Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton or Hillary Clinton as she is so famously called was born on Oct. 26, 1947, in Chicago, US, and was the first American first lady that won a public seat, not to mention an advocate for gender equality and healthcare reform as well as a lawyer, writer, and public speaker.
Her many achievements have accrued her a lot of wealth, as is evident in her net worth estimated at $45 million as of October 2015.
So how did Hillary Clinton become so successful and what can young people learn from her?
In this blog post, we’ll share with you; 5 essential lessons young people should learn from Hillary Clinton.
Lesson 1
Learn to be responsible
As a young girl, when Hillary attended Maine East High School, she joined the student council and the school newspaper and even took part in the school elections in her junior year, where she was elected as the class vice president.
Hillary enrolled at Wellesley College in 1965 at 18, where she majored in political science. Now, during her freshman year, she served as president of the Wellesley Young Republicans and as the leader of the group with its orientation towards Rockefeller; she supported the elections of John Lindsay, a fellow Republican to Mayor of New York City, and General Edward Brooke, a Massachusetts Attorney to a position in the United States Senate.
The Lesson for young people
It is essential for you to strive to take on responsibilities because that’s when your prospects and potential are shown to others, such as investors and colleagues, that you are capable and reliable to warrant their investment in your vision.
Lesson 2
Actions speak louder than words
During her junior year at Wellesley College, Hillary supported the Democrat, Eugene McCarthy’s antiwar presidential nomination campaign. From 1968 to 1969, she served as the president of the college’s government association where she organized a two-day student strike during the aftermath of Martin Luther King’s assassination and even went as far as working with black students to enroll more black students in the college.
Also, Hillary maintained peace by actively preventing the college from participating in the student disruptions that became rampant among other colleges at the time. It was during this time that her fellow schoolmates commented she had the potential to become the first female American president in the future.
The Lesson for young people
Pablo Picasso, the famous artist, once said, “Action is the foundational key to all success.”
If you take a look at successful people and ponder the reason for their success, know that it is because they took action.
Instead of sitting down talking and thinking about what you could achieve, do something about it. While admittedly, taking that first step is the most challenging part, once you get started, little by little, the actions you take will begin to gain speed, and before you realize it, you’ve achieved your goals. Awesome right?
Lesson 3
Work hard
After her marriage to Bill Clinton, who later became the president of the United States of America, Hillary took on many innovative tasks as the first lady.
In the late 1980s, Hillary achieved outstanding success when she led the effort for education reform in Arkansas, so in January 1993, hoping she could recreate that achievement, she was picked to lead a task force on National Healthcare Reform.
As the first lady, Hillary was the host for various White House conferences, including one on Early Childhood Development and Learning in 1997.
In 1999, she played an essential role in the Foster Care Independence Act that was passed, which increased the funds available for teenagers that aged out of foster care as well as hosted the first-ever White House Conference on Philanthropy.
Hillary traveled to 79 countries during this time, breaking the mark for the most-traveled first lady.
The Lesson for young people
Hillary was one to seek higher positions where she could make real change. She kept on working hard and never lost sight of her goals.
G.K Nelson once said, “Successful people are not gifted, they just work hard and succeed on purpose.”
Did you know that working hard gives you a sense of purpose that helps you overcome laziness, doubts, insecurities, and even bad habits? Give it a shot.
Lesson 4
Be steadfast in the face of controversy
In March 2015, the inspector general for the state department declared that when Hillary conducted formal business as secretary of state, she had used her discretion to use personal email accounts on a privately maintained server instead of email accounts managed by the federal government servers.
She was then bombarded by officials, members of Congress, and even political opponents that her use of a private server violated federal laws, procedures, and protocols.
Despite this barrage, Hilary stood her ground and said that she did not send or receive any email from her personal server that was confidential; she was not fazed and continued with her work diligently.
In her Democratic debate with Bernie Sanders on February 4, 2016, she said again, “I never sent or received any classified material. They are retroactively classifying it.” And on July 2, 2016, Hillary again reiterated, “Let me repeat what I have repeated for many months now, I never received nor sent any material that was marked classified.”
Upon the conclusion of the FBI investigation carried out concerning the controversy, she was vindicated when the FBI director James Corney gave his statement saying that Hillary was not technologically savvy enough to have committed the acts that they accused her of.
The Lesson for young people
There is always going to be controversy, opposition, and people that will try to bring you down, soil your name, and destroy your excellent work in your quest for success.
But despite these things, it is vital that you stay focused and steadfast in your vision and what you believe in and not be distracted or frustrated because it is all part of the process of success.
Lesson 5
Failing is not the end
In 2008, Hillary ran for the presidency and won more delegates than any previous female candidates, but she lost to Barack Obama.
In the 2016 General elections in America, Hillary was well on her way to winning the elections and becoming the first female American president, as had been her dream, but unfortunately, when the results came in, her opponent, Donald Trump, won.
The next day, Hillary gave a speech in which she congratulated Trump and offered to work with him on behalf of the country. As she concluded the speech, she said, “You know, scripture tells us, let us not grow weary of doing good, for in good season we shall reap. My friends, let us have faith in each other, let us not grow weary and lose heart, for there are more seasons to come and there is more work to do.”
The Lesson for young people
Failure has always been the seed that grows into success. It is common for young people to focus so much on not failing that they settle for mediocrity. When you fail, don’t gloss over it or selectively edit out the miscalculations or mistakes made, instead embrace it as a necessary step to success.
If you want to be successful in life:
Don’t shy away from a leadership role.
Take action today and get moving towards your goal.
Know that success is the reward for hard work.
Be firm and steady in the face of opposition.
Do not give up if you flunk.
Thank you.