life's challenges and determine what's beneficial or harmful.
- 👩🏫 Mentorship plays a crucial role in personal growth, and giving back through mentoring is both fulfilling and impactful.
- 🤔 The question 'Who do I want to be?' is more important than 'What do I want to be?' in determining a fulfilling life path.
- 🤝 Small, everyday actions and influences can create significant change, especially when mentoring or guiding younger generations.
- 🏆 Success comes not just from talent but also from resilience and the ability to push through societal and internal barriers.
- 👶 Investing in oneself and one's education is the best asset, and mentorship is vital in continuing personal and professional growth.
Q & A
What challenges did the speaker face during their education in a working-class community?
-The speaker faced challenges such as being criticized for being smart, being told they 'talked white,' and encountering teachers who underestimated them despite their academic achievements.
How did the speaker’s high school counselor respond to their decision to apply to Princeton?
-The high school counselor told the speaker that they didn’t think they were 'Princeton material,' which created self-doubt, even though the speaker eventually applied and was accepted.
What is 'impostor syndrome' and how did the speaker relate to it?
-Impostor syndrome refers to feeling like you don’t belong or deserve your success. The speaker experienced this after being admitted to Princeton, partly because of societal stigmas toward kids of color and from poor communities.
What realization did the speaker have regarding affirmative action in elite schools?
-The speaker realized that affirmative action wasn’t just for students of color or from disadvantaged backgrounds, but also benefited athletes, legacies, and others with special privileges.
How did the speaker overcome doubts about their abilities?
-The speaker overcame doubts by focusing on hard work, putting their head down, and letting their work speak for itself. They learned to trust their capabilities through effort and persistence.
Why does the speaker believe education is critical for solving global issues?
-The speaker believes education is key to solving issues like climate change, terrorism, and poverty because it broadens perspectives, fosters empathy, and helps people make informed decisions.
What does the speaker say about the importance of self-care for young people aiming to create change?
-The speaker emphasizes that young people should first invest in themselves by taking care of their space, health, and education, as this is foundational to making a meaningful impact.
How does the speaker define the role of mentorship in their life?
-The speaker views mentorship as essential, stating that they benefited from others’ mentorship and now give back by mentoring others. Mentoring has been both fulfilling and educational for them.
What lesson did the speaker learn from their career path about finding fulfilling work?
-The speaker learned that pursuing a career aligned with personal passions brings joy and fulfillment. They shifted from pursuing law to exploring roles that reflected who they truly were.
What advice does the speaker give to those who want to influence others?
-The speaker advises people to focus on small, everyday actions that can positively influence those around them, such as mentoring a younger person or introducing them to new experiences.
Outlines
🎓 Overcoming Doubt and Stereotypes in Pursuit of Education
The speaker reflects on their upbringing in a working-class neighborhood in Chicago and the challenges they faced in education. They discuss being academically driven but facing criticism from peers and underestimation from teachers. Despite excelling in school, their high school counselor doubted their potential to get into Princeton. This experience fueled feelings of doubt and imposter syndrome, which the speaker overcame by realizing that their self-worth was not tied to others' perceptions. Through hard work and self-assurance, they proved they were indeed 'good enough.'
🌍 Education as the Key to Breaking Down Barriers
The speaker emphasizes the importance of education for personal and societal growth. They argue that many global issues stem from ignorance and lack of exposure to different cultures and ideas. Education, especially for women, is crucial as women play a central role in raising the next generation. Without knowledge, people may struggle with basic survival and fail to contribute positively to solving major global challenges like climate change and inequality. The speaker encourages analytical thinking and learning as tools for overcoming fear and ignorance.
💡 Finding Purpose Beyond Traditional Career Titles
The speaker shares their journey of discovering that traditional career paths, like becoming a lawyer, did not fulfill their true passion. They highlight the importance of asking oneself not just what they want to be, but who they want to be. By networking and exposing themselves to various opportunities, the speaker found a more fulfilling path that led to diverse roles in public service and academia. They encourage young people to focus on what brings them joy, as this is key to personal and professional success.
