“On May 24, Michelle Yeoh, Academy-award winning actress, advocate, and United Nations Development Programme Goodwill ambassador, offered the Harvard Law School (HLS) Class of 2023 some advice during the Class Day celebration on Wednesday as they were poised to dive into ‘a presumably bright but unpredictable future.’ ”
[Here is a lose interpretation and at times outright lifting of her very meaningful speech.]
You may also read her full speech in Harvard Law Today. Campus & Community News. ‘Stay loose, be smart, and go with love… and then leap. And then leap again. And then leap again’. By Emily Newburger. May 24, 2023. Ref: https://hls.harvard.edu/today/michelle-yeoh-addresses-the-harvard-law-school-class-of-2023/
Michelle shared 3 key steps to thrive, for students diving into an uncertain world:
Step 1: Stay Lose
There are times in life when you are faced with difficult choices, it may feel in those periods that you are falling. Falling behind your friends in terms of achievements, falling behind in terms of meeting your parents’ expectations.
When you are falling, tensing up to brace for impact is normal, but in truth, it is the last thing you should do.
Instead stay calm, let your mind be still, be curious of the shifting world around you. Look for new options, as you figure out how to land on your feet, so that you can rise again.
Learning how to fall, teaches you how to land, and learning how to land gives you the courage to jump even higher.
Image credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/man-fall-action-falling-1838330/
Step 2: Know Your Limits
More than knowing what you can do, understanding what you can’t do is important too.
This works on two levels, internally and externally.
Internally, knowing your limits keep you humble, motivated, and focused on a goal to point your finger towards.
Externally, knowing the limits that are set for you by others, give you a place to point a different finger (the middle finger).
Self awareness through internal reflection gives you understanding of the boundaries set by yourself.
When you begin understanding that you are more capable than the limitations set by others, you will realise that you can give yourself the permission, to burst through those limits.
Final Fantasy VII. Tifa’s Limit Break. Screenshot credit: https://www.reddit.com/r/FinalFantasyVII/comments/ia3tqm/heres_tifa_using_nothing_but_limit_breaks_to_beat/
Step 3: Find Your People
The world is not always a zero sum game. For every winner, there doesn’t have to be a loser.
In fact, most success stories are less about competition and more about collaboration.
The truth is, there are some barriers and boundaries in the world you will not be able to break through on your own.
Great achievements are the results of those around the individual, who offered and continue to offer support and believe in him/her.
When you find your people, you will be able to tap into a new source of power, of energy, because as much as you do not want to let yourself down, you will not want to let them down as well.
This fundamental shift in your life journey, will allow you to transcend your boundaries, the limitations set onto you by the world, as you walk the paths of your design.
Image credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/people-friends-together-happy-kid-4050698/