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Introduction

In 1998, Oprah Winfrey was interviewed by Gene Siskel about the lessons she had learned in her life. She couldn’t answer his question at that time. However, 14 years later, she found an answer to it and published it in her monthly column in O Magazine. The answers were lessons on joy and power, resilience and gratitude.

Joy

In 1997, Oprah had the chance to dance with Tina Turner. She was nervous about forgetting her steps and not keeping up with a legend. In the end, she reminded herself how brief her time on stage would be and decided to have fun dancing freely.

In every moment of life, you have the opportunity to dance and relish in its joys. There are moments when we can experience pleasure by connecting with friends or recharging after a long day. Each day contains big and small pieces of beauty that we should notice and embrace. Don’t let anxieties take away your ability to experience the fullness of life’s pleasures.

Remember that joy is always a choice. If you died tomorrow, what would you regret? The things that will linger at the end of your life are not about salary or how much work you accomplish. You have the power to change your life and do what’s important to you; take a dream trip or reconcile with a distant friend.

Resilience

Everyone has their own journey, and the beginning of Oprah’s was not a happy one. She was born out of wedlock and her mother hid her pregnancy until she gave birth to Oprah. Her early childhood wasn’t filled with joy, but rather shame. Throughout her life, she felt like an unwanted child and dealt with loneliness and isolation.

Everyone has experienced pain and suffering in their lives. Some people have suffered more than others, but no matter what has happened to you, you are responsible for who you are today and how your life is going. You might have valid reasons to be upset with your parents or past lovers, but blaming them for your current circumstances will not help anyone.

As you learn more about yourself, be proactive about your self-improvement. If you didn’t receive enough love as a child, start giving it to yourself. If someone else did not think that your feelings were important, start validating them for yourself. Figure out what you need in order to be whole and then give it to yourself. Do not wait for others to fix you or blame brokenness on others.

The way you treat yourself determines how good your life is. Oprah, who was sexually abused as a child and became pregnant at 14, kept this secret from her friends and partner for years because she feared that they would reject her if they knew the truth.

When Oprah Winfrey’s childhood was exposed to the public, it caused her a lot of anxiety. She feared that people would judge her and reject her for what happened in her past. However, no one reacted negatively when they found out about this secret. Instead, Oprah realized that she had been blaming herself for things that weren’t really her fault and holding on to feelings of shame because of them.

You should be kind to yourself. Don’t worry about what others think of you, because their opinions don’t really matter. Your opinion is the most important one in your life and will influence how you feel every day. If you’re constantly criticizing yourself, learn how to treat yourself better so that you can enjoy a happier life.

Connection

Everyone wants to be valued and loved. It’s natural for people to want to feel needed and understood by others.

Oprah didn’t feel loved by her family, so she tried to be an overachiever in order to earn their love. She thought that a man’s love would make her complete as a woman.