Unless you live under a rock, you have heard about the musical" Hamilton" which follows the life of Secretary of State Alexander Hamilton. Born dirt poor, Hamilton wrote his way out of poverty and into the world of politics. He charmed his way into the Schuyler family and managed to become President George Washington's right-hand man. The play, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, is not only full of great music but life lessons as well. Here are some things that I learned from "Hamilton":

1. Don't throw away your shot.

Throughout the entire play, Hamilton repeatedly talks about his shot and how he will not just simply throw it away. He continuously doesn't give up no matter what life throws his way. His father abandons him and his mother dies, his cousin commits suicide, and a hurricane hits his town, but he turned all of his sufferings into writing and manages to get enough money to travel to America. Then he continues to rise up by writing for Washington and improving his education. He never gives up on himself and his ability to improve his own life.

2. Women can do as much as men.

Basically just listen to "The Schuyler Sisters" if you're ever in need of some women empowerment. Angelica and Eliza (...as well as Peggy but everyone forgets to mention her) work hard to support the men in their lives and to do as much for history as they can. They continue to tell Hamilton's story after he is gone but they also open an orphanage, raise the children, and work to improve the ideologies of the time period.

3. Don't let your pride be the death of you.

Philip and Hamilton both die in duels because they let their pride get the best of them. Like Burr said, "Hamiton's pride was the death of them all". He could not stop worrying about what others would think of him, hence he exposed his own affair. Philip could not let the words of Mr. George Eacker go unacknowledged because his pride could not take that hit. He had to challenge Eacker to a duel which resulted in his death. Similarly, Hamilton had a duel with Burr even though he had so much more to live for. Pride can be a detrimental thing, don't like it be your downfall.

4. Don't be rash.

Everyone makes impulse decisions every once in awhile, but these rash choices can have horrible results. Burr lets his anger get the best of him and he ends up killing Hamilton, a man who was once his friend. This teaches us that we need to pause and take some deep breaths before we make our decisions.

5. Speak your mind but also talk less and smile more.

As Hamilton would say: "if you stand for nothing what will you fall for?". Remember to stand up for what you believe but also don't forget to sometimes shut your mouth and listen to others. Sometimes you need to talk less and let others take the lead.