The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life's Direction and Purpose

by Oprah Winfrey

There is no greater gift you can give or receive than to honor your calling. It’s why you were born. And how you become most truly alive. —Oprah

They have discovered that in this world, there is no real doing without first being.

the journey to lasting change begins with defining what matters most to you.

This is the lesson I hope you take away from this chapter: Your life is not static. Every decision, setback, or triumph is an opportunity to identify the seeds of truth that make you the wondrous human being that you are. I’m not talking just about what you do for a living. When you pay attention to what feeds your energy, you move in the direction of the life for which you were intended. Trust that the Universe has a bigger, wider, deeper dream for you than you could ever imagine for yourself.

As you begin to identify the seeds of knowing along your own path, the first question to ask yourself is, What do I believe? Do you believe that you are worthy of happiness, success, abundance, fulfillment, peace, joy, and love? What I know for sure is you become what you believe. —Oprah

SUE MONK KIDD I think life is a process. You wake up. Then you wake up some more. One self dies. Another is born. It’s an evolution of consciousness. If you look at the way God created the world, it’s always about a seed and a sprout and a flower. And then it goes back to seed. It’s always about process and unfolding. We’re on a journey of greater and greater consciousness, becoming more compassionate, more loving, and that is a lifelong spiraling process.

I don’t believe in luck. For me, luck really means preparation meeting the moment of opportunity. I was born to teach. My only job was to listen, trust, and obey the call. The same is true for you.

As author and spiritual trailblazer Gary Zukav so brilliantly taught me, when you align your personality with your purpose, no one can touch you.

When I was five I was playing alone in a pine grove in south Georgia. And all of a sudden, I felt enveloped by warmth and light. And I heard, inaudibly in the deepest part of myself, You are the most beloved creature in all of creation. At the same time I got that message, I also heard, And every other person is the most beloved creature in all of creation. It is that experience of unconditional love that has so overwhelmed me and made my life what it is today.

Is everybody getting that this is all kind of an illusion?

I like the lighter things in life. I tend to go toward the light.

Life is about growth and change, and when you are no longer doing either, you’ve received your first whisper. Pay attention to what makes you feel energized, connected, and stimulated. Follow your intuition, do what you love, and you will do more than succeed. You will soar.

OPRAH: So what you’re saying is exactly what I’ve always believed and how I’ve operated. Once you accept when you have done everything that you can do, you surrender it. Let it go to the power and energy that’s greater than yourself.

OPRAH: And then not be attached to the outcome.

The ultimate care of the soul is being identified with the life that wants to live through you.

Your individuality comes from your soul. Not from your head. It comes from allowing life to live through you.

I have a lot of things to prove to myself. One is that I can live my life fearlessly. —Oprah

OPRAH: I love when you say, “When you live in trust and faith, truly live it; what everyone else says and does becomes irrelevant.” IYANLA: It really does. You don’t even hear it. But then again, that means that you’ve got to be willing sometimes to stand alone. You’ve got to be willing to piss some people off. You’ve got to be willing to look different. Sound different. Be different. And those are risks that many of us are not willing to take. Because we don’t understand God. You trust yourself by knowing who you are. You trust God by understanding God’s nature.

TIM STOREY We only have twenty-four hours in a day. So you have a choice to walk with wise people and stack up more wisdom. Or you can become a companion of fools and your life will unravel.

I know this is going to sound simple, but I really feel this: Your self-worth is your job. It’s your sacred space to cultivate. Because there’s always going to be somebody who comes along and says, “You’re not thin enough,” or, “Your hair’s not that enough,” or, “Your voice is not high enough,” or, “You’re not going to make it in the music industry because you don’t sound like all the other girls.” But if you can, remind yourself that they’re wrong because you know you’re on your path. Sometimes I just ask myself, What would I do if I knew I was 100 percent worthy of this? What would I do? Just ask, What if?

There’s a shift that takes place when you’re talking about the possibilities more than you’re talking about your issues. With your issues, your energy goes into the lower frequencies. Doubt. Worry. Fear. Now you’re in that sediment. You’re in that dynamic. But if you start talking about possibility, even if you don’t know how to get there, then your energy starts to go up. Ask a what if question. What if all my needs were met? What would I be doing in my life? What if everything is really working together for my good? What if all the bad things that have happened in my life are leading me to activating some great potential in my experience? What if God really is on my side? You ask a what if question and you start to notice little tiny miracles happening in your life.

