Have you ever looked back on your childhood and thought about those special moments when an adult made a minor comment that drastically affected the way you looked at life?

I can think of several that had lasting, positive impacts on my views of the world and myself in it. Most were made by adults who were just making conversation at the time or who had said only a few words to me. They probably had no idea what they were saying would have such importance in my life. And they probably have no recollection of the conversation at all. That’s the great (and sometimes not so great) thing about human nature. The world and people around us impact our view of ourselves, our abilities, our dreams. One small comment might inspire a child to try harder in school, which in turn might send them on a completely different path, one that leads to more reading, more education, a better job, a brighter future.

So I applaud President Obama for these words …

“Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.

I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.

So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams.”

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Back to School Event
Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009

What better way to inspire kids who may not see much of a future for themselves than to become President of the US and remind kids just where you came from so they can see that it is possible to achieve great things in life!

Anyone else like this part of the speech? Comment or send me an email. I’d love to hear from you.