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

by Oprah Winfrey

Management is telling somebody what to do. Leadership is inspiring them to do it. And inspiration, for me, comes from three areas. It’s the clarity of one’s vision, the courage of one’s conviction, and the ability to effectively communicate both of those things.

I have no argument with greatness. But if arriving at my great destination becomes an excuse for dismissing my life now because I haven’t found that great purpose yet, that’s a waste of a day, if not a life.

Hang onto this

One of my favorite lessons from Joel Osteen is, “What follows ‘I am’ is what we’re inviting into our life.” Meaning when you use phrases like,“I am exhausted,” or, “I am overwhelmed,” you are inviting exactly that kind of energy into your life. The moment I shifted my perspective from I am struggling to I am honored, my climb was transformed from an arduous trek into a still challenging but now stimulating adventure, and my entire outlook changed. Ever since that time, whenever I’ve encountered a disruption, rather than allowing it to rattle me, I ask myself one of the most meaningful and productive questions there is: What is this here to teach me?

This is good

People may not remember what you did or what you said, but they always remember how you made them feel.

Deep listening is the kind of listening that can help relieve the suffering of the other person. You can call it compassionate listening. You listen with only one purpose: Help him or her to empty their heart. Remember that you are helping him or her to suffer less, and even if they say things full of wrong perceptions, full of bitterness, you are still capable of continuing to listen with compassion. If you want to help them correct their perception, you wait for another time; at this time, you just listen with compassion and help him or her to suffer less. One hour like that can bring transformation and healing.

MARIANNE WILLIAMSON: The majority of people didn’t wake up one day and go, “Let’s free the slaves.” The majority of people didn’t wake up one day and say, “Let’s give women the right to vote.” It’s because a small group of people usually considered outrageous radicals by the status quo of their day had a better idea. That’s how evolution works.

Sometimes knowing what you don’t want is as valuable as knowing what you do.

Know the joy of doing what you love and never stop pursuing it.

Just be yourself. But be all of you.”

It’s a great thing to be recognized for something that you’ve done. But it’s a moment in time. You can’t live off of those accolades and make them the sum total of your importance in life, or your purpose in life. You can’t let them define who you are. Those awards, they’re wonderful. But they’re never going to define you. I define myself by my ability to give. I define myself by my ability to understand. I define myself by my ethics and by my truth. These are the things that inform who I am, other than exterior moments that ebb and flow.

I’ve been at a major crossroads on a number of occasions. I was working at a radio station in Los Angeles and was making a decent amount of money. Then I was offered a lot more money by another radio station to compete against the guys that I worked with. I went to my boss and said, “Hey, listen, I’m being offered all this money to go against you guys.” And he said, “Well, we can’t pay you that much money.” I thought about it. And I decided that even though it was a life-changing amount of money for me, I would not do it. I would just not feel right about competing against people that I liked, who were my friends and teammates. It wasn’t three months later that I got a TV show.

Oof

And, as someone once said, it’s wonderful to be loved, but it’s profound to be understood.