Oprah Winfrey's Life Advice Will Change Your Future | One of the Best Motivational Video Ever

Summary

In this inspiring speech, Oprah Winfrey emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, service, and integrity as the cornerstones of a fulfilling life. She encourages individuals to understand their true identity beyond societal roles, to serve others with significance, and to always act with excellence. By doing the right thing, even when it's challenging, and surrounding oneself with supportive people, one can achieve a life of sweetness and resilience, regardless of the storms that come.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Self-Awareness: Knowing who you are is fundamental. It's about understanding your identity beyond roles and titles and recognizing your connection to the source of all that is.
• 🎯 Life's Purpose: Having a clear vision for what you want in life is crucial. It's about fulfilling your highest, truest expression as a human being and the promise that the Creator saw in you.
• 🚗 Direction in Life: Like choosing a destination for a car ride, having a direction in life is essential. It's about being in the driver's seat and not letting life drive you.
• 🔥 Service: Greatness is achieved through service. It's not about being famous but about the significance and impact of the service you provide to the world.
• 📚 Education as Service: The script mentions honorees with doctorates in diverse fields, emphasizing the importance of using knowledge in service to others.
• 📺 Platform for Good: Using platforms, like television, as a force for good rather than just for personal gain can exponentially change one's career and impact.
• 👏 Excellence: Striving for excellence in all you do creates a lasting brand and makes you unforgettable. It's about leaving a positive impression everywhere you go.
• 🤔 Integrity: Always doing the right thing, even when no one is watching, is a cornerstone of character. It brings peace and the assurance that you acted with integrity.
• 💡 Newton's Third Law: The principle that every action has an equal and opposite reaction is a universal truth that applies to life choices and their consequences.
• 👥 Surrounding Yourself: It's important to be around people who uplift and support your success. They should inspire you to be your best and fill your 'cup' to overflowing.
• 🌈 Potential for Success: Everyone has the potential for enormous success, but it comes with a price, including the reactions of others who may not always be supportive.

Q & A

What are the three key takeaways Oprah Winfrey emphasizes in the transcript?

The three key takeaways are: 1) Knowing who you are and understanding your true identity beyond roles and occupations. 2) Having a vision for your life and choosing a direction to fulfill your highest potential. 3) Serving others and finding significance in your service, which leads to success.

How does Oprah define herself beyond her roles and occupations?

Oprah defines herself as God's child and a spiritual being having a human experience, connected to the source of all that is, and thus capable of all possibilities.

What does Oprah mean by 'fulfilling the highest, truest expression of yourself as a human being'?

Oprah means living in alignment with one's purpose and potential, fulfilling the promise that the Creator envisioned when 'dreaming the cells that made up' an individual.

Why is having a vision for your life important according to the transcript?

Having a vision is important because it provides direction and purpose. It helps one to not just exist but to actively pursue a meaningful path in life, even if the specific plan is not yet clear.

How does Oprah relate the metaphor of driving to life?

Oprah uses the driving metaphor to illustrate the importance of being in control of one's life. If you don't choose your direction, life will drive you without purpose or destination.

What does Oprah suggest about the concept of fame and its relation to greatness?

Oprah suggests that not everyone can be famous, but everyone can be great. Greatness is determined by service, not by fame. True value comes from the significance one brings to their service, which lasts beyond fleeting fame.

How did Oprah change her approach to her television career to incorporate service?

Oprah decided to use television as a platform for good, shifting from just being on TV for the sake of being on TV to using it as a force for good, serving the community and the world.

What is the relationship between service, significance, and success according to the transcript?

Service and significance are the precursors to success. When one serves with significance, bringing value and meaning to their work, success naturally follows.

What does Oprah mean by 'always do the right thing' and why is it important?

Doing the right thing means acting with integrity and excellence, even when no one is watching. It's important because it builds a reputation of trustworthiness and reliability, and it aligns with the universal law of cause and effect.

How does Oprah connect the concept of 'excellence' to becoming 'unforgettable'?

