In her memoir, Becoming, Obama highlights her desire for efficiency and making the most of her time. She emphasizes how she prefers to tackle every challenge with a plan and process in place and how her choices are directed towards minimizing waste and maximizing output. In the memoir, she discusses her routines and the ways she maintained a tight schedule, such as waking up early to work out and keeping her children's schedules structured.
In her public appearances and writings, she frequently discusses the importance of hard work, determination, and pushing oneself to reach one's potential. She has a knack for public speaking, being able mobilize large groups of people through her speeches that are tailored to resonate with the audience to whom she is speaking. Her speeches often include personal stories to prove that anyone, regardless of their backgrounds, can achieve their goals.
Throughout her tenure as First Lady, she championed several initiatives with a clear goal and vision, including the "Let's Move!" campaign and the "Reach Higher" initiative, which encouraged young people to pursue higher education.
From a young age, Obama was a diligent and focused student. She skipped the second grade and was part of a gifted class in sixth grade. In her book, she describes how, despite being deemed "not good enough" by a college counselor, she worked incredibly hard to eventually gain admission into Princeton University. She would go on to get a degree from Princeton, as well as Harvard Law School. Before becoming First Lady, her ambition led her to a thriving career, holding positions at the Sidley Austin law firm and later as Vice President for Community and External Affairs at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
As part of her book tour in the UK, she attended an event where she was asked how she felt to be seen as a "symbol of hope.” She told the students, "I still have a little [bit of] impostor syndrome, it never goes away, that you're actually listening to me….It doesn't go away, that feeling that you shouldn't take me that seriously. What do I know? I share that with you because we all have doubts in our abilities…”
Obama has appeared on numerous television shows, from educational children's programming like Sesame Street to late-night talk shows. Even after she left the White House, she continues to actively participate in speaking engagements, interviews, and makes appearances at high-profile events. Her speeches are centered around empowerment, education, personal health, and service.
After publishing her memoir Becoming, Obama embarked on a book tour of epic proportions. The scale and style of the tour was way beyond what most book tours look like for famous persons, involving large arenas often reserved for musical acts. The Netflix documentary Becoming, which followed her book tour, provided an in-depth look at her life, further solidifying her place in the public eye.
In Their Own Words
"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."
"I am an example of what is possible when girls from the very beginning of their lives are loved and nurtured by people around them."
"I never cut class. I loved getting A's, I liked being smart. I liked being on time. I thought being smart is cooler than anything in the world."
"We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own 'to-do' list."
"Whether you come from a council estate or a country estate, your success will be determined by your own confidence and fortitude."
“Just try new things. Don't be afraid. Step out of your comfort zones and soar, all right?”
“Find people who will make you better.”
"I have learned that as long as I hold fast to my beliefs and values, and follow my own moral compass, then the only expectations I need to live up to are my own."
"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 yourself."
"Choose people who lift you up."
"We should always have three friends in our lives —one who walks ahead who we look up to and follow; one who walks beside us, who is with us every step of our journey; and then, one who we reach back for and bring along after we've cleared the way."
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