💪 Small Actions, Big Impact: Mentoring the Next Generation
The speaker underscores the power of small, everyday actions in influencing others. They encourage young people to invest in themselves first and then think about how they can positively impact those around them, such as younger siblings or peers. Mentoring, the speaker argues, is a two-way street—both mentor and mentee benefit from the relationship. They also share their personal experience of being mentored and emphasize that change doesn't always come from grand gestures, but often through small, meaningful interactions.
🤝 The Lifelong Importance of Mentorship
The speaker discusses the importance of both receiving and offering mentorship throughout one's life. They describe how they sought advice from previous First Ladies when they entered the White House, and how they continue to learn from others. They stress that mentorship is not limited to certain stages of life but is an ongoing process. The speaker encourages everyone to remain open to guidance and support from those with more experience, whether in personal relationships, parenting, or professional growth.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Imposter Syndrome
💡Affirmative Action
💡Education
💡Mentorship
💡Barriers
💡Self-Doubt
💡Community Expectations
💡Hard Work
💡Role Models
💡Legacy Admission
Highlights
Grew up in a working-class community in Chicago, attended public schools, and faced resource limitations.
Experienced challenges being a high-achieving student in a community where not everyone had the same academic goals.
Faced criticism for excelling academically, including being told she 'talked white,' and experienced peer pressure to downplay intelligence.
Encountered doubt from a high school counselor who advised against applying to Princeton, despite academic achievements.
Overcame impostor syndrome at an elite school, where she felt societal stigma and personal doubt about belonging.
Recognized the biases behind affirmative action discussions, observing that privileges such as legacy admissions benefit many, not just students of color.
Worked hard to overcome self-doubt and let her work speak for itself, still feeling the need to prove herself because of her background.
Believes education is key for overcoming ignorance and solving global problems such as inequality, poverty, and climate change.
Highlights the importance of understanding who you are, rather than just following predetermined career paths.
Decided against being a lawyer after realizing it didn’t fulfill her, leading to new career opportunities by following her passions.
Encourages young people to focus on small, everyday actions to create change, emphasizing mentorship and influence over peers.
Mentors because she was mentored, believing in giving back and the power of lifting others up.
Started a mentorship program in the White House to connect youth with professionals and emphasize the importance of guidance.
Believes that even brief positive interactions, like telling children they are smart or beautiful, can have a lasting impact.
Continues to seek mentorship herself, stressing that learning never stops and mentorship is important in all phases of life.
Transcripts
as many of you know my background I mean
I grew up in Chicago in a workingclass
community my parents weren't wealthy so
we didn't have the resources to spend on
fees at private schools we went to the
neighborhood public school and I went to
public school my entire
life and I I was always that student who
wanted to get A's I wanted to do well I
enjoyed learning I enjoyed
excelling but what I found out is that
when you're one of those kids in a
community where not everyone has the
same
goals I found myself having to walk a
bunch of different
lines there were some kids that didn't
like kids who were smart and got good
grades there were some kids who
criticized the way I talk they said that
I talk like I was white which was
another way of saying that you think
you're better than other people so I had
to contend with with how do I get my
education when I'm surrounded by people
who may have different expectations of
me and those just weren't the kids in
the neighborhood there were teachers I
had to confront teachers who
underestimated me every step of the way
even when I applied to Princeton I write
about in my book and I tell the story
all the time even though I was at the
top of my class and I was a class
officer I was a leader when I sat down
with my high school counselor or
somebody who didn't know me but was
assigned to work with students to help
them apply to college and I told them my
intention was to apply to
Princeton that counselor told me I don't
think you're Princeton
material the person whose job it was to
help young people reach their dreams
when it came to college saw me and
whatever she saw on me told her that my
dreams were too
high and that cut me in a way that even
though I continued on I applied
obviously you know I got in but I still
remember that story I remember that
feeling of Doubt just another adult sort
of placing a barrier on me that I didn't
even have for
myself so then to enter into an elite
school when your high school counselor
has told you you're not good enough when
all of society sort of looks at kids of
color or kids from poor community or
rural communities as not
belonging you know I like many others
walked into that school with a stigma in
my own head more young people nowadays
call it impostor uh syndrome I don't
