Michelle Obama’s

You have to practice who you wanna be(.) you know you don't wake up one morning and
you're 1. suddenly who you think you want to be you have to put some energy into it so if
you want to be an honest person(.) you have to be an honest person every day even starting at
3 and 4 and 5 right, if you're gonna be a hard worker hard work doesn't just 2.apear (.)you
have to practice hard work you have to practice effort and I also encourage them try to help
them understand that good things do...n't come 3.easy with that effort(.) you know that's
where you grow that's where growth is some of the best times in my life when I've grown
when I've done something 4. hard when I've overcome a fear at an age (.)you don't 5.
realize that when you're doing it but when you come out on the other side(.) you realize wow
I've really stepped up so I pushed my girls but more importantly I love them a lot and that's
what I feel for all of you(.) I want you guys to feel that in your 6. lives so that you can be
excellent because other people told me that I might not be able to to do well in school for
whatever reason I was always a good student I 7. work hard but I thought there was some
8. magic that happened that made you really(.) you know I didn't know that it was just
plain old hard work so there were periods of doubt for sure I think we well I have doubts
today(.) doubts don't go away you just 9. learn how to deal with them(.) you start knowing
yourself and you become more confident that the more 10. successes you have (.)the
more chances you take you don't let the failures or the 11.stumble define you (.)you know
everybody falls every now and then. some people fall a lot and what I realize is that we have
long lives if we're healthy and we do what we’re supposed to do, I'm 47 years old so think
about it whatever mistake I made when I was 13 who cares. so think about life as a long
trajectory, but at the same time you don't want to make 12. hude mistakes because when
you're young making big big mistakes can last forever right, so you want to choose wisely but
the stumbles the lessons learned that's part of life that makes you grow(.) but I came to know
that I didn’t know that when I was your age I thought every mistake was the end of the
world I'll never be able I'll 13.
never get into school I'll never be you know of course we all feel that way but just
continue to work put the 14. effort in and I think that has been some of what's helped me
being first lady. First of all is 15. knowing who you are and being confident in yourself
because they’ll be clear as what it is it’s pushing 16. other people’s labels of you right?
That's a big part that's what we do to each other all the time(.) we don't even know each other
and we already determined from one glance meeting (,)one line(,) one word(,) one phrase(,)
this is who you are so you have to know who you are before that and you live that 17.
reality and you keep living it out no matter what and if you're a good have good character and
good intentions that that ultimately 18. shines through but in the end it's hard work and I'd
like to work hard and I I like to do good things and you practice that now and believe it or not
I didn't know it it prepared me to be the first lady of United States(.) I didn't know I guess I'm
doing OK but you know what every day we just get up and keep doing what we think is the

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 Michelle Obama’s
right thing. read (,)write (,)read(,) read if the president were here one of his greatest 19.
strength is reading that's

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 Michelle Obama’s

one of the reasons why he’s a good communicator why he’s such a good writer he’s a
voracious reader so we're trying to get our girls no matter what to just be to love reading and
to challenge themselves with what they read not just read the gossip books but push
themselves beyond and do things that maybe they wouldn't do so I would encourage you all to
read read read just keep reading. And writing is another skill it’s practice its practice. the more
you write the better you get drafts our kids are learning the first draft means nothing you're
going to do 7, 10 drafts, that's writing, it's not 20. failute it's not not the teacher not liking
you because it's all marked up in red and when you get to be a good writer you mark your own
stuff in red and you rewrite and you rewrite and you rewrite that's what writing is and if you
come out with those skills and then you're confident and you can 21.
articulate and you can stand up straight and look anybody in the eye and say this is who I
am it's a pleasure to meet you that's one of the things we try to do with our mentoring
22.program with young girls. My message to them is if you can walk into the white house and
meet the first lady and say... my name is ... and how are you...and Look me in the eye and
there's nothing you can't do that's why it's important if you guys walked here, are sitting here in
front of all these people standing tall asking questions using your voice(.) you have to practice
that, these 23. areanes just show up again and again and then you just get used to it the
nerves go away and you start relaxing into your own abilities but it's practice. When you are
24.
struggling and you start thinking about giving up, I want you to remember something
that my husband and I have talked about since we 1st started this 25.journey nearly a decade
ago (.)something that has carried us through every moment in this White House and every
moment of our lives and that is the power of hope, the 26.belief that something better is
always possible if you’re willing to work for it and fight for it. It is our fundamental belief in
the power of hope that has allowed us to rise above the voices of doubt and division of anger
and fear that we have faced in our own lives and in the life of this country our hope that if we
work hard enough and 27.believe in ourselves (.)then we can be whatever we dream
regardless of the limitations that others may place on us, the hope that when people see us for
who we truly are (.)maybe(,) just maybe they too will be 28. i n s p i r e d to rise to their best
possible selves. Should it's the hope of mine folks like my dad got up every day... doing his
job at the city water plant with the hope that 1 day his kids will go to college and have
opportunities he never dreamed of. That's the kind of hope that every single one of us
politicians, parents, 29. teachers , all of us need to be providing for our young people
because that is what moves this country forward every single day. I hope for the future and the
hard work that hope inspires (.)I want our young people to know that they matter, that they
belong, so don't be afraid you hear me young people don't be afraid, be focused, be
determined, be hopeful, be 30. empower , empower yourselves with a good education
then get out there and use that education to build a country worthy of your boundless promise,

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 Michelle Obama’s
lead by example with hope never fear