Former first lady of US Michelle Obama is a wearer of many hats: an attorney, author and impassioned public speaker. Her inspirational speeches are also class apart.
An ardent believer of the fact that children should be taught kindness, compassion and resilience, Michelle addressed a room full of students and encouraged them to overcome whatever adversities that they may face and to keep ‘moving forward’.
“You should never view your challenges as a disadvantage. Instead it’s important for you to understand that your experience facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages and I know that because I’ve seen it myself.”
“Not just as a student working my way through school, but years later when I came to the White House and I worked as a Dean at a college,” she explained.
“In that role I encountered students who had every advantage, their parents paid their full tuition, they lived in beautiful campus dorms, they had every material possession a college kid could want, cars, computers, spending money etc.”
“But, when some of them got their first bad grade, they just fell apart. They lost it because they were ill-equipped to handle their first encounter with disappointment or falling short,” Michelle shared.
Her advice to young people facing hardships: “Life will put many obstacles in your path that are far worse than a bad grade. You’ll have unreasonable bosses and difficult clients and patients. You’ll experience illnesses and losses, crises and setbacks that will come out of nowhere and knock you off your feet.
“But unlike so many other young people, you have already developed the resilience and the maturity that you need to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep moving through the pain. Keep moving forward.”
She concluded by saying, “You have developed that muscle and please always always do your part to help others do the same.”
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First uploaded on: 17-03-2022 at 08:20 IST