Oprah connects excellence to being unforgettable by stating that when one consistently does things excellently, they stand out and are remembered, thus becoming unforgettable in the minds of others.

What advice does Oprah give regarding the company one keeps?

Oprah advises to surround oneself with people who uplift and support one's success, those who aspire to the best for you and can handle your level of ambition and success.

How does Oprah describe the importance of self-respect and self-love in achieving success?

Oprah emphasizes the importance of filling one's own 'cup' first with self-respect and self-love, as one cannot give away what they do not have. This self-fulfillment is crucial for creating a vessel of service for oneself, family, and the world.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Self-Identity and Life's Purpose

The speaker emphasizes the importance of knowing one's true identity, transcending societal roles and titles. She reflects on her own struggle to define herself beyond her professional roles and identifies as a spiritual being with a human experience. The speaker encourages the audience to seek their highest, truest expression as individuals and to have a clear vision for their lives, like being in the driver's seat of their own journey. She also highlights the significance of service as a means to achieve greatness, referencing Martin Luther King Jr.'s quote and advocating for a life of purpose and contribution.

05:01

🔑 The Power of Service and Excellence

The speaker discusses the common thread of service among successful individuals, using examples from her own life and the achievements of others in various fields. She shares her personal transformation from seeking fame to using her platform for good, which significantly impacted her career. The speaker stresses that success is not about being famous but about making a meaningful contribution through service. She also underlines the importance of doing the right thing and being excellent in all endeavors, as these actions create a lasting brand and lead to unforgettable achievements.

10:03

🛡️ Ethical Decisions and Inner Peace

The speaker recounts a specific instance where she chose to not air a potentially sensational but harmful TV show, illustrating the principle of always doing the right thing even when faced with the temptation of ratings. She explains that making ethical choices can lead to immediate doubt, but ultimately results in inner peace and the knowledge that one has acted correctly. The speaker advises the audience to surround themselves with people who support and inspire them to be their best, as these individuals will contribute positively to their success and personal growth.

15:03

🌈 Embracing Your Potential for Success

In the final paragraph, the speaker focuses on the importance of aligning oneself with a higher power or source energy, which she believes is the key to realizing one's full potential. She encourages the audience to make choices that reflect their commitment to service and significance, promising that this will lead to a life of blessings, fulfillment, and sweetness. The speaker also touches on the inevitability of challenges but assures that a strong sense of self and purpose will provide the resilience needed to weather any storm, ultimately leading to a life of grace, glory, and pride.

Keywords

💡Self-Identity

Self-Identity refers to a person's understanding of who they are, encompassing their values, beliefs, and personal traits. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of knowing who you are beyond your roles and titles. She shares her own struggle with defining her identity beyond being a talk show host or businesswoman, ultimately identifying as 'God's child' and a spiritual being having a human experience. This concept is foundational to the video's theme, as it sets the stage for personal growth and fulfillment.

💡Vocation

Vocation is the work or occupation to which a person is drawn or feels a strong connection. The speaker discusses the idea of not just having an occupation, but seeking to fulfill one's highest and truest expression as a human being. She encourages the audience to have a vision for their lives and to choose a direction that aligns with their deepest desires, as exemplified by her own decision to use television as a platform for good rather than just for fame.

💡Service

Service, in the context of this video, is the act of contributing to the welfare of others, often through one's occupation or talents. The speaker cites Martin Luther King Jr.'s notion that greatness is determined by service, highlighting that true value comes from the significance one brings to their service. Examples from the script include using the spoken word in service to the community and using medical knowledge about HIV and AIDS to serve the world.

💡Significance

Significance is the importance or meaning something has. The speaker argues that service and significance are what make a lasting impact, rather than fleeting fame. She shares her personal transformation from seeking to be on TV for its own sake to using TV as a means to serve and make a difference, which significantly altered her career trajectory and personal fulfillment.

💡Excellence

Excellence is the quality of being exceptionally good or outstanding. The speaker stresses the importance of being excellent in all endeavors, as it is a way to stand out and be remembered. She uses the metaphor of receiving extra napkins and sauce at Taco Bell to illustrate how even small acts of excellence can be noticed and appreciated, and how it can become one's brand.

