her last master class.

of course, you watched.

of course, i watched.

& listened. & learned.
just as expected.

but i realized i should have been taking notes
as oprah was giving what amounted to
her commencement address
at her own graduation.

[maybe ours, too – it remains to be seen.]

so thank o-ness they posted her "last class" up on oprah.com,
so i can print it, reread it, highlight it,
& reiterate the key points here
for all of our easier reference.

so here are what i received as
six things oprah knows for sure
from her 25 years of the oprah winfrey show:

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
on discovering your calling.

we are all called.
everybody has a calling, &
your real job in life is
to figure out what that is &
get about the business of doing it.

a calling lights you up &
it lets you know that you
are exactly where you're supposed to be,
doing exactly what you're supposed to be doing.

live from the heart of yourself.
you have to know what sparks the light in you
so that you, in your own way,
can illuminate the world.

wherever you are, that is your platform,
your stage, your circle of influence.
that is your talk show, &
that is where your power lies.

in every way, in every day,
you are showing people exactly who you are.
you're letting your life speak for you.

start embracing the life that is calling you &
use your life to serve the world.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
on owning your energy.

nobody but you is responsible for your life.
you are responsible for the energy that
you create for yourself, &
you're responsible for the energy that
you bring to others.

all life is energy, &
we are transmitting it at every moment.
we are all little beaming little signals
like radio frequencies, &
the world is responding in kind.

for every action, there is an equal & opposite reaction.
everything you done to me, already done to you.
it is the golden rule to the tenth power.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
on knowing you're enough.

there is a common thread that runs through
all of our pain & all of our suffering, &
that is unworthiness.
not feeling worthy enough
to own the life you were created for.

even people who believe they deserve
to be happy & have nice things often
don't feel worthy once they have them.
there is a difference between
thinking you deserve to be happy &
knowing you are worthy of happiness.

we often block our own blessings because
we don't feel inherently good enough
or smart enough or pretty enough
or worthy enough.

you're worthy because you are born &
because you are here.
your being here, your being alive
makes worthiness your birthright.

you alone are enough.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
on giving & receiving validation.

we all want validation.
every single person you will ever meet
shares that common desire.
they want to know:
do you see me?
do you hear me?
does what i say mean anything to you?

everybody wants to be heard.
try it with your children, your husband, your wife,
your boss, your friends.
validate them.
i see you. i hear you. and what you say matters to me.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
on being still, knowing & listening.

i know i've never been alone, &
you haven't either.
& i know that that presence, that flow –
some people call it grace –
is working in my life at every single turn.
& yours, too, if you let it in.
it's closer than your breath, &
it is yours for the asking.

even when i didn't have a name for it,
i could feel the voice bigger than myself
speaking to me, &
all of us have that same voice.

be still & know it.

you can acknowledge it or not.
you can worship it or not.
you can praise it, you can ignore it,
or you can know it.

know it.

it's always there speaking to you &
waiting for you to hear it in every move,
in every decision.

wait & i listen. i'm still –
i wait & listen for the guidance
that's greater than my meager mind.

god is love & god is life &
your life is always speaking to you.
your life is speaking to you.
what is it saying?

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
on spreading the o-love.

what i hope is that you all will be
that safe harbor for somebody else --
their safe place to fall.
do for them what you are telling me
the show has done for you.

connect.
embrace.
liberate.

love somebody.
just one person.
& then spread that to two.
& as many as you can.
you'll see the difference it makes.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
bonus: oprah noted that
'gratitude is the single greatest treasure
i will take with me from this experience.'

well, ms. winfrey,
i hope you take our gratitude for you
with you, as well.

have a good summer.
see you at the next level.


image: oprah.com.