Sonia from the Bronx. You are your experiences.

In nominating Judge Sotomayor to the highest court in the land, President Obama pointed out that Sonia Sotomayor’s life story was the embodiment of the American dream. She grew up poor in a Bronx housing project at a time when gangs were carving up the neighborhood, learned she had juvenile diabetes when she was 7 and lost her father a couple of years later. She would go on to Princeton, Yale Law School, the Manhattan district attorney’s office and ultimately the Supreme Court, where she became the nation’s first Hispanic justice. (New York Times, Michiko Kakutani, published January 21, 2013)

I finished reading (loved it) My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor this morning. This is a beautifully written, soul-searching, emotional and intimate look back at her life. The book doesn’t provide any new information on how she views issues that might come before the Supreme Court. Instead it reveals how Justice Sotomayor realized her childhood dream.

Lessons from Justice Sotomayor’s Life

I don’t know if your childhood dream is to be a lawyer and then a judge.  One thing I’m certain of is like Justice Sotomayor at your age and stage of life, you are on a journey of growth and understanding. Each day you take steps to move forward and with each step you grow stronger and up to a challenge greater than the last.  

• It takes will and dedication to overcome circumstances; many of which you are not responsible for or have control over.  
• Discipline, determination and perseverance stem from your life experience and how you choose to manage them.  As Justice Sotomayor said in an interview, “There’s courage in trying.” Employers look for job candidates who know how to manage and learn from adversity.
• Have people in your life who allow you to imagine the most improbable of possibilities.
• Care deeply about your family and people in your life but find your independence and rely on yourself.  
• Listening is second nature to me. Family and friends lean on me for advice. If it doesn’t come naturally to you, you need to practice being a keen observer and listener. You will learn how to figure things out for yourself.  
• Recognize what's holding you back. When you start a new project do you confidently jump right in or are you hesitant; questioning your capabilities. What behaviors kick in?
• Leave nothing to chance. Prepare for all aspects of your job search.
• The greatest thing you can do is to look for people who can help you. No one is self-made. Find mentors. Many mentors. Be a happy sponge. Soak up whatever lessons you can learn. From every situation, with every friend and person you meet, find something to learn. Oh – and mentors can open doors for you.
• Have principles, a moral core and values. But also, stay open-minded. There’s always more than one way to view the world.
• There’s no one path to success. Find your life’s passion so that you’re doing things people will notice.
• Your education never ends.

Mastering Life

The overwhelming sense I get from Sotomayor's life is that it has been a series of high windows, glimpses into worlds of which she knew nothing followed by a decision to jump through. So can you.