Michelle Obama
If she had focused on a first impression, she would never have built one of the most important relationships in her life.
In 1989, Michelle worked in a law firm. For the summer, she was assigned an intern, Barack Obama, who was late for an appointment and not dressed appropriately. He didn't make a good impression on her.
Noticing what unites, not divides, gives a chance to make friends that can change our lives forever. Even when someone alienates, or it may seem that we have nothing in common, it can still turn out to be a valuable relationship.
In the book "What do we have in common" we show how to build bridges instead of walls and thus gain valuable relationships.
Frida Kahlo
If she hadn't found a way to express her emotions through painting, she would never have united so many women in accepting their nature.
Her painting reflected the mental and physical pain and loneliness she struggled with. She found a way to express herself in her art.
What is common should also be sought in art and culture, and not only in people. When we see our own emotions, attitudes, values in paintings, in plays, it is much easier for us to understand ourselves. It's easier to express what you feel in the future. Sometimes it is also a way to better understand art and culture.
In the book "What do we have in common" we show how to focus on what we have in common, which is inspiring and valuable for our own development.
Olga Tokarczuk
When receiving the Nobel Prize, she said "We really got a Nobel Prize", emphasizing what unites and what made her.
As she says herself, it is the success of the Polish language, culture, her teachers, parents, friends and readers.
It shows how what connects us, shapes us, develops us and makes us become ourselves.
In the book "What do we have in common" we show this power of seeing what we have in common, so that every child can become themselves!
Malala Yousafzai
It sounds unrealistic that Malala went to school very willingly, while being afraid when it would be forbidden. She did her homework with enthusiasm, feeling that the next day she might not be able to show it to anyone.
Although injustice affected her personally, she was not driven by a desire for revenge and did not despair over her fate. She saw a broader context, what she has in common with other children, especially girls, whose access to education was limited. She decided to be their voice. Speak on their behalf.
Seeing what unites us is a great force that brings change. A change in our heads, to think about others, and then often also a change on a political, cultural or social level.
In the book "What do we have in common“ we show how to strengthen this way of thinking from an early age. Do not waste energy on limitations and barriers and focus on what builds and develops a modern person.
Maria Skłodowska-Curie
She was able to see herself in the world of science, to see what connects her with it, even though as a woman she had no access to it.
The feeling that we have something that connects us, even with a distant life, career or position, gives strength and energy for development. It charges our batteries into action. It allows us to see ourselves in places we have never thought or even dreamed of before.
In the book "What do we have in common" we show how to focus on what is common, thanks to which it is tamed and possible to achieve.
Angela Merkel
When Barack Obama took office as president of the USA, she met Hillary Clinton to ask how to talk to him, what they have in common and where they could find common ground.
Her political strategy was to “put herself in the shoes” of the person with whom she had to cooperate politically. She was looking for what they had in common as a basis for negotiations and talks.
Looking for what unites, not divides, is a good political strategy and a great way to build interpersonal relationships in life; both deep friendships and fleeting acquaintances.
In the book "What do we have in common" we focus on cooperation, not competition.