oprah winfrey. on being.

“…you have to live for the present. You have to be in the moment. Whatever has happened to you in your past has no power over this present moment, because life is now.”

— Oprah Winfrey

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This morning I read the transcript of Oprah’s commencement address given at Stanford over the weekend. Jaw dropping in inspiration. And not just because it’s coming from Miss Harpo herself. Go read it. Or just read a few excerpts here.

“If it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. That’s the lesson. And that lesson alone will save you, my friends, a lot of grief. Even doubt means don’t. This is what I’ve learned. There are many times when you don’t know what to do. When you don’t know what to do, get still, get very still, until you do know what to do.”

Maybe not in everyone’s ‘Things That Inspire Me’ arsenal…but for me, being a Buffy, as I am, and having been on the receiving end of certain unpleasantries because of it, this made me happy-sigh.

“I grew up not loving [my] name, but once I was asked to change it, I thought, well, it is my name and do I look like a Suzie to you? So, I thought, no, it doesn’t feel right. I’m not going to change my name. And if people remember it or not, that’s OK.”

And lastly,

“Don’t live for yourself alone. This is what I know for sure: In order to be truly happy, you must live along with and you have to stand for something larger than yourself. Because life is a reciprocal exchange. To move forward you have to give back.”