Opera Winfrey’s Nudge

On the good that came come from failure.
“It doesn’t matter how far you might rise. At some point, you are bound to stumble. If you’re constantly pushing yourself higher and higher, the law of averages predicts that you will at some point fall. And when you do, I want you to remember this: There is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction. Now, when you’re down there in the hole, it looks like failure. When that moment comes, it’s okay to feel bad for a little while. Give yourself time to mourn what you think you may have lost. But then, here’s the key: Learn from every mistake, because every experience, particularly your mistakes, are there to teach you and force you into being more who you are.”

On her own biggest personal failure.
“The Oprah Winfrey Show was number one in our spot for 21 years, and I have to tell you, I became pretty comfortable with that level of success. But a couple of years ago, I decided, as you will at some point, that it was time to recalculate, find new territory, and break new ground. So I ended the show and launched OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network. One year later, after launching OWN, nearly every media outlet had proclaimed that my new venture was a flop … I can still remember the day I opened up USA Today and read the headline, ‘Oprah: Not Quite Standing On Her OWN’ … It really was the worst period in my professional life. I was stressed and I was frustrated, and quite frankly, I was embarrassed … Then the words came to me, ‘trouble don’t last always,’ from an old hymn. This too shall pass. And I thought, I am going to turn this thing around and I will be better for it. And I am here to tell you that I have turned that network around.”

On the key to success and happiness.
“You will find true success and happiness if you have only one goal. There really is only one, and that is this: To fulfill the highest, most truthful expression of yourself as a human being. You want to max out your humanity by using your energy to lift yourself up, your family, and the people around you. Theologian Howard Thurman said it best. He said, ‘Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.’”

2012 Spelman Graduates
“Never forget that you did not do this by yourself, You come here today trailing the breath of the ancestors and of the angels. You must have some kind of vision for your life, even if you don’t have a plan. Do the right thing, even when other people think it may not be.”

Need To Come Alive
From time to time, you may stumble, fall, you will for sure have questions and doubts about your path but I know this, if you are willing to listen and to be guided by that still small voice that is the GPS within yourself to find out what makes you come alive, you will be more than okay. You will be happy, you will be successful, and you will make a difference in the world”

On Humanity
“I have to say the single most important lesson I learned in 25 years is there’s a common denominator in our experience. We want to be validated. We want to be understood.”“Lean in to use your voice, lean in to make change where it needs to be made, and lean in to invest your heart and your soul in ideas and people.”