Life Lessons 101
Life Lessons 101 (2:01)
“Don’t allow anyone to pull you down. You know, once you make a goal or a plan for your life, you gonna have some bumps in the road. And difficulties. Well, just that determination that I can do this and you can do it. And never let anybody tell you that you can’t because it’s not so.”
Role models in order of appearance: Vickie Newton, Jackie Broadway-Duren, Mara Schiavocampo, Redia Anderson, Majora Carter, and Regina Taylor.
1) The role models in this video shared lots of their experience and provided guidance that can apply to many situations. What life lessons did the role models share? Which lesson felt the most important or relevant to you? Why?
2) A role model explained that “most people spend their whole lives hating parts of themselves…if you can love yourself completely, you are so far ahead of the game. And then you can really do anything.” What is something you like about yourself? How might loving yourself help you accomplish your goals?
3) Everyone is constantly learning and growing as they make their way through life.
What lessons have you learned from your life? How did you learn each of these lessons?
4) One role model told us that, “Inside of you is a reserve of strength…go to that place when it is tough.” Have you discovered your inner reserve of strength? Have you had to use it to power you through tough situations? How might someone tap into their reserve of strength?
5) Listeners learned that there are three things that are very important in life and in the career world: Relationships, reputation, and results. Why do you think each of these ‘R’s are so important? Are some or all of these ‘R’s important in your life right now? Which ones and why?
6) The last role model left us with a powerful thought. She shared that when you encounter obstacles, you just have to keep “knocking on doors” and “if you can’t find the right door, you can make your own door.” What do you think this role model was trying to tell us? What might it mean to “make your own door”?
Inside of you is a reserve of strength that you may not even be aware that you have. Know that it is there, and go to that place when it is tough. And that will allow you to stay the course, know where to go when your strength is failing.
Don’t allow anyone to pull you down. You know, once you make a goal or a plan for your life, you gonna have some bumps in the road. And difficulties. Well, just that determination that I can do this and you can do it. And never let anybody tell you that you can’t because it’s not so.
Most people spend their whole lives hating parts of themselves. And if you can love yourself completely, you’re so far ahead of the game, and then you really can do anything because it frees you from fear, it frees you from doubt, it frees you from so many things. So knowing yourself is key, and that takes a while.
I call it the three R’s, and it’s not reading, writing, and arithmetic. As you go forward in your careers, there are three things that are gonna be more important to you than anything else. And I wish somebody had told me in the beginning. It’s relationships; it’s your reputation and its results.
And also know that there’s gonna be folks who don’t really want you to exercise your own power. And you have to be comfortable and confident enough to know that you have it and that you’re using it to make things better around you.
Even as I encounter obstacles, you know that you can always find another way. You keep knocking on the doors, and in not being able to find the right door, you can make your own doors. To know that is really wonderful.
Independent Learning Guide: This all-purpose guide can also be used by educators, parents, and mentors to jumpstart a valuable discussion about important life lessons and bits of wise advice.
Life isn’t simple! But a great “life hack” is to learn from the experience of others. The role models in this video share their most important life advice, and it can be applied to almost any situation! Learn how to draw on your inner strength, love yourself, and create your own opportunities in this powerful video.
Classroom Lesson Plan: This step-by-step lesson plan is available to guide a more in-depth “before, during, and after” learning experience when viewing the video with students. This lesson plan is also suitable for use in after-school programs and other educational settings.
Use Empowerment Activities as a fun way to reinforce the video topic and build community with your students.
Related Empowerment Activities:
Fun Page Activity: What life lessons have you learned? From wise advice about navigating your school or tips for learning to love your community, share all the life lessons that you have learned in this thought-provoking fun page activity.