Placeholder Image

Subtitles section Play video

  • experience facing and overcoming

  • adversity is actually one of your

  • biggest advantages you got to be open to

  • taking some risks and not being afraid

  • to fail i want you all to stay true to

  • the most real most sincere most

  • authentic parts of yourselves

  • she's an American Lawyer writer and

  • First Lady of the United States of

  • America

  • she's married to the 44th President of

  • the United States Barack Obama and was

  • the first african-american first lady

  • she has become a fashion icon role model

  • for women and advocate of poverty

  • awareness she's michelle obama and

  • here's my take on her top ten rules for

  • success as usual as you watch it was

  • something that she says that you really

  • really love leave in the comments below

  • put quotes around it as well so other

  • people can be inspired as well

  • some of you have been homeless some of

  • you have risked the rejection of your

  • families to pursue your education many

  • of you have lain awake at night

  • wondering how on earth you are going to

  • support your parents and your kids and

  • still pay tuition and many of you know

  • what it's like to live not just month to

  • month or day to day but meal to meal but

  • graduates let me tell you you you should

  • never ever be embarrassed by those

  • struggles 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 be

  • after i came before I came to the White

  • House and I work as a Dean of College in

  • that role i encountered students who had

  • every advantage their parents paid their

  • full tuition they live

  • Ben beautiful campus dorms they had

  • every material possession of college kid

  • could want cars computers spending money

  • but when some of them got their first

  • bad great they just fell apart they lost

  • it because they were ill-equipped to

  • handle their first encounter with

  • disappointment or falling short but

  • graduates as you all know life will put

  • many obstacles in your path that are far

  • worse than a bad grade you'll have

  • unreasonable mosses 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 and dust

