You'll Want To Take Michelle Obama's Latest Words Of Wisdom To Heart
Former First Lady Michelle Obama is well-known for offering some of the best and most noteworthy advice on working through life's hardships. From Obama opening up about menopause and what it means for her everyday life to the former first lady's parenting advice, which is naturally what every tired mom needs to hear, there's been no shortage of words of wisdom from the ambitious activist to help us cope in our least confident moments.
As Forbes points out, Obama dedicated much of her White House tenure to fighting for better rights and representation for young people and particularly young women of color. In her stirring final speech as the first lady, she promised those listening: "Know that I will be with you, rooting for you and working to support you for the rest of my life." Likewise, Obama is keenly aware of her privilege and frequently uses it to encourage those less fortunate.
Per Oprah Daily, in her "Becoming" documentary, Obama shared: "I am coming down from the mountaintop to tell every young person that is poor and working class, and has been told regardless of the color of your skin that you don't belong, don't listen to them. They don't even know how they got at those seats." With an exciting new book on the horizon, she stopped by "Good Morning America" to share another piece of advice that we can all follow.
The former first lady made it clear that change is always within reach
During a promotional appearance on "GMA," Michelle Obama got real about how tough it can be to keep fighting to affect real change — particularly in the face of adversity. "It's not just a smooth ride up to the top, but we have to keep pushing forward," she clarified (via YouTube). Obama continued, "What I am telling people now is to focus on your 'small power.' Control the thing that is within your grasp, the thing that you can do. It's the power of small."
According to The Guardian, "The Light We Carry" contains tons of practical advice on how readers can learn from the former first lady's journey and harness their own inner strength accordingly. However, she also admits to not always having the answers, including when it comes to relationships. Fans often approach Obama looking to replicate what she has with former president, and longtime husband, Barack Obama. But their secret is not expecting perfection.
Elsewhere, the bestselling author opens up about how different she felt as a noticeably taller child (Obama is 5'11"). "The attention given to my height brought about a new self-consciousness in me, a slight sense of otherness," Obama writes. Thankfully, her father reassured her that "no one can make you feel bad if you feel good about yourself," which eventually helped Obama take pride in her differences. Key to that, of course, was refusing to dwell on what she couldn't change.