Oprah’s Words Of Advice To Me
I have always been a huge fan of Oprah, I mean, who isn’t? I love how clear she is on her life’s purpose and how she doesn’t try to prove anything to anyone—I believe it’s why her impact on the world is so significant.
For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to meet Oprah. Then, one day I decided, why not? Why let this dream sit and wither away, why not make it happen.
Thanks to my determined nature, I relentlessly made contact to coordinate a meet up at her Melbourne stop off when visiting Australia in 2010. I emailed almost every day for 2-years, and finally, her people agreed. My dedication paid off and my dream was in motion.
When the day finally arrived, I had 30-minutes with her and this was the most fulfilling half hour of my life.
I asked Oprah what motivates her, and her reply was
“The opportunity to make a real and lasting difference in the world”.
It’s simple. You may have heard someone else say this, you may feel the same way, but the reason I share it is that often we forget that what we do is so much more than just ourselves.
We are impacting one another daily, on so many levels. Unfortunately, our fame-orientated world suggests that if we’re not a big name, or don’t have sizeable social followings—or a podcast or TV show, we’re not valuable.
You are. No one thinks as you do. No other human alive has a perspective on life that you do. Take that in. Your unique point of you makes you one-of-a-kind. You’re a genius in your own right.
The issue I see most often amongst business owners is that their focus is on someone else’s path. They look to their competitors. They look to the endless business growth actions available and become overwhelmed by doing it all. Many try to scale, grow and evolve solo. Without knowing what to do next, many try everything to see what sticks.
After 30-years of business development, strategically working alongside small to medium business owners, I know this isn’t an efficient approach.
To be successful in your business, ‘doing everything’ isn’t required. Your role is to do what is aligned and authentic for you, and your company—which is the life advice Oprah gave to me.
Her words, “Live your truth every day” still echo in my ears. The simplicity of this life lesson reminds me to listen to my inner voice before I follow what the world is telling me.
It’s why I created Life Lessons with Erica King, a high-end mentoring service for SME’s, channeling 30-years of business experience and life lessons into proven strategies that fuel success, profits and fulfillment in life.
