After being on the air for 25 years, the Oprah Winfrey Show ended on May 25, 2011. I was never a faithful viewer like some, but would watch from time to time. My mom watched it nearly every day, though. And I always liked the show. It’s impossible to miss the influence that Oprah had on our society – from book suggestions to starting careers of Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil and even to introducing most of the country to would-be President Barack Obama.
When I did watch, her show always spoke to me, sharing a message that I needed right at that moment. Oprah’s final show was no different. Her last episode was without fanfair – it was just Oprah, alone on her stage, pontificating about the last 25 years and giving words of encouragement to her viewers. Oprah was undeniably more than just a TV show host. She found her true calling and lit up the world by fulfilling it. Her final words really inspired me. I’ve saved her last show to watch whenever I’m down in the dumps and need a pick-me-up. Below are just a few of the quotes from her last show that resonated with me, courtesy of oprah.com:
"What I knew for sure from this experience with you is that we are all called. Everybody has a calling, and your real job in life is to figure out what that is and get about the business of doing it. Every time we have seen a person on this stage who is a success in their life, they spoke of the job, and they spoke of the juice that they receive from doing what they knew they were meant to be doing. We saw it in the volunteers who rocked abandoned babies in Atlanta. We saw it with those lovely pie ladies from Cape Cod making those delicious potpies. ... We saw it every time Tina Turner, Celine, Bocelli or Lady Gaga lit up the stage with their passion. Because that is what a calling is. It lights you up and it lets you know that you are exactly where you're supposed to be, doing exactly what you're supposed to be doing. And that is what I want for all of you and hope that you will take from this show. To live from the heart of yourself. You have to make a living; I understand that. But you also have to know what sparks the light in you so that you, in your own way, can illuminate the world."
“…But what I want you to know as this show ends: Each one of you has your own platform. Do not let the trappings here fool you. Mine is a stage in a studio, yours is wherever you are with your own reach, however small or however large that reach is. Maybe it's 20 people, maybe it's 30 people, 40 people, your family, your friends, your neighbors, your classmates, your classroom, your co-workers. Wherever you are, that is your platform, your stage, your circle of influence. That is your talk show, and 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. And when you do that, you will receive in direct proportion to how you give in whatever platform you have.”
"My great wish for all of you who have allowed me to honor my calling through this show is that you carry whatever you're supposed to be doing, carry that forward and don't waste any more time. Start embracing the life that is calling you and use your life to serve the world."
“…Nobody but you is responsible for your life. It doesn't matter what your mama did; it doesn't matter what your daddy didn't do. You are responsible for your life. ... You are responsible for the energy that you create for yourself, and you're responsible for the energy that you bring to others.”
“…There is a difference, you know, between thinking you deserve to be happy and knowing you are worthy of happiness…What I got was we often block our own blessings because we don't feel inherently good enough or smart enough or pretty enough or worthy enough…”
“…I've talked to nearly 30,000 people on this show, and all 30,000 had one thing in common: They all wanted validation. If I could reach through this television and sit on your sofa or sit on a stool in your kitchen right now, I would tell you that every single person you will ever meet shares that common desire…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.'"
"I have felt the presence of God my whole life. Even when I didn't have a name for it, I could feel the voice bigger than myself speaking to me, and all of us have that same voice. Be still and 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 and waiting for you to hear it in every move, in every decision. I wait and I listen. I'm still—I wait and listen for the guidance that's greater than my meager mind.”
"The only time I've ever made mistakes is when I didn't listen. So what I know is, God is love and God is life, and your life is always speaking to you. First in whispers. ... It's subtle, those whispers. And if you don't pay attention to the whispers, it gets louder and louder. It's like getting thumped upside the head, like my grandmother used to do. ... You don't pay attention to that, it's like getting a brick upside your head. You don't pay attention to that, the whole brick wall falls down. That's the pattern I've seen in my life, and it's played out over and over again on this show…What I've gleaned from this show: Whispers are always messages, and if you don't hear the message, the message turns into a problem. And if you don't handle the problem, the problem turns into a crisis. And if you don't handle the crisis, disaster. Your life is speaking to you. What is it saying?"
The last two paragraphs are the ones that really hit home for me. I know that I haven’t always listened to God’s gentle whispers or even the thumps on the head. I think this was the part of the show I really needed to hear right at that moment and take to heart.
Thank you for all the wonderful years, Oprah. I know we’ll see you in some other venture soon. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll see me in a new venture too – one that lights me up.
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