On Saturday, May 11th, the former First Lady Michelle Obama and her book tour, “Becoming” came to Atlanta. It was definitely an amazing day from noon til almost midnight and one for many people to cherish. No matter your age, race, size, or background, there’s some inspiration we can all use to fuel becoming your best you. Or as Michelle so eloquently stated, “Who are you Becoming?”
“Becoming” as a definition is a process of coming to be something or of passing into a state. It can be flattering, stylish, elegant, and tasteful among many other things. I had the honor to witness Michelle Obama’s sincere search to find the answer to her question both in a very private setting and then in a sold-out arena.
She spent several hours in the afternoon meeting with 20 local students at Spelman College to discuss her latest book\memoir. Becoming was one of the primary texts in the honors political science course at Spelman, Clark Atlanta, and Morehouse. The students had the opportunity to ask her questions, share their struggles, and their achievements.
Michelle shares, “Now it’s not about what other people are saying about you. The biggest challenge to overcoming imposter syndrome is you and your head, and what you repeat to yourself. If you practice being an imposter and telling yourself you are not worthy, it is not anyone else doing it but you doing it to yourself. So we have to start practicing other messages, ingrain other kinds of images of what we can be in our own head. There will always be somebody. This is true regardless of race, class, or gender. There are haters out there in the world and there are people who want to win. So if every time you lose and give up it’s a win for them. There is always gonna be somebody telling you that you don’t belong or you can’t do this, so you have to practice a different set of tools for yourself.”
The location for the sold out Becoming: An Intimate Evening with Michelle Obama was the all-new State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta. This stellar night was moderated by her good friend, Gayle King, from The CBS This Morning show. The two sat down to talk and share excerpts from the book. Topics ranged from her life as a child to life as the First Lady and the impact on the family as a whole. They discussed the challenges, obstacles, rejections, sacrifices, successes, and hate; along with the importance of finding balance with self-motivation. Throughout the night, there were several comical moments as the two discussed her first date with Former President Barack Obama, to their marriage counseling sessions, and the public wanting her to run for office in the future.
By the end of the night, Mrs. Obama stated, “What I have found with trusting in people, letting go and letting people in, opened people up to you and to me. This is what we have to do as people when we do not define ourselves to each other and do not share our stories with each other. Somebody can tell the wrong story to our neighbor about us. We owe it to our young people in the world to be better, to be decent, to love each other, to be compassionate, and we have a charge here now to believe in the validity of who we really are and share it with each other. Believe in each other.”
The final stop on the Becoming tour is Sunday, May 12 in Nashville, TN.
-Desmond McLennon