REFLECTION ON OBAMA’S BACK TO SCHOOL SPEECH

I just finished reading Obama's back to school speech. Speaking candidly, I was totally blown away because these words if actually taken to heart will make us look critically inward into our attitude of doing things, personally and society wise.

Here are some excerpts from his speech which I know will definitely be a good push in the right direction especially a unique day as today (09/09/09).9th of September, 2009

“my mother didn't have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday - at 4:30 in the morning.”

“Every single one of you has something you're good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is.”

“And no matter what you want to do with your life - I guarantee that you'll need an education to do it.”

“We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems.”

“Maybe you don't have adults in your life who give you the support that you need...”
“Where you are right now doesn't have to determine where you'll end up. No one's written your destiny for you...”

“... I'm calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education - and to do everything you can to meet them.”

“… Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. ...”

“… I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you're not going to be any of those things. But the truth is, being successful is hard.”

“Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures…”

“…These people succeeded because they understand that you can't let your failures define you - you have to let them teach you.”

“These people succeeded because they understand that you can't let your failures define you - you have to let them teach you.”

“…Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength.”

“…The story of America isn't about people who quit when things got tough. It's about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.”

“So today, I want to ask you, what's your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?”