What I Know for Sure

by Oprah Winfrey

your fear can rob you of your life.

Each time you give in to it, you lose strength, while your fear gains it.

no matter how difficult the path ahead seems, you will push past your anxiet...

Over time

Before I could challenge

It’s true that when you summon the courage to cast a vote for yourself, when you dare to step out, speak up, change yourself, or even simply do something outside of what others call the norm, the results may not always be pleasant.

in moments of weakness, your fear and self-doubt may cause you to falter.

You might find yourself stuck in a miserable rut for years at a time. Or you could spend too many days languishing in regret, always wondering, What would my life have been like if I hadn’t cared so much about what people thought?

tuning out

praise

grudgingly

The last thing I wanted was for my actions to make me appear full of myself.

most of us are taught to deflect praise.

accomplis...

to level th...

downp...

settle f...

have been willing to hide our lig...

naysayers

allow others to play you small,

to shrink down to less

to blossom into more.

to fill yours...

to sort out

life-changing

out of line with

I often felt taken advantage of and used,

end up with

far too many

If you’re feeling stuck in your life and want to move forward, start by examining your past motivations. Look closely—I’ve learned that my truest intentions are often hiding in the shadows.

rowdy

cleaning up

end-of-the-day, last-call sale

flitting out the door

tidying things up

five-and-dime

fold

quitting time.

bored beyond

feel like my spirit was being drained by the hour.

show up every

paycheck

white-water-raftin

thrill

the nudge

to finally get on with

drains

It robs you of

You can begin again.

Starting over begins with looking inward.