💡Right Thing

Doing the 'right thing' means making ethical decisions and taking actions that are morally correct, even when they are difficult or go against popular opinion. The speaker shares an anecdote about not airing a potentially sensational interview to protect a child's well-being, demonstrating that doing the right thing can lead to peace and is a key component of creating a strong personal brand.

💡Legacy

Legacy refers to the lasting impact or influence someone has after their lifetime. The speaker expresses her desire not just to be successful or make a mark, but to fulfill the promise that the Creator had when she was created. This reflects a deeper aspiration to leave a meaningful and positive legacy through one's actions and contributions.

💡Metaphor

A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things to convey a particular meaning or attribute. The speaker uses the metaphor of being in the driver's seat of one's life to illustrate the importance of having direction and control over one's own life, rather than being passively driven by external forces.

💡Source Energy

Source Energy, in this context, represents the fundamental, divine, and universal life force that the speaker believes is connected to all beings. She encourages the audience to connect with this source for strength and inspiration, suggesting that when one is aligned with this energy, all things are possible.

💡Success

Success, in the video, is not merely about fame or wealth but about achieving a state of fulfillment and making a meaningful contribution through service. The speaker posits that service and significance naturally lead to success, as they create a lasting impact and bring value to the world.

💡Surroundings

Surroundings refer to the people and environment that one chooses to be a part of. The speaker advises the audience to surround themselves with people who support and inspire them to be their best, as these 'gallon-sized' individuals can match the aspirations and offerings of the individual, contributing to a more fulfilling and successful life.

Highlights

The importance of self-awareness and understanding 'Who am I?' as a foundational question for personal growth and direction.

The challenge of defining one's identity beyond professional roles, emphasizing the need to see oneself as more than just a job title.

Oprah Winfrey's personal revelation of herself as 'God's child' and a spiritual being having a human experience, highlighting the connection to a higher source.

The concept that being connected to the source of all that is allows for all possibilities to manifest in one's life.

The desire to fulfill one's highest and truest expression as a human being, as a personal goal beyond worldly success or legacy.

The metaphor of driving one's own life with a clear destination, rather than being passively driven by external forces.

The significance of service as a determinant of greatness, as emphasized by Martin Luther King Jr., and its role in lasting impact.

The shift in Oprah's career from being on TV for the sake of it to using TV as a platform for service and good, leading to exponential growth.

The idea that success in any field is tied to the paradigm of service and the significance one brings to their work.

The advice to always do the right thing, emphasizing that excellence is noticed and remembered, becoming a personal brand.

The concept of building a brand through consistent excellence and doing the right thing, creating an unforgettable impression.

The third law of motion applied to life, where every action has an equal and opposite reaction, emphasizing the importance of actions.

Oprah's personal experience of choosing not to air a potentially damaging show for the sake of doing the right thing, despite potential ratings.

The assurance that doing the right thing, even when doubted, will ultimately bring peace and the right outcomes.

The importance of surrounding oneself with people who aspire to the best for you and fill your 'cup' to overflow.

The advice to align oneself with 'gallon-sized people' who can match the magnitude of one's offerings and aspirations.

The notion that the biggest choices in life begin and end with oneself, emphasizing the power of internal questions and alignment with a higher source.

The promise that by knowing oneself, choosing service, and doing the right thing, one will lead a blessed, gifted, and sweet life.

The closing message to the Spelman class of 2012, emphasizing the power of being a woman and the pride that should come with it.

Transcripts

The three things that I want to leave with you just these three I could do ten, I could do a whole life class

But just these three things will carry you if you let them first and foremost

Knowing who you are

Knowing who you are being able to answer this question Who am I and what do I want?

You know many times when I go out of the country I am baffled by that question

To explain what is your occupation? I've stood there for 10 minutes. Well am i a talk show host

well, I'm more than a talk show host. Am I a businesswoman? I'm a businesswoman. I'm more than a businesswoman

Am i an entrepreneur?