MICHAEL SINGER OPRAH: What are we supposed to do when problems show up? MICHAEL SINGER: The moment it starts with that chitter-chatter, my first reaction inside is to relax and lean away. I lean away from the noise the mind is making. Because you’re going to do one of two things once it starts: You’re either going to lean into it and get involved, and let it pull you in— OPRAH: Yes, which is what most of us do. MICHAEL: Right, or relax and lean away. And once you lean away and get some space, you will learn over time that that’s the smartest thing you ever did. Why? Because you gave the noise room to pass through and it does. It passes right through. OPRAH: Why are we so afraid of change? MICHAEL: What happens is we’ve gone into the mind and said, I’m not okay. How does everything need to be for me to be okay? And then we devote ourselves to trying to create the situation that we think will make us be okay. And when things start changing and don’t match that model, then we get scared, because it looks like it’s not going to work. Fear is a thing. You can either push it away or you can let it go. You can either avoid it and be scared of it or you can let it pass right through. Fear comes up out of your heart, that’s a very natural thing; it’s human. You are watching, you see it, but you have the right to relax and let it pass right through you. If you don’t do that, you’re going to try to fix it. You’re going to try to control situations so you don’t ever feel the fear, and...

All dreams start from the core. Unless you are in total alignment with whatever you envision, the dream will get derailed. Your intention has to be pure. —Oprah

believe deeply in what Paulo Coelho so famously wrote in his seminal book, The Alchemist: When you want something, all the Universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.

Before you embark on any quest, you must first articulate your vision. Set your course. It doesn’t have to be a public or formal declaration, but it does need to be clear. Particularly in today’s climate, where there is a palpable craving for meaning and authenticity. People can feel what’s real and what’s not. So if you want support for your idea, stand in what you hold sacred. Those who sense your truth will rise up. And, most important, you must believe with your whole heart that you are capable of achieving your goal. If not, your path becomes murky and the goal stays out of reach.

“People have no idea of my tenacity. Once I commit to something and I have a full-hearted desire to see it work, I can’t imagine what it would take to make me quit.”

This was about bringing the power of choice to the first generation of apartheid-free women in South Africa.

I was convinced we could raise these girls to know for themselves what I’ve told them over and over again: You are not your circumstances. You are your possibilities.

“Don’t bet against me. You cannot defeat someone who knows who they truly are. I know who I am and why I am doing this, so I would not bet against me.”

The moment you know with certainty that your intention is fully aligned with what you believe, all bets are off. You’ve already won! —Oprah

IYANLA VANZANT If you don’t have a vision, you’re going to be stuck in what you know. And the only thing you know is what you’ve already seen. But a vision that grows inside of you, a vision that wakes with you, sleeps with you, moves with you, a vision that you can tap into on your worst days—that vision will pull you forward. Affirm your vision. Clarify your vision. Not only what you’re doing, but also why you’re doing it and how you’re doing it day by day, moment by moment. And sometimes the how shows up only on a need-to-know basis. Sometimes you just have to walk blindly. But if you just do your vision every single day, putting one foot in front of the other, committed to your desires, being obedient, walking through your fears, the vision will unfold much grander than you could have ever even imagined or asked for.

Find your lane. Make space for the flow to show itself. Follow the natural rhythm of your life, and you will discover a force far greater than your own. —Oprah

It takes so much work to pretend. When you can really be who you are and find out where you fit and function from a place of comfort, then you stop working. You stop wrestling. OPRAH: It’s about finding your flow. BISHOP JAKES: Absolutely. And when you get in it, that’s a life-changing experience. Surrounding yourself with people you want to be like takes you to the next level because they are modeling the lifestyle that you are stepping into, rather than emulating the lifestyle you are stepping away from. Putting yourself in environments with people who are positive or doing what you’re doing, whether it’s starting a business, owning a company, managing a division—you need to run with people who have your current and who are in your flow. Do you see that? Do you see that?

JOEL OSTEEN What follows “I am” is what we’re inviting into our life. You say “I am tired.” “I am frustrated.” “I am lonely.” Well, now you’ve invited more of that in. So the principle is to turn it around and invite what you want into your life. There’s a balance to it. I don’t think you’re denying the facts. You’re just not magnifying the negative. Rather, start saying, “I am a masterpiece. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I am strong. I am talented.” I think that is speaking to the core of what God’s put in each one of us. He has equipped us. He’s empowered us. We have what we need to fulfill our destiny. But we have to bring it out. And you can’t bring it out being against yourself.

I’ll never forget the first time she shared with me what would later become a much beloved refrain: People may not remember what you did or what you said, but they always remember how you made them feel.