know if they call it that in in Britain
where kids like me feel like they don't
belong so they feel like they're faking
it and I had to get over that and one of
the ways that I got over it was that I
looked around at Prince
and I saw kids who were not as talented
or as gifted or as hardworking as I was
I learned that this notion of
affirmative action sometimes only
applies to kids of color or kids from
different backgrounds or poor kid but
there are all kinds of affirmative
action that take place in Elite schools
around the country athletes who are
admitted because not because they're
great students but because they can add
value Legacy people who come from
families with long Lines within the
school they get
admission so I started to realize that
the doubts that I had in my head were
all mine and I had to work to overcome
that question that I always ask myself
am I good enough and I write about that
that's a question that has dogged me for
a good part of my life am I good enough
to have all of this am I good enough to
be the first lady of the United States
and I think that many women and
definitely many young girls of all
backgrounds walk around with that
question but how I overcame that is how
I overcome anything hard
work so whenever I doubted myself I I
just told myself let me put my head down
and do the work and I would let my work
speak for
itself and I still find that I do that I
still feel that at some level I have
something to prove because of the color
of my skin because of the shape of my
body because of who knows how people are
judging but it takes some time and it
takes some maturity to start having some
successes under your belt where you
realize yes in fact I am good
enough I absolutely believe that
education is the key not just for young
women but for people in general
knowledge the opportunity to mature to
try new things to meet new people to be
open to different
cultures you know a lot of the problems
that we have in the world come from lack
of knowledge you know people who are
just underexposed to all the different
ways there are to be
human uh and we judge people based on
our limited understanding of the world
and and I always try to hold out empathy
for those who were in that position
because I know that it's based in a
place of ignorance sounds like a harsh
word but it's the appropriate word just
not knowing you only know what you know
and sadly if your world view is this
small and you know no one else that
looks or think differently from you
because you didn't have the chance to be
educated or to travel or to see the
world or to have your ideas challenged
and to learn how to be
analytical you know then it's
understandable that you would be afraid
of something different from you but the
only way we break through that is to
educate ourselves and to educate the
Next Generation you know to open them up
to new
ideas if you're not a strong reader if
you can't take in huge amounts of
information and break it down and have
it make sense
you won't even know when things are good
for you or bad for
you so yes I absolutely believe and
particularly for for women and girls
because women still raise the Next
Generation women are at the heart of all
Society we bring life we raise life we
nurture life we feed our families and if
we don't know what to do if those
mothers raising children don't know how
to keep them alive or not expose them to
diseases or to feed them when they're
hungry if they can't raise a living to
bring resources in we all struggle so it
would seemed to me that if we want to
solve anything any major issue that you
can think about climate change
terrorism poverty inequality it starts
with an
education I I don't know how we we do
any of it if people don't know what they
don't
know one of the challenges that formal
education places before young people is
that you're taught to figure out what
you want to be when you grow up right
and you're given titles and there's a
finite set of them a lawyer teacher a
researcher you learn those
titles and then you you do the work to
get to those titles and then you get
jobs and you have
careers what I learned was none of that
has anything to do necessarily with who
I am not what I want to be what do I
care about how do I want to wake up and
invest my time every day what brings me
joy what makes me sad we don't teach
that in school but I learned to try to
find that for me and turn that passion
into my career and that was some of the
best advice because that's when I
decided learned that I didn't want to be
a
lawyer because I'd never taken the time
to think about why was I going to law
school I was going to law school because
I thought I should be a lawyer not
because that's who I was it wasn't that
work filled me up so I had to learn how
to do that and that required networking
and exposing myself to more people and
more jobs and more careers and more
opportunities as a result of that I
became uh an assistant to the mayor in
the city of
Chicago and then I went on to run a
nonprofit organization and I went on to
be an associate Dean at a university and
I went on to be the vice president at an
academic Medical Center and my life just
started opening up in ways that I never
predicted because I started asking
myself that one simple question not what
did I want to be but who did I want to
be and how did I want to show up in the
world and if you all can get the jump on
starting to ask yourself that question
as you you know go after your
careers if you're starting to think