I'm more than an entrepreneur.So I just leave it blank or self-employed

So I'm not asking for the roles that you play as daughters i'm not asking

that question

What are the roles that you play as a daughter as a friend as a sister you're gonna be a lawyer you're gonna teach

You're gonna be a pharmacist. I'm asking the bigger question

Of Who am I?

Who am I really?

My answer is I am God's child.

I am.

I am that which is born of all that is I am as. PA de Chardin said a

spiritual being having a human experience

Come trailing the breath of the ancestors yet, but trailing the breath of the angels and

understanding that because I am connected to the source of all that is

All that is possible is possible for me

That's who I am and

What do I want I don't want to just be?

successful in the world

I don't want to just make a mark, or have a legacy

The answer to that question for me is

I want to fulfill the highest?

truest expression

of

myself as a human being I

I want to fulfill the promise that the Creator?

Dreamed when he dreamed the cells that made up me what do I want

you must have

Some kind of vision for your life

even if you don't know the plan you have to have a direction in which you choose to go

I never was the kind of woman who liked to get in a car and just go for a ride

I had a boyfriend would say let's just go for a ride.

I want to know where are we going?

Do we have a destination is there a plan or we just ride

What I've learned is that's a great metaphor for life

You want to be in the driver's seat of your own life because if you're not life will drive you

So

Knowing who you really are in this space and time that we embody

That's number one what do you want? Who are you number two?

You must find a way to serve

Martin Luther King

Said that not everybody can be famous, but everybody can be great because greatness is determined by service

now we live in a world where everybody wants to be famous and

Where we admire people for just being famous?

We think being known brings us value

The truth is all of that will fade in time in three years. You won't be able to name the Housewives a banana

The real truth is that

Service and

significance

Service and the significance that you bring to your service is that which is lasting?

so to be able to whatever your

occupation or job or talent or gift is

our honorees today

getting doctor degrees to

apparently opposite fields HIV and AIDS and the spoken word

But what they have in common is?

service

Using the spoken word in service to community in the world

Using your knowledge and information about HIV and AIDS and medicine in service to the world

And if you look at all the most successful people in the world

Whether they know it or not they have that paradigm of service

Everybody's talking about Mark Zuckerberg, and I appeal

Service

JZ rapid service through the word to people through song

For many years I was really just happy to be on TV and people would stop and say oh you on TV

Yeah, I'm on TV. I like being on TV

It's a nice job

and it was about the time that I received my

Honorary Doctorate from Spelman around 1993, so I don't know if that had something to do with it. I thought of myself as dr. Winfrey

Then I went back and I took the long look at what it was I was doing on on

TV and made a decision that I was no longer going to just be on TV

but I was going to use TV as a platform as a force for good and

Not be used by TV, and I will tell you

My decision

To make that significant change in the way, I operated on

Television using television as a service

changed my career

exponentially

Service through medicine service through art

Using whatever it is you produce your product as a way of giving back to the world

When you shift the paradigm of whatever it is you choose to do to service, and you bring significance to that?

Success will I promise you follow you

service and

significance equals success

That's number two number three. It's so simple, but so hard to do always

Do the right thing?

Always

Be excellent people notice

Think of how you notice you go to Taco Bell somebody gives you extra napkin and some sauce you notice you

Want to go back to that person because even at Taco Bell

Excellence shows itself be excellent let excellence be your brand

Everybody talks about building a brand I never even knew what that was

When people say you're a brand, I would say no. I'm just Oprah what I recognize now. Is that my choice

to it every way in

Every example and every experience

To do the right thing and the excellent thing is what has created the brand

Years ago I did an ad for Revlon for

for an ad they were doing called

unforgettable women and what I know is that when you are

excellent you become

unforgettable

People remember you you stand out we got us of what it is you become an unforgettable woman and

That is what we all want we want to be unforgettable and not forgettable

So doing the right thing?

even

When nobody knows you're doing the right thing

We'll always bring the right thing to you. I promise you that why?

