Michelle Obama | WHO ARE YOU GONNA BE? | Your Motivation

Summary

This inspiring speech emphasizes the importance of personal character traits over achievements and credentials. It highlights resilience and conscientiousness as key to success, illustrated by West Point cadets' examples. The speaker encourages graduates to embrace diversity, engage with different perspectives, and develop skills applicable to any situation. The speech concludes with advice on the value of hard work, reliability, and serving others, qualities that define a person's true worth.

Takeaways

• 🎓 **Personal Identity Over Profession**: The speaker emphasizes defining who you are rather than focusing solely on what job you will have.
• 🚀 **Resilience is Key**: Resilience and conscientiousness are highlighted as critical skills for success, often more so than traditional metrics like test scores or IQ.
• 🏆 **Success Beyond Achievements**: Success is defined by how one responds to challenges and setbacks, not just by achievements or accolades.
• 💪 **Grit Determines Completion**: Cadets with high grit and determination are more likely to complete challenging tasks, such as basic training at West Point.
• 🌱 **Personal Growth Through Struggle**: The speaker encourages developing skills by overcoming weaknesses and working hard, which can be applied to any situation.
• 🤝 **Embrace Diversity**: The importance of seeking out and engaging with diverse experiences and viewpoints is stressed.
• 👂 **Listen Beyond Your Echo Chamber**: Engaging with people of different political affiliations can lead to new understandings and personal growth.
• 🌐 **Leverage Global Connectivity**: Technology allows for unprecedented connection with the world, which can be used to break down old divisions.
• 👥 **Value of Character in Hiring**: The speaker shares that character traits like hard work, reliability, and open-mindedness are more valued than test scores or elite education in hiring decisions.
• 🌟 **Inherent Qualities for Impact**: The qualities that move society forward are already embodied by the graduates, learned from their upbringing and developed further at Eastern Kentucky University.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the speech?

The main focus of the speech is to inspire individuals to reflect on their character and resilience, rather than just their achievements or goals, emphasizing the importance of personal qualities such as grit and determination.

Why does the speaker emphasize the question 'who are you going to be'?

The speaker emphasizes 'who are you going to be' to highlight the importance of personal character development over specific achievements, as it defines how individuals respond to life's challenges and setbacks.

What role do skills like resilience and conscientiousness play according to the speaker?

According to the speaker, skills like resilience and conscientiousness are as important to success as test scores or IQ, influencing one's ability to overcome obstacles and achieve goals.

What example does the speaker give to illustrate the importance of character traits like grit?

The speaker cites the example of West Point cadets, where those who scored high on traits like grit and determination were more likely to complete basic training than those who ranked high in other areas.

Why does the speaker encourage graduates to embrace diversity?

The speaker encourages embracing diversity to broaden perspectives, foster understanding, and learn from different experiences and viewpoints.

What advice does the speaker give regarding engaging with people with different political views?

The speaker advises engaging with people of different political views, such as having a conversation between a Democrat and a Republican, to find common ground or gain new insights.

How does the speaker suggest using the freedom of an open mind?

The speaker suggests using the freedom of an open mind to reject old divisions and embrace different points of view, potentially leading to new opportunities and perspectives.

What does the speaker imply about the importance of character in hiring decisions?

The speaker implies that character traits such as hard work, reliability, and openness to other viewpoints are more important in hiring decisions than test scores or the prestige of the educational institution attended.

What qualities does the speaker value on a team?

The speaker values qualities like hard work, reliability, openness to other viewpoints, and a willingness to serve others on a team.

How does the speaker describe the qualities that move businesses, schools, and the country forward?

The speaker describes these qualities as the ones that embody the values learned from parents and communities, and the skills developed through hard work and education.

What is the speaker's hope for the graduates after they have faced various ups and downs?

