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My Shot and Other Tips To Take From Hamilton
If you've been living under a rock, Disney+ released the movie version of Hamilton, the groundbreaking Broadway musical about Alexander Hamilton, set to a rap and R&B soundtrack. If you follow me on the socials, you'd know that I LOVE Disney, and musicals. I've even said several times here, that my children and I listen to Disney songs on Pandora in the mornings, and also perform them at Broadway level...at least we think so.
I'll be honest, since the day Hamilton was released on Disney+, which was on July 3rd, I've watched it at least 40+ times. That's just how much I love it, but I'd be crazy not to take notice of all consistent occurrence of things you can learn from this musical. Throughout the entire musical you'll hear and see sequences that resonate with everyone, whether you're waiting to take a leap of faith, afraid of losing what you've gained, or friendship. The small details of this production is what makes this an AMAZING musical. Lin Manuel-Miranda is a musical genius and the cast did a wonderful job of bringing these characters to life. Let's jump into the things you can learn from this musical.
Identity
"My name is Alexander Hamilton, and there's a million things I haven't done. Just you wait..."
The musical starts off with "How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore..." and it's something you'll hear throughout the entire musical from Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom Jr.). It poses the question, how is Alexander Hamilton able to accomplish everything that he set out to do? The answer is very simple. He always knew he was destined for greatness. He knew that if he worked hard, that work ethic would pay off in the long run.
Friendship
"Let's have a toast to the four of us..."
If there's anything that we can learn from the first act of Hamilton, it's the story of friendship and relying others, even in the their absence. The friendship between Hamilton and Laurens (Anthony Ramos) is one that really stood out to me. In my research of their friendship, I found that they were besties. They wrote and worked with each other often. They had the same beliefs and used each others status to achieve goals until Laurens was killed. Friendships should not be taken for granted and we should cherish our friends as long as we have them in this realm.
Death
"I imagine death so much, it feels more like a memory."
Throughout the entire production, you hear Hamilton speak about death because of the amount of death that has surrounded him in his lifetime. Because of that, he rushes through life and is kind of a loose cannon. My take away, learn to take things in the moment and enjoy life.
Time
"You could never back down...you never learned to take your time."
So many times, we get caught up in the events of other people's lives. We see those around us moving forward and often, we feel stuck, trapped, stagnant. Keep going! Don't let that hold you back babes because you got this. "Take your time my love...," as Hamilton says in his final number of the musical. What's made for you will be "waiting on the other side," of anxiety and doubt. And trust me, as an individual that's going through this EXACT feeling at the moment, I know it's easier said than done, but I promise, taking your time to get exactly where you need to be will be worth the wait.
Determination
"I'm not throwing away my shot!"
Perhaps, one of the biggest messages from the musical, seizing your opportunity can be the greatest things you do in your life, whether that be your personal life, career life, or love life. All throughout the production, you see Hamilton taking his shot, and seizing his opportunity, which we know, helps to propel his career all the way to Treasury Secretary. What will you do to propel yourself? How will you seize your shot?
Satisfaction
"May you always be satisfied."
We've all been there. Working on a project at work/school (or passion projects) and we have the job done, but it's not good enough, or we know that we can do a better job so we start from scratch. I'm like that about a lot of my blog posts. That's why it's taken me 3 WHOLE weeks to write this post. I'm never satisfied with my work. Learning how to take credit for the job that we accomplish should be something we're used to in life, but we're conditioned to belittle ourselves, for whatever reason. Learn to love you and give yourself a little grace.
Legacy
"History has it's eyes on you"
In the musical, George Washington (Christopher Jackson) teaches Hamilton the importance of having a legacy. In the song "History Has It's Eyes On You," Washington speaks on wishing he had more knowledge of how to lead his men when he was given a command. He tells Hamilton to always be mindful of what he does because history will be watching. I mean, I'm paraphrasing, but you get the picture. For me, I take this one to heart because instead of history watching me, I have children that are watching my every move. They will remember every mistake I've made, but also every success. Make sure that when you move, the right actions and intentions are taken.
Who will tell your story? When all is said and done and we've completed all God (or whatever you believe) has sent us to Earth to do, who will tell your story? Will your story be one of triumph and success, or will it be one of shoulda, woulda, coulda's? Make sure that everyday you wake up that you go out and do something that will make you proud. Be sure you're able to create something that will outlive you for generations to come. How will your name be remembered.
If you've made it this far, thank you for reading. This was longer than my usual posts. If you loved Hamilton as much as I did, you understand why I had to write this post. Let me know below if you've seen it. Also, what are your favorite songs and characters? Spam the comments and let me know.