Because the third law of motion is always at work for every action. There's an equal and opposite reaction

That is so true in all of our lives

That's what Newton said

Sealian the color purple said it

Everything you even try to do to me

Already done to you

Everything you even try to do to me

Already done to you

so you don't have to worry about revenge or

Getting back at somebody

making sure they pay

you just have to do the right thing and the right thing will follow you even when people don't support it I

remember many times on my show there are many shows y'all never saw and

the reason you didn't see them is because I

Got the last vote and

I remember

2010

My team hardest working team in television had done this

Interview with a woman who turns out she was a Sunday school teacher by day and a sex addict at night whoo

They were like you won't believe it

We got her going out we got her with the men and we get to show her and she was willing to show us everything

I

Sat down with a woman

for an interview that was taped and

During the process of the interview I said why are you doing this and she said oh?

I want to help the people I want to tell my story

And I want to help people I said do you have children? She says yes, I have a ten-year-old son I

Knew right then this is never gonna see the light of day, so

We got off the air, and I said to the lady. We are not going to air that show and

She said why?

My producer said why?

She knew she was being filmed

She knew what she was saying. She knows what you I said because her son will never get over it

Her son will never get over it and it's not worth a rating point to me

Not worth the rating point to me to know that there's a ten-year-old boy

Who's destroyed because his mother went on The Oprah Winfrey Show and told all her business?

You do the right thing even

When other people think it may not be and oftentimes when you make a decision to do the right thing

Immediately you're faced with doubt was that the right thing was that the right decision

I don't know was that the right thing you always know. It's the right thing when in the end

There is peace

You are rewarded by peace and knowing that you did the right thing

The most important thing I have come to know in doing the right thing and making the right choices is

Understanding

What we talked about yesterday

All of you leaving here have the potential for enormous success

There's a price that comes with that

People don't always like you

and they're not always happy for you and

if you surround yourself with people

Who are not accustom to your success?

They become fearful they become scared

Because you are reflecting back something to them, but they don't recognize now. They're not going to say

You know I'm very fearful

Because you're reflecting back to me

Something I don't recognize

They're going to say you know what they're gonna say they're gonna say who she thinks she is

Who's she thinks she is

that only happens when you are around people who do not mean and

Want and aspire to the best for you?

People who want the best for you want you to be your best

So my greatest advice to you is to surround yourself with

People who are going to fill your cup until your cup runneth over

So when people say you're so full of yourself you can say yeah

Yes, I'm full

I'm so full my cup runneth over and

To know that once your cup runneth over you cannot spend your life

with your

Gallon-sized offerings

Offering them to pint-sized people

You have got to surround

yourself with

gallon-sized people

Who can hang in the same company with you?

So that you're not offering your Gallants to those little pipes out there

Who can't hold it anyway?

Choice to change the world I love that song I

Love hearing you all sing that song and what I know for sure is that the biggest choices?

Begin and end with you your internal big questions

Who do I want to be in the world my relationship to Source Energy?

To all that is God. I'm not talking about what you believe in God. I'm talking about your

Experience of that which is all life, which is divine and universal. I'm talking about the big deal

Being connected and aligned with that when you are

Tuned in and charged into that whenever you feel empty you go inside yourself

And you connect to the source and you know that all things are possible

To know that and

to choose to do the right thing in service and

significance I

promise you

You will create a vessel of service

For yourself first because you have to honor yourself first you have to give to yourself first, otherwise you have nothing to give away

You will create a vessel for yourself for your family

Your community and the world and those three things

Will not only lead you to a blessed life I

Stand as a witness my life is so blessed. I can't even take it in sometimes

It will lead you not just to a gifted life and a rewarding life that fills you up

But a sweet life

That's what you want

You want the sweetness you?

Want it to be so sweet?

so that even when the storms come and they will

You'll know this too shall pass

This too shall pass

the storm is passing over and

You shall not be moved

Because you know who you are

When you can do that

Grace will follow you grace and glory and when they see you coming it ought to make them proud

They say it's the click of your heels. It's the bend of your hair

It's the palm of your hand. It's a need for your care. Coz' you a woman you a Spelman woman

Phenomenally phenomenal class of 2012, Thank you.