  • yourself off and keep moving through the

  • pain he moving forward

  • next I've always felt a deep sense of

  • obligation to make the biggest impact

  • possible with this incredible platform

  • so I took on issues that were personal

  • to me issues like helping families raise

  • healthier kids honoring the incredible

  • military families that I met out on the

  • campaign trail inspiring our young

  • people to value their education and

  • finish college now some folks criticize

  • my choices for not being bold enough but

  • these were my choices my issues and i

  • decided to tackle them in a way that

  • felt most authentic to me in a way that

  • was both substantive and strategic but

  • also fun and hopefully inspiring so I

  • immerse myself in the policy details i

  • worked with Congress on legislation gave

  • speeches to CEOs military generals

  • Hollywood executives but i also work to

  • ensure that my efforts would resonate

  • with kids and families and that meant

  • doing things in a creative and

  • unconventional way so yeah I planted a

  • guard

  • and hula hooped on the White House lawn

  • with kids I did some mom dancing on TV i

  • celebrated military kids with Kermit the

  • Frog I ask folks across the country to

  • wear their alma mater is t-shirts for

  • college signing day and at the end of

  • the day by staying true to the me I've

  • always known i found that this journey

  • has been incredibly three because no

  • matter what happens I have the peace of

  • mind of knowing that all of the chatter

  • the name calling the doubting all of it

  • was just noise

  • it did not define me it didn't change

  • who I was and most importantly it

  • couldn't hold me back

  • I have learned that as long as I hold

  • fast my beliefs and values and follow my

  • own moral compass then the only

  • expectations i need to leave live up to

  • our my own so graduates you see Barack

  • and I were both raised by families who

  • didn't have much in the way money or

  • material possessions but who had given

  • us something far more valuable their

  • unconditional love their unflinching

  • sacrifice and the chance to go places

  • they had never imagined for themselves

  • my father was a pump operator at the

  • city water plant and he was diagnosed

  • with multiple sclerosis when my brother

  • and I were young and even as a kid I

  • knew there were plenty of days when he

  • was in pain and I know there were plenty

  • of mornings when it was a struggle for

  • him to simply get out of bed but every

  • morning I watched my father wake up with

  • a smile

  • now grab his walker propped himself up

  • against the bathroom sink and slowly

  • shape and button his uniform and when he

  • returned home after a long day's work my

  • brother and I would withstand at the top

  • of the stairs of our little apartment

  • patiently waiting to greet him watching

  • his he reached down to lift one leg and

  • then the other to slowly climb his way

  • into our arms but despite these

  • challenges my dad hardly ever missed a

  • day of work he and my mom were

  • determined to give me and my brother the

  • kind of education they could only dream

  • up what has been the best advice you

  • received from your teacher or professor

  • who I've gotten a lot of great advice

  • from teachers mentors professors

  • throughout the year so first of all you

  • gotta be open to taking some risks and

  • not being afraid to fail

  • failure is the key to success so when

  • you get the college you gotta raise your

  • hand you have to be engaged don't be the

  • kid thinking all I shouldn't be here and

  • maybe I'm not smart enough and maybe you

  • know know you are more than capable of

  • going to college being successful and

  • going on doing whatever you want in life

  • I sit here because I am you all there is

  • no difference between me and you working

  • class kid growing up on the south side

  • of Chicago growing up with doubts and

  • fears just like all of you all do I know

  • exactly how you always feel and kids out

  • there who were thinking maybe I'm not

  • ready maybe I'm not good enough maybe I

  • can't afford it but what teachers and

  • mentors have told me is that yes

  • you can and you must so get in there and

  • be bold with your intelligence raise

  • your hand get support when you need it

  • and know that we all got here because

  • somebody helped us i want you all to

  • stay true to the most real most sincere

  • most authentic parts of yourselves

  • I want you to ask those basic questions

  • who do you want to be what inspires you

  • how do you want to give back and then I

  • want you to take a deep breath and trust

  • yourselves to chart your own course and

  • make your mark on the world

  • maybe it feels like you're supposed to

  • go to law school but what you really

  • want to do is teach little kids maybe

  • your parents are expecting you to come

  • back home after you graduate but you're

  • feeling a poll to travel the world I

  • want you to listen to those thoughts I

  • want you to act with both your mind but

  • also your heart and no matter what path

  • you choose i want you to make sure it's

  • you choosing it and not someone else we

  • learned about dignity and decency that

  • how hard you work matters more than how

  • much you make that helping others means

  • more than just getting ahead of yourself

  • we learned about honesty and integrity

  • that the truth matters that it that you

  • don't take shortcuts

  • or play by your own set of rules

  • doesn't count unless you earn its there

  • and squared do you feel like and I'm

  • sure you did feel pressure to be the

  • first african-american first lady to did

  • like there's some kind of responsibility

  • or well one of the things i know from

  • sitting in this position that every

  • first lady feel some level of pressure

  • I mean this is a big platform and you

  • don't want to mess it up so i wouldn't

  • dare to compare my experience to any

  • former first lady but I do take the role

  • seriously i do as i said in my

  • convention speech I know that kids are

  • watching us there watching what we say

  • what we do and Brock and I've tried to

  • make sure that what kids are seeing or

  • something is something that they can be

  • proud of because it matters

  • you're getting advice from around the

  • world is a former british prime minister

  • tony blair is why fury bland did you

  • happen to hear or read which is a know

  • how she wants that you'll have to learn

  • I'm to take a backseat to me and you

  • will not be able to have any kind of a

  • career she says that that will be a very

  • difficult thing to do

  • yeah I think it just depends on the

  • person i have never been the kind of

  • person who defined myself by a career or

  • job i just never have people used to ask

  • me that doing

  • of course of the campaign

  • how do you have stepped off the track

  • and devoted your your life to his dream

  • but the truth is is that I believe in

  • this man is our president and his vision

  • for the country's and if that meant you

  • know stepping away from my particular

  • job for a year and a half or four or

  • eight years if you do what you're

  • supposed to divert then you know that's

  • a small sacrifice to make and it's

  • enough to keep you fulfilled

  • oh well I've got these great kids too I

  • mean the truth is you know and block

  • know this about me

  • I I love kids and I love my kids and

