"When they go low, we go high"

I recently stumbled across an old article from CNBC on how Michelle Obama faces and takes on challenges. Michelle Obama first uttered her now-famous catchphrase, "When they go low, we go high" while discussing how to "handle bullies" at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

Later during an interview, Obama told Oprah what "going high" really means to her-

"Going low is easy, which is why people go to it," Obama said. "It's easy to go low. It's easy to lead by fear. It's easy to be divisive. It's easy to make people feel afraid.”

"That's the easy thing and it's also the short-term thing," 

"For me, what I learned from my husband, what I learned from eight years in the White House, this life, this world, our responsibility in it is so much bigger than us. When I want to go low, it's all about my own ego. It's not about solving anything.... It's about seeking revenge on the thing that happened to you."

Obama adds that her purpose in life isn't revolved around taking care of her "own little ego," but instead to ensure that she is a positive role model for the next generation and is creating positive change.

"There is a bigger purpose for me out there. So when I respond to something, I have to think about that," she said.

If her words are not fixing a problem or at least moving the needle in the right direction, she knows that she's not going high enough.

"You're just being selfish," she said. "I believe that when you are a public figure, when you have any level of fame or if you have a platform, I believe and I always believe that I have a responsibility with that platform."

And "going high" doesn't mean you won't feel the hurt or have emotions when faced with a challenge, she told The New York Times in 2018. "It means that your response has to reflect the solution. It shouldn't come from a place of anger or vengefulness. Barack and I had to figure that out. Anger may feel good in the moment, but it's not going to move the ball forward," Obama said.

From the second I read Michelle Obama's "Becoming" it resonated with me to my soul. We both grew up poor and underprivileged, we both worked hard for our successes, and we both strived to lift those coming up behind and around us.

But this quote, this way of thought and thinking, became one of my many life mantras.

She is a true example of stoicism and leadership that I strive to be everyday. For myself, for my family and for my community.

To the woman who showed me the person I continually aspire to be.

Thank you.