Oprah Winfrey the most loved and influential talk show host, author, philanthropist, actress, publisher, producer and media personality. Winfrey has played a key role in shaping global cultural trends and promoting various liberal causes. Through her talk shows and books, she has focused on many important issues facing us all, we have learnt so much from her over the years and there’re so much more we can learn from Oprah Winfrey.
Oprah Winfrey’s Three Steps for Success
In her speech at Spelman College in Atlanta, the ultra-successful Oprah Winfrey who presides over her own television network, among other things, spoke about the importance of knowing yourself and what your contribution will be. She mentioned having grappled with her own identity as a talk show host, business woman and entrepreneur, only to realize that she was more than her occupation.
The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude. – Oprah Winfrey
Though Winfrey offers a rare kind of success story, what drives her can surely inspire many would-be entrepreneurs out there. Here are Winfrey’s three tips for how to succeed in life – and in business:
Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it. – Oprah Winfrey
1. Knowing who you are. Being able to answer this question who am I and what do I want? I don’t want to just be successful. I don’t want to just make a mark or have a legacy. The answer to those questions is I want to fulfill the highest and truest sense of myself as a human being. You must have some kind of vision for your life. Even if you don’t have a plan, you have to have a direction of where you want to go. Is there a plan, or are you just driving? You want to be in the driver’s seat of your own life, or life will just drive you.
What I know is that if you do work that you love, and the work fulfills you, the rest will come. – Oprah Winfrey
2. You must find a way to serve. Martin Luther King said that not everybody can be famous but everybody can be great because greatness comes from serving. The real truth is that it takes service and significance. If you look at all the most successful people in the world – whether they know it or not they have this paradigm of service. I made a decision that I was no longer just going to be on TV. But instead, I’d be a platform for good. Using television as a service, changed my career exponentially. You can follow suite, by using whatever it is you produce as a way of giving back to the world. When you shift the paradigm to service and you bring significance to that, success will follow you.
What material success does is provide you with the ability to concentrate on other things that really matter. And that is being able to make a difference, not only in your own life, but in other people’s lives. – Oprah Winfrey
3. Always do the right thing. Always be excellent. People notice. You go to Taco Bell and someone gives you extra napkins and sauce. That’s right, even at Taco Bell, excellence is noticed. Everyone talks about building a brand; I didn’t even know what that was. What I recognize now is that my choice to do the right thing, the excellent thing, is what created the brand. When you are excellent, you become unforgettable. We want to be unforgettable and not forgettable. That’s achieved by doing the right thing, even when nobody knows you’re doing it.
I had no idea that being your authentic self could make me as rich as I’ve become. If I had, I’d have done it a lot earlier. – Oprah Winfrey
Oprah’s Success Factors
“What I know for sure is that if you want to have success, you can’t make success your goal,” says Oprah Winfrey. “The key is not to worry about being successful, but to instead work toward being significant – and the success will naturally follow.”
Oprah’s success has not come easily, but rather as the result of a number of crucial factors:
A Goal-Oriented Focus
“You become what you believe,” says Oprah. “You are where you are today in your life based on everything you have believed.” Oprah’s unwavering belief in her abilities is what drove her to focus all of her life’s energy on reaching her objectives. Focused on a career in broadcasting, Oprah ignored all other diversions until she had achieved her goals.
Oprah Winfrey Article
Once a successful talk show host, she continued to diversify in areas within broadcasting. Oprah’s single-minded focus allowed her to concentrate all of her time and energy into achieving the life of her dreams.
The Ability to Overcome Diversity
Having experienced much abuse and adversity as a young child, Oprah developed the survival instinct at an early age. She learned the lesson that if you wanted to not only stay alive but also make something of yourself you had to fight. This would well prepare her for the obstacles she would later face in the worlds of broadcasting and business.
The Ability to Recognize and Seize the Opportunity
“I don’t believe in coincidences,” says Oprah. From hosting a talk show, to acting, to utilizing the Internet to bring her company online, Oprah has listened to her inner voice and grabbed every opportunity she believed was necessary to achieve her goals. She was not afraid to venture into the unknown or reinvent herself through various media. Her success also lies in the opportunities she has turned down, such as thousands of dollars worth of brand endorsements, which might have put her company in jeopardy. Listening to her gut instinct has allowed Oprah to take advantage of numerous opportunities, which otherwise might have gone unnoticed.
A Sense of Responsibility to Others
Early on in her career, Oprah asked, “How can I be of service? How can I use television as a service?” Oprah has since demonstrated that social consciousness can make good business sense. Her dedication to the causes in which she believes and the passion with which she appeals to her audience for support has set her apart from other television personalities. Her desire to give back not only to her own community, but also to communities around the world, has endeared Oprah in the eyes of the public.
The Courage to Follow her Passion
“I was called to talk, to use my voice in some way,” says Oprah. From the very moment that Oprah discovered her natural flair and passion for broadcasting, she directed all her energy toward feeding that passion. It was her passion for what she was doing that drew people in and made her so appealing to audiences worldwide. Oprah’s passion conveys authenticity, which allows people to get an inside glimpse into her true self and garners a sense of trust between her and her audience. Equipped with this love of communicating with people and a staunch belief in her true calling, Oprah was propelled to new heights.
“I don’t think of myself as a businesswoman,” she says, but Oprah’s success proves otherwise. While these factors for success may not be unique to Oprah, their combination and the manner in which they were embraced enabled her to reach to new heights.
Making a Difference
With a focus on philanthropy, volunteerism, and making a difference in the world, Oprah Winfrey demonstrates how much change one individual can affect. Channeling a significant portion of her income into charitable initiatives, Ms. Winfrey sets an example many can follow.
Below, we have featured some wonderful inspirational quotes from Oprah Winfrey. We hope you enjoy her insights.
On life…
The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams. – Oprah Winfrey
On finding your calling…
I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint – and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you. – Oprah Winfrey
On company you keep …
Surround yourself only with people who are going to take you higher. – Oprah Winfrey
On living each day …
Every day brings a chance for you to draw in a breath, kick off your shoes, and dance. – Oprah Winfrey
On failure …
Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness . – Oprah Winfrey
