Oprah Winfrey - Success and Influence
Oprah Winfrey (1954- )
African American chat show host (pictured right), America’s richest woman, and highly influential worldwide.
Supporter of Barack Obama (pictured right
below together with Obama's wife, Michelle).
Why is she successful and influential?
1. Rags to riches
Born in a poor ghetto in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she became a superstar through
- hard work (see point 3).
- a good education (despite running away from home as a teenager).
Her one hour national chat show (started in 1986) was extremely popular, and her interview with Michael
Jackson (pictured right) in 1993 had an audience of 100 million.
2. Talent
Winfrey is an:
- eloquent, empathetic and persuasive interviewer.
- astute businesswoman (for example, she is the publisher of her magazine,
O).
- Oscar nominated actress (for The Colour Purple, pictured right as
Sofia).
- author (her weight loss book was a best seller)
3. Hard work and self-help
She believes in:
- self-help (being totally responsible for her success).
- self-knowledge (knowing your strengths and weaknesses).
- being true to your beliefs.
“The ability to triumph begins with you”, she says,
Pictured right is her first TV chat show in 1986.
4. Purpose
Her advice is:
a) live your dreams
She aims to achieve her dream of excellence at work and love for other people.
b) change
She lives by the advice of someone she greatly admires, Mahatma Gandhi :
“Become the change you want to see”.
c) achieve something worthwhile by seizing your opportunities.
Live your life to fulfil your potential, not please other people.
5. Love
Love is the driving force of her life.
She has set up a school for poor girls in South Africa, which kept a promise to her hero,
Nelson Mandela (pictured right together at the
school opening in 2007).
6. Determination
She has battled through:
- desertion (by her mother as a six-year-old).
- sexual abuse (by her cousin, uncle and a family friend from the age of nine).
- drug abuse (in her 20’s).
She has learned from her problems and used them to strengthen her character.
“Turn your wounds into wisdom”, she says.
7. Influence
From the mid-90s, Winfrey (pictured right in 2004) discussed and publicized serious issues like
- weight loss (her weight problems made fatness sexy)
- spirituality (she has been called the icon of church-free spirituality).
Key quotes on
success
Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.
It is not failure if you enjoyed the process.
Excellence is the best deterrent to racism or sexism.
Luck is preparation meeting opportunity.
Key quote on careers and
success
You are not your circumstances. You are your possibilities.
Key quote on
management
Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.
Key quote on corporate
culture
You become what you believe.
Key quote on
change
A person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.
Key quote on stress and
pain
Turn your wounds into wisdom.
Key quote on love
My constant prayer for myself is to be used in service for the greater good.
Key quote on learning and
wisdom
Inner wisdom is more precious than wealth.
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