I just recently watched the commencement speech online, and I don't care what your political views are -- Mrs. Obama is a rock star and an inspiration. You can think whatever you want about the men in politics, but look really hard at their wives and more often than not you will have to try hard not to be impressed.
Michelle Obama grew up on the South Side of Chicago in a small two bedroom apartment in a working class family. Education was always emphasized from her parents, especially by her dad who was diagnosed with MS at when she and her brother were both young. As a result, both kids ended up going to Princeton, where they both majored in sociology, might I add. Michelle then went on to Harvard Law School. She talks about success and what defines it. She scored a very high paying and prestigious job at a top law firm in Chicago (where she met the president) but realized that while she may been living a dream, it wasn't her dream. She switched careers and began to work for the city mayor's office, and loved it. Some things she said really impressed me. She said, "Success isn't about how your life looks to others; it's about how it feels to you. Being successful isn't about being impressive, it's about being inspired. And that's what it means to be your true self....You will never be happy plodding through someone else's idea of success."
It's so true. All too often we subscribe to what the world sees as successful. It can cause feelings of anxiety if we feel like we are not measuring up, or we experience enormous pressure and stress as we attempt to achieve something that maybe we don't love to do, but are doing it for the sake of "being successful." In Argentina I met many, many people who had nothing, but in their smiles and the glimmer in their eyes, it seemed as though they had everything -- because they did. I remember writing in my journal one night after visiting a family of three in a small, one bedroom home in the South. The father worked odd jobs when he could get them. The mother stayed home with the little girl. There wasn't a lot to do in that small town, and the cold kept people inside more often than not. But I had never met a happier family, and it blew me away. In my journal I wrote about how once I returned home to BYU and found myself getting caught up in the rat race of life again, I needed to remember the life lesson that this family had taught me without realizing it. Remember what's really important in life. Towards the end of her speech, Obama adds that "What makes life truly rich are the people you share it with." And I can't agree more.
For those who are interested in watching the 22 minutes speech, here it is!
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