Oprah

Like thousands, I was fortunate to see Oprah in Vancouver last week. It’s been my Mom’s dream to see Oprah so it was a very special night for us both. The tickets were a surprise, the idea hatched between my sister and I and it was fun presenting them to my Mom at Christmas.

There were plenty of gems within the evening. I knew my brain couldn’t hold all that information so I took notes.

It would be an enormously long blog if I explained everything to you today so I’ll settle on a couple of things that stuck out for me…

The first was Oprah’s life partner, Stedman. He introduced her and said:

“Oprah is an EXTRAORDINARY woman who’s been such a FORCE in my life.”

What a beautiful thing to say about one’s spouse, partner, or life companion. I loved it and decided the man in my life will feel the same way about me.

I will be EXTRAORDINARY in his eyes and a FORCE in his life. In order for him to feel that way about me, I must be that way for myself. I must honor my own life and in doing so, I will attract someone who will feel the same. It was a simple little thing but I liked it and let it sit inside me, quietly…

She spoke a lot about INSTINCT; which, if you follow my blog, you know that I’m a firm believer in the WISDOM of your INSTINCT…your inner voice…your SELF.

INSTINCT IS POWERFUL. Someone may lie to you repeatedly, but your instinct will never lie. It will always tell you the TRUTH.

It’s so painfully quiet some times…forcing us to LISTEN with not only our ears but the very fibre of our being…it forces us to STOP, be still and allow the message to come through…as Oprah said, sometimes it’s a “hmmm”…or “huh, that’s odd”…simple little thoughts that seem innocent enough…but within that “hmmm” is all the information you need to keep you safe.

It’s not an easy task.

It’s a challenge to hear it all the time when the chatter of the world or our own heads are so loud and demanding…and yet, we are the only animal on the planet, as she pointed out, that will smell the very thing we fear and walk towards it instead of protecting ourselves.

It’s not that we aren’t warned, it’s that WE DON’T LISTEN.

Her instinct has been a guiding force in her life and that message was accompanied with another powerful lesson. One sentence in particular hung in the air when Oprah spoke of her childhood and any struggles she faced in her life:

I couldn’t imagine it, but I BELIEVED it.

I thought that was an interesting statement because I’ve often heard (and may have even said it myself) that you have to be able to SEE where you are going…or what you want for your life…

But as a very poor child, growing up in a violent, racist world…how could she see her life now? The influences around her could not see past their own limited lives…where did that insatiable will come from?

SHE BELIEVED.

Oprah believed she deserved more…she believed she could do more…she believed in herSELF and her abilities…

“Beliefs are the lens in which you see the world”

…and might I add…in which you participate, honor, connect, speak, act and choose within the world.

Oprah couldn’t see it, but she believed.

I love that message.

You do not have to see the end result. You do not have to see the path. You do not have to see the details but you do have to believe.

Believe in yourSELF.

Believe in the POSSIBILITIES.

Believe in your INSTINCT and TRUST you’ll be okay.

Believe.

With a smile,

Tina