If you have been on Facebook recently (or watched the Grammys, or really used the internet at all), then you have heard of the musical phenomena that is sweeping our nation: "Hamilton" the Musical. And I'm a little bit in love with it.
But it's more than just an amazing beat and some incredible lyrics.
Here are ten things we can learn from "Hamilton" the musical.
1. Work Hard
"He got a lot farther by working a lot harder,
by being a lot smarter,
by being a self-starter,
by fourteen, they placed him in charge of a trading charter."
("Alexander Hamilton")
Born out of wedlock, raised in poverty in St. Croix, abandoned by his father, and orphaned by his mother as a child, Hamilton transplanted himself as an adolescent to a New York City filled with revolutionary fervor. An eloquent and prolific writer, he was the author of two-thirds of the Federalist Papers; after serving as George Washington’s right-hand man during the Revolutionary War, he became America’s first Treasury Secretary.
Not once do you hear Alexander Hamilton (via Lin-Manuel) complain about his position or where he came from. Instead, he decides to do something about it and go after his dreams. Be like Hamilton.
2. Stand up for what you believe in
"If you stand for nothing, Burr, what'll you fall for?"
("My Shot")
Though Aaron Burr tells him to "talk less, smile more," Hamilton only made it as far as he did by not being swayed by others thoughts and sticking to what he believed in. The Bible also has some wisdom to drop on this subject: "If you do not stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all." Isaiah 7:9
3. Surround yourself with people who support you.
Enter Laurens, Lafayette, and Mulligan. AKA #SquadGoals. Thicker than thieves and the closest thing to family any of them have ever known up to this point, Hamilton surrounds himself with people who support him, love him, and would even die for him. They are the ultimate ride or dies.
4. Be a part of something bigger than yourself.
Raise a glass to freedom,
Something they can never take away,
No matter what they tell you.
Raise a glass to the four of us.
Tomorrow there'll be more of us.
Telling the story of tonight.
("The Story of Tonight")
Find something worth fighting for and go after it.
5. Ladies: look for a mind at work.
Of course you want to be attracted to him - does he make your heart go "boom?" But hands down the number one feature you should be looking for in a man is his mind: can you hold a conversation? Is he intelligent? Is he doing something with his life? Does he hold the same values as you?
Eliza falls in love with Hamilton after reading his letters, not because she feels attracted to him in the moonlight or because he's some big shot (because at that point he wasn't). He's got her completely "helpless."
I'm dying inside, as you wine and dine and I'm tryin' not to cry,
'cause there's nothing that your mind can't do.
You turn back to me, smiling, and I'm helpless!
("Helpless")
6. Men: do everything in your power to make your woman feel "Helpless."
"As long as I'm alive, Eliza, swear to God, you'll never feel so helpless."
("Helpless")
And before anyone gets offended, I do not mean helpless in a way that a woman can not do anything unless her man is there. I mean helplessly in love.
It's the little things you do that will keep a marriage/relationship going: sending flowers to work, writing a note and leaving it on her car, bringing her her favorite snacks when you know she has a long day, listening to her when she doesn't know what to say, and loving her through it all.
7. Whatever you do, do it like you're running out of time.
Because, if you think about it, we are. We only have a finite amount of time, so we need to make the best of it!
8. Yet, enjoy life. Do not Let it pass you by.
Look around, look around
at how lucky we are
to be alive right now.
Look at where you are.
Look at where you started.
The fact that you're alive is a miracle.
Just stay alive, that would be enough.
("That Would Be Enough")
But don't be so caught up in working that you forget to live. Realize that every moment is precious, and no matter what, God has a plan for your life that is more than enough than anything you could ever hope or dream!
9. Don't judge a book by its cover.
Yes, I know we've heard this a thousand times. But when you realize the story behind the man who shot Alexander Hamilton, you'll realize that he, too, was a man, not wanting to make an orphan out of his daughter. Not everything is as it seems.
"History obliterates.
In every picture it paints,
it paints me with all my mistakes.
When Alexander aimed at the sky,
he may have been the first one to die,
but I'm the one who paid for it.
I survived, but I paid for it.
Now I'm the villain in your history.
I was too young and blind to see...
I should have known.
I should have known
the world was wide enough for both Hamilton and me.
("The World Was Wide Enough")
Side note: I have cried almost every time listening to this song.
10. Do not throw away your shot.
And last but not least, what seems to be the anthem of "Hamilton:" do not throw away your shot! If you have a chance to change the world - do it. If you want to audition for that musical so that you can fulfill a lifelong dream, go for it! If you want to try a sport other than what you've always known, try out!
With these life lessons, a hip-hop tune that will get stuck in your head for days, and a completely multi-racial cast (which is an amazing topic for another day), it's no wonder that Hamilton revolutionizing the broadway world.
