“I will die in the midst of doing what I love to do and that is using my voice and using my life to try to inspire other people to live the best of theirs.” –Oprah Winfrey
As an investment manager I read a lot about many businesses as part of my analyses. The above comment was the last line of an article about Oprah Winfrey’s mistakes and struggles regarding launching the OWN Network. I love the comment because to me it powerfully espouses in a single sentence some key messages about how to live and have a full and rewarding life:
Do what you love to do so it is a passion and not a job.
Do what you love to do for as long as you can do it–ideally until the day you die.
Bring meaning to your life by being a positive influence on, or inspiration to, others.
Help or inspire others to do all of the above.
While I may have only seen the Oprah show perhaps three times in my life, I have long admired many things about her. She appears to me to truly care about others and seems to have a generosity of spirit that I find admirable and refreshing. I like the positive energy she radiates. I like her backk story about pulling herself up by her bootstraps and makeing herself phenomenally successful despite daunting odds. And she appears to have done it while remaining a kind-hearted person.
While I don’t know whether Oprah will be successful in her new investment, I hope she is, and would not bet against her. Oprah works hard, her words and actions appear in alignment, and she is willing to admit mistakes, is perserverent, and gutsy. That sounds like a recipe for success to me–in business and more importantly, in life.
Russ Towne's A Grateful Man 
I lived near Baltimore when Oprah was a news anchor, and morning talk show host, in the late 70’s and early 80’s. It was great to see her later rocket to stardom. Another broadcaster (radio) became nationally famous after hosting his show in DC at the time, then in NY when I had moved just north of the city. He pales in comparison to Oprah, but its still fascinating to see how people with such humble beginnings, and a strong belief in themselves, can propel themselves to such heights.
Good points, Dave. And it has been my experiece that people very rarely do it alone. They often get a lot of help along the way, BUT they most often get that help because of the kind of person they are. They possess traits and talents that inspire people to WANT to help them, if even in a small way.
Reblogged this on Inspiredweightloss.