  • this isn't to say that anyone who's

  • working doesn't but I enjoy the balance

  • of having a job and having a set of

  • projects and you never have time to make

  • sure that i'm in the girls lives and

  • making sure that we have time it's a

  • family I mean that's a front plate

  • I don't view myself as being in a

  • position where I'm twiddling my thumbs

  • and and wondering why we're going to get

  • through the day

  • I've never experienced that in my life

  • we are playing a long game here and that

  • change is hard and change is slow and it

  • never happens all at once but eventually

  • we get there we always do what we we get

  • there because of folks like my dad folks

  • like Barack grandmother men and women

  • who who said to themselves I may not

  • have a chance to fulfill my dreams but

  • maybe my children will maybe my

  • grandchildren will see so many of us

  • stand here tonight because of their

  • sacrifice and longing in steadfast love

  • because time and again they swallow

  • their fears and doubts and did what was

  • hard

  • decided to get you wanna trip that

  • another better known as I'm not be upon

  • me attention not to be mad at me

  • you shouldn't you shouldn't matter with

  • you

  • my very own dreams and I mean no

  • permission dimension don't pay attention

  • to turn the baby girl

  • oh I mean when you said he will face

  • Willie in the b-movie hasn't dropped the

  • mice generally high we were making honey

  • where you going to be hard

  • we're making honey to put in our

  • lemonade

  • you're looking sad I you

  • one what does that mean what's that

  • you heard me

  • what

  • come on dunya

  • thank you guys so much for watching i

  • made this video because sweet cherry

  • asked me to so there's a famous

  • entrepreneur that you want me to profile

  • next leave it in the comments below and

  • I'll see what I can do

  • I don't love to know which of the ten

  • rules had the biggest impact on you and

  • why what did you learn from this what

  • are you going to change as well watching

  • this video leave in the comments and

  • I'll join in the discussion i also want

  • to give a quick shout-out to Cassandra L

  • DeLuca Cassandra thank you so much for

  • buying my book really means a lot to me

  • those you watching and you want to

  • change that a shadow in a future video

  • make sure to pick up a copy of the book

  • and email in your receipts we can keep

  • track

  • thank you guys so much for watching

  • continue to believe whatever your one

  • where it is and I'll see you soon

  • and let me tell you you should feel so

  • proud of making it to this day and I

  • hope that you're excited to get started

  • on that next chapter but I also imagine

  • that you might think about all that

  • history all those heroes who came before

  • you and you might also feel a little

  • pressure you know pressure to live up to

  • the legacy of those who came before you

  • pressure to meet the expectations of

  • others and believe me I understand that

  • kind of pressure

  • I've experienced a little bit of it

  • myself you see graduates I didn't start

  • out as the fully firm form first lady

  • who stands before you today no no I had

  • my share of bumps along the way back

  • when my husband first started

  • campaigning for president folks had all

  • sorts of questions of me what kind of

  • first lady would I be what kind of

  • issues what I take on what I be more

  • like laura bush or hillary clinton or

  • Nancy Reagan and the truth is those same

  • questions would have been posed to any

  • candidate spouse that's just the way the

  • process works but as potentially the

  • first african-american first lady I was

  • also the focus of another set of

  • questions and speculations conversations

  • sometimes rooted in the fears and

  • misperceptions of others

  • was I too loud or too angry or two

  • emasculating or was i too soft too much

  • of a mom not enough of a career woman

  • then there was the first time i was on a

  • magazine cover it was a cartoon drawing

  • of me with a huge afro and machine gun

  • now

  • yeah wish satire but if I'm really being

  • honest and knocked me back a bit

  • it made me wonder well just how are

  • people seeing me or you might remember

  • the onstage celebratory fist-bump

  • between me and my husband after a

  • primary when that was referred to as a

  • terrorist fist jab and over the years

  • folks have use plenty of interesting

  • words to describe me once that I existed

  • exhibited a little bit of uppity ism

  • another noted that i was one of my

  • husband's cronies of color cable news

  • charmingly referred her to be as Obama's

  • baby mama

  • and of course maracas endured his fair

  • share of the insults and slights even

  • today there are still folks questioning

  • his citizenship and all of this used to

  • really get to me back in those days i

  • had a lot of sleepless nights worrying

  • about what people thought of me

  • wondering if I might be hurting my

  • husband's chances of winning his

  • election fearing how my girls would feel

  • that they found out what some people

  • were saying about their mom but

  • eventually I realized that if I wanted

  • to keep my sanity and not let others

  • define me there was only one thing i

  • could do and that was to have faith in

  • God's plan for me

  • I have to ignore all of the noise and be

  • true to myself and the rest will work

  • itself out because we know how difficult

  • your husband's job is what are the

  • difficulties of being the first lady you

  • know I i find it really hard in the face

  • of what he's going through and what I

  • see happening is to focus when they're

  • struggling for me to even begin to

  • complain i have a uh I have the best job

  • because I don't have to make the hard

  • decisions the issues that i pick a ones

  • that I feel passionately about I get to

  • pick and choose what I do which is why

  • you know I i I'd love what I do I get to

  • spend time in in this country traveling

  • around meeting kid you see me I'm

  • jumping rope and hula hooping it it's

  • hard for me knowing you know how I you

  • know what struggle is to even even

  • answer that with a straight face

  • you know one of the things that i always

  • i tell my menses i tell my daughter's is

  • that the our first job in life is women

  • i think is to get to know ourselves and

  • I think a lot of times we don't do that

  • we spend our time pleasing satisfying

  • looking out into the world to define who

  • we are listening to the messages the

  • images the limited definitions that

  • people have of who we are and that's

  • true for women of color for sure there

  • is a limited box that we are put in

  • yeah and if we live by that limited

  • definition we we miss out on a lot of

  • who we are but it it takes it takes

  • taking the time to know who you are to

  • be able to deal with the onslaught of

  • negative messages that you're bound to

  • get so for me I came into this with a

  • pretty clear sense of myself and some of

  • that comes with age some of that comes

  • with experience some some of that comes

  • from being fortunate enough to been

  • raised by a loving mother strong focused

  • and a father who loved

  • me dearly so I fortunately came into

  • this situation with a really clear sense

  • of who I was

experience facing and overcoming

Subtitles and vocabulary

Click the word to look it up Click the word to find further inforamtion about it