Becoming - Michelle Obama | Summarized Books

Becoming - Michelle Obama

Be Intentional with your life even if it makes no real sense at the moment

Oftentimes, we brood over our current challenges and also project such feelings into our future and that makes us continuously bear a chain of a sad life. Rather than wallowing about the misfortunes your terrible past has caused your present and the impending havoc it might have on your future, why not get a grip of yourself and begin to live in the moment? Deliberately enjoy every bit of life’s journey, taking the crooked with the straights.

The author, Michelle Obama, spent her childhood in a middle-class and racially mixed neighborhood where kids made friends based on who was available to play and not the color of skin. Her childhood experience was filled with the sound of striving. The tone of people trying became the soundtrack to her and her family as they basked in the plinking sounds of the piano that came from her aunt’s apartment who taught students the rudiments of the musical instrument. Her parents rented an apartment on the second floor of the building, while her aunt, Robbie, and her husband were on the first floor of the same building. Her escape from the amateur sounds only happened whenever her father arrived from a shift earlier than expected. On such days, he would tell her stories which didn’t register with her because she was just a kid.

Michelle had a very pleasant and great family from whom she gained different perspectives on​ life. Her snippy and inflexible aunt Robbie instilled in her a sense of devotion through her thorough piano lessons, while her ever-cheerful grandfather, Shield, whom they called Southside, taught her to cheer regardless of the circumstance.

Her parents gave their all to see their children soar — her dad was keen on always showing them the bright side to life, helping them build a long-lasting habit of blocking bad news. He would prefer to save for a rainy day than buy a house due to the fear of perpetual debt that may come with its purchase. Her mum was always willing to listen to them, make earnest corrections, and give them reasonable freewill to make decisions; this helped them build confidence. In her words, “I am raising adults, not kids.” Her brother, Craig, was one she admired so much for his ease and flexibility of relating to everyone. Michelle and her brother, Craig, were both given a good deal of exposure.

As a fastidious kid, Michelle expressly showed the ability to ignore​ the odds that came her way. She imbibed a spirit of being better than who she was yesterday, kept her eyes on her goal, and practically enjoyed every bit of whatever she did with no fear of the past, present, or future.

Fear of the past can kill your present and future 

Terrible experiences sometimes cling to us like a shadow that typically wants to make an appearance in our present life, but a determination to keep a very positive and bright spirit will blot out those terrible shadows of the past and help us shine effortlessly in all our dealings.

The author, being intellectually sound from her days in Bryn Mawr, where she had her first schooling, drove the same prowess into high school, Whitney Young High School. However, she was mind-blown because Whitney Young was everything Bryn Mawr was not, in terms of distance from home, population, and intellects in the school. Her experience in the first few days in ninth grade was a whole new odyssey, involving ninety minutes of travel on two different city bus routes, hauling herself out of bed as early as five o’clock, eating breakfast, and bidding her parents goodbye, having no idea of what the day holds.

Gradually, she began to entertain worries and fears about high school, as she asked the question, “Am I good enough?” She knew just a few kids in the school. All other kids appeared older, more sophisticated, and more confident than she was. Looking around, she felt small, and this time, her brother Craig wasn’t there to help her out as he had enrolled at Princeton University. She was just Michelle Robinson trying to figure out her new world. The doubt of not being enough sat within her all through the student orientation program — she expressed that the doubts were like malignant cells that threatened to divide and divide again unless she could find some way to it.

Her first few months at Whitney Young gave her a glimpse of a hidden thought which had lingered in her for so long — “the apparatus of privilege and connection, what appeared like a network of half-hidden ladders and guide ropes that lay suspended overhead, ready to connect some but not everyone to the sky”. Over her freshman and sophomore years, she began to build the same confidence she had at Bryn Mawr, and her grades turned out pretty good. With each little accomplishment, with every downtime, Michelle managed to avoid her doubts and gradually grew fearless. She realized it was safe to be smart as everyone in high school was working towards college which meant she didn’t need to hide her intelligence for the fear of negative thoughts or actions from others — a common trend in her community in Southside.

Michelle Obama never relented in standing up to anyone who tried to oppress her. She was willing to go whatever miles it would take to achieve great success. Her experience with the college's counselor of Princeton University is a good example; she proved beyond a reasonable doubt that she was worthy of the university’s admission — even when the counselor gave her an unworthy look. She grew dauntless and fearless​ and channeled all her focus on achieving her unending desire of being remarkably successful. The only fear she knew at this point was for her dying father with multiple sclerosis. Despite his medical condition, he would still go miles to ensure she was at her best, giving her all the support she needed. She explained that while at college, for all the hours she spent talking with her father on the phone, his health was one topic he wouldn’t touch. His voice was all her comfort; she lived on it as if it were oxygen, and it was always enough.

Keep a positive spirit and start caring less about what others think

Positivity is the right fuel you need to burn bad energies that may seem to deter you from achieving great success. Michelle Obama had an impressive positive drive that helped her become one of the world's most powerful women. She would never back out of her brilliant vision of success. She believed so much in her ability and was always willing to give success the fight it deserves.

Transitioning from her old world to one where the significant fret to people was their LSAT scores and squash games, she always upheld the pride of her humble beginnings. She was positively determined all through her college days. Michelle was unapologetic about her focus! She took her LSAT, wrote her senior thesis, and applied to the best law school in the country.

