Going High with Michelle Obama

Together with 3,500 people, I spent an evening with Michelle Obama.

Admittedly I first thought of going to support Corinna. I think it was amazing she was selected to host the event and she did a fantastic job. Michelle Obama came across as really at ease and is certainly a very experienced speaker. I think the 3,500 people felt like they were just having a cozy conversation with a girlfriend albeit in a very big and cold room. She spoke on many topics and I really like what she shared about how people should consciously live their life and parent their child.

Don’t box-check through life
It is esp relevant in Singapore where there’s such a strong expectation to chalk up a checklist of achievements to reflect what success should look like and people who want a different path can face a lot of pressure to conform

Give children a voice at the table
If we want our children to grow up to be confident adults with their own voice and find their seat at the table, we need to cultivate that by allowing them a voice at the family table. It is the first table they will encounter in life and it will shape how they go on to interact with the world.

Be empathetic, kind and a decent human being, the message of always going high because that is a better place to be. It says something about the times we live in that a simple message to choose to be decent would be remarkable.

Kindness is a choice and too many people, whether they are in positions of power or feeling powerful behind the protective cloak of a computer screen, forget that.