10 Remarkable Life Lessons from Oprah Winfrey That Will Inspire You
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10 Remarkable Life Lessons from Oprah Winfrey That Will Inspire You

No one would have thought that Oprah Winfrey, a poor girl from Mississippi could the first black woman billionaire and the richest African-American woman.

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10 Remarkable Life Lessons from Oprah Winfrey That Will Inspire You

She is also referred to by many as the most influential woman in the world and the most powerful woman not just in America but the world at large.

Oprah Gail Winfrey who was born on January 29, 1954, is an American talk show host, actress, television producer, media mogul, author, and philanthropist.

She is best known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from Chicago, and was the highest-rated television program of its kind in history and ran in national syndication for 25 years from 1986 to 2011.

Often considered the "Queen of All Media", she was the richest African American of the 20th century and North America's first black multi-billionaire, and she has been ranked the greatest black philanthropist in American history.

By 2007, she was sometimes ranked as the most influential woman in the world, and just like other Celebrities net worth, Winfrey's net worth is one of highest, estimated at $3.5 Billion dollars.

Oprah has always been a smart individual since she was a child, as she was said to have written her teacher when she was just two years that she belonged in a higher class than the kindergarten, after which she was promoted.

She started making speeches and earning money at age twelve and this strengthened her resolve to be a public speaker.

Winfrey became a millionaire at the age of 32 when her talk show received national syndication. Winfrey negotiated ownership rights to the television program and started her own production company.

At the age of 41, Winfrey had a net worth of $340 million and replaced Bill Cosby as the only African American on the Forbes 400. Oprah Winfrey ranked #4 in the top 50 richest celebrities with a Net Worth of $3.5 Billion.

Jason Momoa Net Worth is estimated to be around $20 million. He has earned his fortune through his successful acting career and various endorsement deals.

As a woman who came from nothing, Winfrey has done well for herself and rose up to be the most powerful woman in the world.

Check Out These Inspirational Lessons Got from Her Life.

  • 1.Possess the Attribute of Leadership

She's a self-made business leader, and her leadership philosophy borders on three branches Viz her team, vision and values. Her basic leadership style is unparalleled and incredibly effective.

As a leader, she knows how to motivate people, inspire her team and execute her vision while maintaining mass appeal. She addresses her staff as equals whom she cares greatly about and to her, the kind of relationship she has developed with her team makes her happy.

She is a good listener and often shows her appreciation with gifts.

As a leader, she has a well-defined and clear vision and has the ability to inspire it in her people.

  • 2.Having A Mentor

She seeks out smart mentors whom she admires and could also offer her guidance.

To her, mentors are important as she doesn't think anyone could make it in the world without some form of mentorship. Nobody makes it alone

To stay grounded, Winfrey relies heavily on advise her late mentor Maya Angelou once gave her, which she also says is one of the greatest lessons she has learned and used throughout her career.

Angelou taught Winfrey that relationships: whether professional or personal, fundamentally depend not on who a person says he or she is, but how they act toward you and others. This according to her has been her greatest lesson.

  • 3.Giving Back To The Society

Oprah Winfrey is a generous being and her show "Oprah's Big Give" is dedicated to her audience where she gives out her favorite things to her studio audience. Anybody who goes on her program immediately benefits through the roof.

Oprah Winfrey engaged in numerous philanthropic activities, including the creation of Oprah's Angel Network in 1998, which sponsors charitable initiatives worldwide and provided grants to nonprofit organizations around the world. Oprah's Angel Network raised in total more than $80,000,000.

In 2004, Winfrey became the first black person to rank among the 50 most generous Americans and she remained among the top 50 until 2010. By 2012, she had given away about $400 million to educational causes.

In 2007 she opened a $40 million school for disadvantaged girls in South Africa and also became an outspoken crusader against child abuse.

It could be said that Oprah became a billionaire by spreading her wealth. Giving back gave her the credibility to grow her wealth further.

  • 4.Resilience

According to her, a queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.

As someone who came from nothing, Oprah did well for herself, as she was not fazed by her poor background and rose up to the top through hard work and by not giving up on her dreams.

Few people would have bet on Oprah Winfrey's swift rise to host of the most popular talk show on TV.

In a field dominated by white males, she is a black female and what she lacks in journalistic toughness, she makes up for in plainspoken curiosity, robust humor and, above all empathy.

  • 5.Being Surrounded by The Best

Oprah became the best by surrounding herself with the best and also investing in great talent. She carefully selects her top team to ensure competence and supports them.

Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher. Peer pressure is a powerful thing, and we end up taking on the habits, attitudes, and tastes of the people we spend our time with.

In Oprah's words, the richer and more successful you are, the more important it is for you to have true friends, as "Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down."

  • 6.Self-Reliance

If Oprah could stand on her own two feet after rape and a miscarriage before age twenty, we could do a lot.

Plus, her talk show aired when this specific genre wasn't so very trendy. In fact, she was the one who made afternoon talk shows more of a refuge than a space for brawling.

It is confidence in our bodies, minds and spirits that allows us to keep looking for new adventures, new directions to grow in, and new lessons to learn – which is what life is all about.

  • 7.Make Your Style Work

While Oprah didn't really have anyone very relatable to look up to in her field, she didn't bother with copying.

Audiences saw her show as a place of comfort in the TV world. She exuded a kind of sincerity that is rarely found in TV anchors or their guests.

As a result, she managed to draw some people out in an unprecedented manner. Going on the Oprah Winfrey show was a major honor when it was on the air.

And it was all because one woman refused to change herself in order to mimic the top trendy shows of the hour.

  • 8.Remain True to Your Ideals

Many women feel forced to express views they do not totally agree with in order to get ahead. However, Oprah has led the way in showing the modern woman just how confident one should be in their values.

Even in the very last episode of her show, Oprah took the time to share some of her ideals with her fellow women.

These included some very powerful messages which anyone would do well to instill in their lives.

  • 9.Do Not Be Afraid to Fail

Oprah has insisted on every woman thinking of herself as a queen. A queen has to take many decisions and handle many responsibilities.

For example, when she was interviewing Taylor Swift, in one of her shows, she admitted she moved out of her father's house at 19.

As such, she does not have time to fear failure. There were several times that Oprah herself failed, but she used that failure as a stepping stone to her success.

One of the instances where Oprah once failed coincidentally happens to be the exact same field she later excelled in.

She was an anchor in Baltimore but was fired from that job. She had to deal with harassment and sexism, just like every other woman does at some point.

Everyone makes mistakes. That's how you learn. Oprah learns from her mistakes, forgives herself and moves on.

  • 10.Stay Positive.

Though she admits that unkind and untrue rumors about her are hurtful, Oprah remains steadfast in her positivity.

According to Winfrey, some people try to fix the situation head-on and say something back, but it only escalates.

She believes if we put our negativity into the world, it comes back, so she doesn't respond to anybody saying something that is negative.

Oprah Winfrey doesn't think of herself as a poor deprived ghetto girl who made good but thinks of herself as somebody who from an early age was responsible for herself, and had to make good.

This story of a Once-Poor Woman Who Rose to Success inspires one never to be afraid to fail, and work hard to accomplish one's goals.

Oprah Winfrey rose from nothing to a media tycoon and apparently one of the richest celebrities.

She has credibility; she has talent; and she's done it on her own to become fabulously wealthy and fabulously powerful.

On a last note, one of her quotes says "Whatever your aim, you will get there if you're willing to work".

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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