Last week I had the opportunity to hear Oprah speak live. She was in Edmonton, Alberta as a part of the Canadian tour for her bestseller, “The Path Made Clear”. She spoke about the moments throughout her life that helped direct her on her path.
Here are my top 6 Takeaways and how they relate to your business:
- Legacy – “Your legacy is all the lives you’ve touched”. Oprah believes that the more people you can serve the bigger the impact and legacy you will have. At the outset you may not be able to articulate what that legacy will be.
When you think about entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, their legacy is global because of all the lives they have touched. The more people you impact, the wealthier you become.
- Oprah spoke about purpose- Her favourite quote by Mary Oliver is “Tell me what it is you plan to do with your one wild precious life”.
Asking the questions that lead you to your passion is a great place to start. Here are some guiding questions you can start with.
- What do you love to do?
- What is an avid interest you have?
- What would you do even if you weren’t getting paid for doing it?
- Pain is the same no matter where you are- so is joy”.
She went on to say, whether you are in San Diego, Somalia, Washington or Edmonton, pain is the same. Oprah reinforced the fact that universally we are all the same. Therefore, so are our pain, and our joy.
On our path to profit and success, you can use what you love as much as what causes you pain to make your decision. Organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) came out of pain and loss. Airbnb came out of frustrations when the founders couldn’t find any hotel rooms during a major conference they were attending.
- Everybody is looking to be heard and to be validated and to feel that they matter. Everybody has a story that is as meaningful and important as yours.
She mentioned that it didn’t matter who she was interviewing-from Beyonce to Barack Obama, a school teacher or a janitor- at the end of the interview, the question was always the same. “How was that?” or “Was that okay?”
When you are working with your customers or clients, be sure that you are listening to their wants and needs. They want to know that they are being heard.
- Oprah did 4561 tapings of the Oprah Winfrey show and she spoke to 37,000 people.
In 25 years, she never missed a show. Her dedication to all the guests that were travelling from all over the world to see her was very important. She wanted to be there for them.
The question is, how many hours are you willing to put in to master your craft. Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers, believed that it takes 10,000 hours to master success and achieve expertise in any field. Trying something once or twice and saying it doesn’t work, won’t help you to reach your goals.
- Do what you have to do until you can do what you want to do.
In the beginning, Oprah didn’t love reporting the news or being an anchor. Over time she was able to find her footing and what works for her.
Sometimes finding your passion does not happen immediately. Sometimes you need to stay at a job in the beginning because it pays the bills, supports your family and it puts food on the table. The work that you are doing is leading you to a higher ground.
Comment below and let me know which one of these tips resonated with you!
**Photos by Andy Devlin
Thank you for recording the amazing lessons from that night in such an insightful way. I felt honored to share the evening with you Xo