The speaker hopes that the graduates will not only question their ability to succeed but also consider how and where they will make a positive impact in the world.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Personal Growth and Resilience

This paragraph emphasizes the importance of personal character over specific achievements. It questions how individuals will react to life's challenges rather than their career goals. The speaker discusses the significance of resilience and conscientiousness, citing research that these traits are as crucial as test scores or IQ for success. The example of West Point cadets illustrates that those with high grit and determination are more likely to complete training. The message is that by persevering and turning weaknesses into strengths, one can develop skills applicable to any situation.

05:00

🌐 Embracing Diversity and Open-mindedness

The second paragraph focuses on the values of diversity and open-mindedness. It encourages graduates to engage with people from different backgrounds and perspectives, suggesting that such interactions can lead to learning and personal growth. The speaker shares personal experiences from hiring and management, emphasizing that qualities like hard work, reliability, and openness to other viewpoints are more important than academic achievements or the prestige of one's school. The paragraph concludes with an encouragement to use the freedom of an open mind and technology to connect with others and to reject old divisions.

Keywords

💡Resilience

Resilience refers to the ability to bounce back from adversity or setbacks. In the video, it is highlighted as a key factor in personal success, exemplified by West Point cadets who displayed high levels of grit and determination being more likely to complete basic training. This concept is central to the video's theme of overcoming challenges and personal growth.

💡Conscientiousness

Conscientiousness is the quality of being diligent and responsible. The video suggests that this trait can be as important to success as test scores or IQ, indicating that personal attributes play a significant role in achieving goals. It is tied to the video's overall message of the importance of character over mere academic or intellectual prowess.

💡Character

Character is the moral and ethical qualities unique to an individual. The video emphasizes building character through challenges, such as not getting a desired job or facing unresponsive students as a teacher. Character is portrayed as the core of who one is, rather than what one achieves.

💡Grit

Grit is defined as perseverance and passion for long-term goals. The script mentions that cadets with high grit were more likely to succeed, indicating that the relentless pursuit of goals is a critical component of success, aligning with the video's theme of personal determination and growth.

💡Determination

Determination is the resolve to continue towards a certain goal despite obstacles. It is used in the context of completing challenging tasks, like basic training, and is presented as a key trait that defines individuals in the face of adversity.

💡Success

Success in the video is not solely defined by traditional measures like promotions or awards but also by the personal qualities and skills one develops. It is portrayed as a result of resilience, conscientiousness, and the ability to adapt and overcome.

💡Diversity

Diversity is the state of having people with different backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints. The video encourages embracing diversity, suggesting that engaging with different perspectives can lead to personal growth and a broader understanding of the world.

💡Open Mind

An open mind is the willingness to consider new ideas and perspectives. The script encourages graduates to have an open mind when interacting with people from different walks of life, which is crucial for fostering understanding and breaking down barriers.

💡Self-Interest

Self-interest refers to the tendency to prioritize one's own concerns over those of others. The video challenges this by advocating for stepping outside of one's self-interest to serve others, which is seen as a valuable trait for personal development and societal progress.

💡Embrace

To embrace something means to accept or support it willingly. In the context of the video, embracing diversity and different viewpoints is encouraged as a way to foster unity and personal growth, which is a central theme of the message.

💡Freedom

Freedom, as discussed in the video, refers to the liberty to make choices and the power to shape one's own life. It is tied to the idea that with freedom comes the responsibility to choose how one will impact the world positively.

Highlights

The importance of defining who you are rather than what you do.

How personal responses to challenges shape one's character.

The significance of resilience and conscientiousness for success.

Research showing that certain skills are as important as test scores or IQ.

Example of West Point cadets demonstrating the value of grit and determination.

The idea that personal qualities can be developed and applied to any situation.

The necessity of making a choice about one's character.

Encouragement to consider how these ideas apply to future life.

The value of embracing diversity in life experiences and opinions.

Advice to seek out and learn from different viewpoints.

The impact of engaging with others with an open mind and heart.

The freedom of an open mind and the connectivity provided by technology.

