Lessons From Oprah

Feb 28, 2018

I just finished listening to the podcast documentary from Chicago Public Radio called Making Oprah.

Besides being a fascinating audio study of the 25-year history of the Oprah Winfrey show, documenting its development from cheating husbands to a wagon of fat to Live Your Best Life TV, it presents the natural evolution of Oprah herself. I highly recommend the 3-part series.

Three ideas stuck with me in particular.

#1 Focus

With Oprah’s success came competition—the likes of Sally Jesse Raphael and Geraldo. When asked how she handled the onslaught of daytime talk shows, she said she did the unconventional and “stayed in her own lane”. She did not get involved in what others were doing she just “ran her own race”.

Brilliant.

In this day and age it’s particularly challenging to focus on your own path. With social media showing us beautifully curated pictures of perfect family vacations and gorgeous home-cooked meals, we can get dejected by the reality of our own seemingly ordinary lives. It’s sometimes hard to remember that we are comparing our worst days to someone’s best.

Focusing on your own goals and working towards getting yourself closer each day will get you to your finish line faster and happier.

#2 Intention

Oprah said her life was changed once she read Gary Zukav’s book, Seat of the Soul. In it he describes the difference having an intention makes to the outcome of any effort. He posits that the positive energy going into an activity, through an intention, will be felt by the receiver of that effort.

Game-changer.

From then on, Oprah had to figure out the intention behind each show idea before she would consider creating it.

Conscious eating, by definition, has intention. Planning and noting your food each day results in intentional eating and the inevitable realization of your goals.

#3 Joy

In the latter years of the Oprah Show, our host opted for bringing Joy. Thus the “you get a car” episode, Favorite Things episodes, and the Wildest Dreams series.

We can get caught up in the To-Dos of life.

Joy can seem like a luxury.

It isn’t.

Joy reminds us of our inner light. The place that knows everything will be OK. The place that knows who we really are and what we think is fun.

Many of us forgot what brings us joy.

It’s time to remember.

Focus, intention and joy. The recipe for a successful career . . .

. . . and life.

Lessons From Oprah

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