Michelle Obama saw herself as smart, analytical, and ambitious. She was not just driven by logic but also by a certain wish for people's approval. The profound affirmation and satisfactory look she got from professors, relatives, and random people whenever she was asked “what next?” and she mentioned to them “I am bound for law school.” Harvard Law School meant the world to her. She reveled in this “My, isn’t that impressive?” expression just as it had been from her childhood. However, she believed that caring a lot about what others think might deter you from living in the freedom of your decision. You always want to earn their respect and achieve beyond their expectations — you're not allowed to underperform and you’re continually guided by the rule of code/effect}.

All these might launch you to keep achieving until you have the answers to all your questions, including the most important one — Am I good enough?

Yes, in fact, I am. Although, this does not necessarily mean you are fulfilled.

Build a ​quality relationship and enjoy the beautiful things life may present

Our backgrounds, jobs, and perspectives to life sometimes prevent us from focusing on the essentials of life — developing quality relationships with people and enjoying the most beautiful things of life.

Michelle Obama knew this truth about life, so, she built a cordial relationship with workers in her office and didn’t let her relationship with her family suffer despite the high demands of her job. This act of building quality relationships yielded a beautiful companionship with Barack Obama. She bonded with him in the law firm called “Sidley and Austin.” Barack Obama was a persistent and consistent friend of Michelle. Although she found some of his habits appalling, she was however astounded by his cerebral, poised self-assuredness, warm demeanor, unconventional and weirdly elegant aura. Soon enough, Michelle was willing to let someone in. Rather than focusing on any odds, she was ready to live and enjoy the beauties that came with this bonding.

She expressed that as soon as she allowed herself to feel anything for Barack, the feelings came rushing. Worries about her life, career, or even Barack himself was blotted out with the very first kiss and suddenly replaced with the driving need to know him better, to explore and experience everything about him as fast as she could.

To her utmost surprise, Barack was not like anyone she ever dated; he was different and almost felt too good to be true. He was openly affectionate and made her feel great. He had an intriguing personality that kept Michelle in awe of him. As they built their relationship, they put aside their differences and were willing to make things work — Barack wasn’t much of a phone guy initially, he'd prefer to read pages of letters, but he grew comfortable in it because of Michelle. Their relationship became steady and reliable and it became one less thing in life for Michelle to question.

She continued in her excellent duties with the law firm, while Barack rounded off his course with the firm and left to complete law school in Harvard. However, she seized every opportunity to visit Barack in Harvard knowing the high demands of Law school. She made efforts to correct the imbalance in recruitment at the firm; her goal was to bring law students who were not just smart and driven but also anyone other than male or white.

Don’t be afraid to try something new — you are capable

More often than not, we are religiously defined by our goals of attaining remarkable success. However, not all targets should be considered a real passion. Some individuals are quick to realize this at a very opportune time in life and can remedy the situation promptly, channeling their effort into their passion.

Michelle, at a certain point in her career, realized being a lawyer was undoubtedly not her passion even though she was distinct in her work, winning and achieving remarkable success. This realization triggered thoughts such as “What other meaningful jobs could I do?” — bearing in mind that any menial job may cost her the luxury she acquired as a lawyer. She frequently poured her heart out to her mother, who has been known never to get in the way of her children’s decisions but give them any support they need.

Michelle was afraid of what a new beginning in another path would cost as she brooded over her unfulfilled life. She longed for fulfillment, for something more than what the law profession presented. These thoughts became exacerbated right after the deaths of her dearest father, Fasser Robinson, at fifty-five, and her lovely friend, Suzanne, at twenty-six. She realized that life is short and not to be wasted, and that if she died, she didn't want people remembering her for the stacks of legal briefs she had written or corporate trademark she defended. She was then spurred to offer something more to the world. At that point of full self-realization, she began to act.

The journey of starting her passion wasn't all rosy. There were times of doubts and times of failure — one of which was failing her bar exam. Despite all these, Michelle never relented; instead, she launched herself into something she was passionate about — she took an offer with the city hall in Chicago. And she said yes to Barack's marriage proposal. Thereafter, she lived with so many beautiful experiences both in her job and in her family life. This, for Michelle, was her passion and she channeled so much energy into it, giving Barack and her children the best support, helping them break grounds and also building herself to be a voice to be heard in the world.

There’s no boundary to what you can become

There are no limitations to success in life. All you need is the right push and an unwavering faith in your ability to achieve anything.

Michelle supported Barack through his political career. She never wavered even when she didn’t like being constantly addressed as Barack Obama's wife — she wanted to be her own person, a voice to be heard by the world. She helped Barack build a reliable support system through her cordial relationship with people and her ability to gain the people’s confidence.

When Barack was pronounced the forty-fourth president of the United States of America, the first African-American to become president of the United States, it was an overwhelming victory for them. Michelle, as the first lady, was able to affect the world positively by her graceful attitude of living her life for the people she cared for — Americans — irrespectively of color or sex. She stood by Barack, reaching out to the world in the most treasured way, and they made the world a better place for all and sundry.

After Barack’s tenure as president, Michelle felt a rush of all kinds of emotions. Their determination to make their transition with grace and dignity, as well as finish their eight years with their ideals and composure intact was a great deal. Looking back at their humble beginnings and circumstances, who would have predicted they’d land in those halls. She expressed that they were ordinary people who found themselves in an extraordinary journey due to their constant drive to succeed.

Conclusion

Life is not about being perfect; it's about building those little pieces together to make a beautiful whole. Live life without the fear of failure, own your own unique story and always be willing to use your voice to change the world positively. There is power in allowing yourself to be known and heard. There is grace in being ready to understand and listen to others. This, for Michelle, is how we become.

Try this:
Do some soul searching and find out what you truly have passion for. If it doesn’t align with your current job, map out a plan to pursue it, and start your journey toward achieving fulfilment.