The choice to either continue old fights or embrace new perspectives.

The potential for personal growth through embracing different viewpoints.

The importance of personal qualities in hiring decisions over academic achievements.

The qualities that move businesses, schools, and the country forward.

The qualities that the audience already embodies and their origins.

The world's need for more people with the audience's qualities.

The question of how and where the audience will make their mark in the world.

Transcripts

[Music]

who are you going to be

and if you'll notice i'm not asking what

are you going to do

but who are you going to be

i'm asking you about how you plan to

live your life every day

how are you going to respond

when you don't get that job you had your

heart set on

for all of you who are going to be

teachers what are you going to do

if the students in your class next year

just don't respond to your lessons

for all of you going into business how

will you react when your boss gives you

a goal that feels way too

high

see these are the moments that define us

not the day you get the promotion

not the day you win teacher of the year

but the times that force you to claw and

scratch and fight just to get through

the day

the moments when you get knocked down

and you're wondering whether it's even

worth it to get back up

see those are the times when you've got

to ask yourself who am i going to be

and i want to be clear this isn't just

some vague platitude about building

character

in recent years we've actually been

seeing a growing body of research that

shows that skills like resilience

and conscientiousness can be just as

important to your success as your test

scores or even your iq

for instance west point cadets who

scored high on things like grit and

determination were more likely to

complete basic training than those who

ranked high on things like class rank

s.a.t sports and physical fitness

so what we're seeing is that

if you're willing to dig deep if you're

willing to pick yourself up when you

fall

if you're willing to work and work until

your weaknesses become your strengths

then you'll develop a set of skills that

you can mold and apply to any situation

you encounter any job you might have any

crisis you might confront

but you've got to make that choice

who are you going to be

so graduates think about how this will

apply to your own lives in the future

as you move on

you're gonna come across all kinds of

people from all different places and

faiths and walks of life

and you can choose to pass them by

without a word

or you can choose to reach out to them

no matter who they are or where they

come from or what ideas they might have

embracing the diversity of experience

and opinion that surrounds us everywhere

we go

so i encourage you all seek it out

don't just spend time with people your

own age you would be amazed at the

wisdom they have to offer

if you're a democrat

spend some time talking to a republican

and if you're a republican have a chat

with a democrat

maybe you'll find some common ground

maybe you won't

but if you honestly engage with an open

mind and an open heart i guarantee you

will learn something

and goodness knows

we need more of that

because we know what happens when we

only talk to people who think like we do

we just get more stuck in our way

[Music]

you all can you can get past all that

you've got the freedom of an open mind

and thanks to today's technology you're

connected to each other into the world

like never before

so

you you can either choose to use those

opportunities to continue fighting the

fights that we've been locked in for

decades or you can choose to reject

those old divisions and embrace folks

with a different point of view and if

you do that

the latter

who knows where it might take you

and let me just share just a little

secret before i end

as someone who has hired and managed

hundreds of young people over the course

of my career

the answers to those questions believe

me are far more important than you can

ever imagine

whether it was during my time as a

lawyer as an administrator as a

university a non-profit manager even now

as first lady

i have never once asked someone i was

interviewing to explain a test score or

a grade in a class never

i have never

once

made a hire

just because someone went to an ivy

league school instead of a state school

never what i have looked for

is what kind of person you are

are you a hard worker

are you reliable

are you open to other viewpoints have

you stepped outside of your own

self-interest to serve others again and

again i have seen that those are the

qualities that i want on my team

because those are the qualities that

move our businesses and schools and our

entire country forward

and just understand this

those are the qualities

that you all already embody

they're the values you learned from your

parents

from the communities you grew up in

they are the skills you developed here

at eku as you work so hard to make it to

this day

and today more than ever before

that's what the world needs

we need more people like you

so after you've come this far

after all of the ups and downs i hope

that it is no longer a question of

whether or not you can make it in this

world but how and where you're going to

make your mark

[Music]

you