about what what kind of work will bring
you
Joy because if you find that you're
going to do well at it and everything
else is going to fall into place and it
did for
me I think young people when they think
about
change you get hung up on thinking that
the only change that matters is
something big and huge and powerful and
mighty starting your own organization or
moving the needle on a on an initiative
but when you're
young the best thing you can do do is
number one take care of you because you
are the best asset you can invest in at
this time so that means taking care of
your space your health your education
protecting your heart is an important
investment for the bigger picture and
then think about who's just who's around
you who can you really influence and
everyone can influence someone maybe
it's a young sibling you know maybe it's
a neighbor uh maybe it's another girl in
a class below you because when you think
about it younger kids they don't
necessarily look up to the teacher they
look up to the girl right just above
them so I would urge you to think about
who do you have access to right now
today that is looking to you for
guidance they see you as a role model
because I guarantee you there is someone
in your life right now now who thinks
that the sun rises and sets on every
word you say and I would start talking
to them and I would do small things like
bring them with me when I did something
unique taking them to a museum it's
those small gestures that matter it's
not the grand sweeping actions that make
change change happens every single day
with the little interactions that you
have have with the people in your
life well I Mentor because I was
mentored yeah I think Maran Wright
Edelman one of my heroins said service
is the rent we pay for living and I feel
the same thing I feel like when someone
invests in me as many people have I
didn't get here on my own I didn't get
here because I was some miracle kid that
had dust sprinkled on me and things just
happened there were people in my life
who saw potential in me people who
didn't have to make the investment who
held a hand out and showed me the way
and some of them were much older than me
some of them were people who were my
peers or people just ahead of me so I am
a product of the generosity of other
people's
mentorship so the expectation of myself
is that I give that back and it's also
selfish of me that I Mentor because I
get a lot out of it too I mean one of
the best things I do is spend time with
younger people because they keep me
focused they as I said at the top of
this conversation you all keep me clear
and
focus I feel fulfilled in helping you
achieve your goals it's the most
fulfilling thing that I do is to watch
another person benefit from something
that I help them do I'm not not here to
compete with people I'm here to keep
continue to lift people
up my hope is that the support that I've
shown you and others have shown you you
will find it in you to show that to
someone
else one of the reasons I started the
mentorship program in the White House
was because I wanted people to know that
everyone has the time and the capability
even the first lady and the president of
the United States because the president
had a separate mentorship program too
and we connected our mentees with senior
people throughout the White House from
the chief of staff to the head of the
household to Secret Service
agents they were connected with people
on a regular
basis so if we can do it if we can find
the if we could find the time in our
busy lives to take a moment out because
it doesn't even take that long you can
have an impact on another person with
one good
conversation you know I never
underestimate the value of showing
children my regard which is why I take
time out when I see kids cuz I think
even if I'm with you in a photo line or
on a rope line that maybe there's one
thing I can say to you that you're
beautiful that you're smart that I see
you you know that I believe in you yeah
I don't know you but sometimes a kid it
just needs to hear that and that doesn't
have to come from the first lady it's
powerful when it does come from the
first lady but coming from you coming
from all of you to someone who looks up
to you it means the same thing so my
expectation for all of you is that you
find a way to mentor and maybe now is
not the time but at some point in your
life when you get to a place where you
have the space My Hope Is that you make
that time and that you continue to look
for the mentors in your life because I
still look for mentors even
today anybody who knows more than me I'm
going to sit them down and they're going
to become my friend and I'm going to ask
for help I did it when I came into the
White House one of the the first people
I sat down with were other living first
ladies I made it a point to meet with
every single one of them number one to
just thank them for their service number
two I wanted to make sure they felt the
lines of communication were open with me
third I wanted to know what it was like
for them what were their
challenges so you never stop learning
and I never stop
learning so if I'm still looking for
mentorship you all should be doing that
at every phase of your life whether it's
another mother when you become a parent
you're going to need other parents to
help you Mentor if you're in a
relationship you're going to want
mentorship to help you get through your
relationship ship it never
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