Powerful Life Lessons from Oprah Winfrey

The women I admire the most is Oprah Winfrey. Her story is incredible and completely inspiring in every way. Whenever I feel a bit lost regarding my business, or just emotionally down, I YouTube one of her interviews. Hearing people tell their stories of triumphing through hardship helps lift my spirits and reconnect to who I am and what I need to do next. Here are my favorite quotes and mantras I have gathered from studying Oprah through the years.

“You have to know what sparks the light in you so that you, in your own way, can illuminate the world” – Oprah Winfrey.

I thought about this a lot when I was contemplating leaving my secure job to embark on my entrepreneurial journey. I spent several years completely emerged in my retail career, I learned every aspect of the industry from A to Z. After six years I knew I learned enough to move on and pursue my dream which has always been to start my own business. I wrestled with this for several months, after all why leave a good job? But in the end I knew inside what I really needed to do for myself and I went for it.

“Start with knowing what you don’t want to do”

This mantra helped me not only in deciding to leave my career path, but also in figuring out what business to open. I knew I wanted to work for myself, so why keep trying to climb the career ladder? I knew then I had to push myself to be an entrepreneur. Regarding what business to open I knew that after years of managing physical retail locations and dealing with hundreds of employees, I needed a break. Knowing that I did not want to initially start my business as a brick and mortar helped me establish the layout for an online shop instead.

“Take care of yourself, keep yourself focused and centered”

Why is this so hard to do at times? I think we all learn this lesson the hard way sometime in our lives. I tend to work non stop, and several times this has caused stress related illnesses that naturally led to even more stress. Now I know I need to take the time to do things that are important to me. I like a clean organized home, it helps me stay sane during stressful weeks, so every so often I take a day to meticulously clean and organize my apartment. When the cleaning is done, I feel great about my space and much more relaxed. Taking care of yourself can come in so many different ways, it’s all about knowing what works for you, it may be taking a yoga class, getting a relaxing massage, or just taking the time to enjoy a good book.

“There are no mistakes, the losses are there to wake you up”

It can be hard to stay motivated when you are going through a rough patch at work or in your personal life. But when you look back on your life, you can clearly see how some wrong turns led you the right way. In an interview Oprah did at Stanford University, she suggested that when you feel overwhelmed, focus only on what is the next move. When you do that, you ensure your next step is in the right direction. Try not to be overwhelmed, and to know that your life is bigger than any one bad moment.