Success: Finding the Flow
BRIDGETTE W. GOTTWALD, LPC, NCC
Growing up, we all have big dreams and create pretty massive shoes for ourselves to fill. What do we want to do, who do we want to be, and what are we going to do to add value to this world? According to Oprah, sometimes we learn and realize that “the dream you have for yourself can’t compare to the dream that life has for you.” In order to find our groove, we have to lean into life in order to make the right decisions and be successful within work and life. These four tips might help!
1. What is your inner voice telling you?
When I think of an inner voice, the first thing that comes to mind is instinct. Oprah claims that “every decision she has ever made in her life led her to the right space and place in her life, she got there because she relied on that inner voice.” A little program called “The Oprah Winfrey Show” started after Oprah left her job in Baltimore at age thirty, and moved to Chicago, even though everyone told her not to. Many of her loved one’s thought she should take a salary at her new TV show because it was too risky to own equity. Instead, Oprah listened to her inner voice and look where that lead her!
2. What is your intention?
Intention “proceeds every thought and action and determines outcomes.” You can turn your entire life around by making decisions out of intention with what you want to happen as the outcome of the decision or choice.
3. What are you grateful for?
Gratitude is one of the best things that we can practice. With someone who has so much to be grateful for, many would think that she just says that because of all she has. However, Oprah states that she “got everything because she practiced being grateful.” A good place to start would be to write down three things you are grateful for every day. Or even getting a gratitude journal, which is one of Oprah’s favorite practices. Even if you don’t fully believe in what you are writing, something will eventually shift and looking for ways to be grateful will give you a different outlook on life.
4. What is your truth?
In 1998 Oprah was sued for $10.3 million for “saying something bad about a burger.” Oprah spent time on the witness stand and was interrogated and pressed by the opposing attorney. At one point, he even called her a liar. It was a difficult time, and she forgot to think about her intention. She knew in that moment that “a liar” was not her truth, and she felt like she got to see who she really was in the face of adversity. We all go through tough times, and sometimes life throws us curve balls. In reality, if we were in a circle of random people, and we were to all throw our trials, struggles, and difficulties into a pile, we’d likely grab our own ones back in a heartbeat instead of settling for someone else’s.
Everyone who goes through life has a trial. It may be a chronic disease, a series of tragic events, jobs, crises – these are the things that tell you who you really are, and it is your job to know and recognize that truth. Once you find out what that truth is, let it set you free.
Reference:
Ginsberg, L., (2017). According to Oprah Winfrey, these are the 4 things you need to know to be successful. Make It. Retrieved from: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/23/oprah-winfrey-these-are-the-4-things-you-need-to-know-for-success.html