The Formula That Leads to Wild Success Part 2: Oprah Winfrey
People who back their ideas and opportunities with hard work, a positive attitude and faith are very successful. They’re the individuals we look up to and admire in society. They follow the unofficial winning formula of humanity, which they put into practice each day.
They have maximized their talent by believing in themselves, having the audacity to put themselves in the spotlight and outworking everyone while never, ever giving up. We choose people like these as role models to look up to and to inspire us. They serve as a baseline- a standard of greatness- for us to study and measure ourselves against.
Today marks the second installment of my series on individuals, who in their own inimitable way, followed this formula to overwhelming greatness. You can read Part 1 on Michael Jordan right here.
Over the course of the upcoming weeks, I will showcase 10 individuals who have shattered the limits of expectation to re-define greatness. Today, in Part 2, I highlight the extraordinary, Oprah Winfrey. Enjoy!
Accolades and Accomplishments
Any shortlist of the most successful women in history must include the incomparable Oprah Winfrey. Want accolades? How about hosting the most successful daytime TV program in history, writing multiple bestselling books, owning her own production company, starting her own TV network… I could be here a while!
How about being the richest African-American on the continent- and one of the richest on the planet? Check.
Throw in an Oscar nomination, her generous record of philanthropy and being an all-around decent humanitarian- who has positively affected the lives of millions of people- and it’s safe to say Oprah Winfrey has achieved an extraordinary amount in one lifetime.
When it comes to Ms. Winfrey, a mononym is all one needs to know. The name “Oprah” elicits an immediate reaction, for many, of warmth and comfort. Her name exudes success. Don’t we all secretly want to get on the couch and chat with Oprah Winfrey?
The person we know today is an adversity-tested champion who reached the pinnacle of American success by redefining what success meant not only for African-Americans and women- but for anyone. Oprah is unrivaled in her achievements, but her road there was not an easy one. Far from it.
A Childhood of Adversity
The story of Oprah Winfrey is a breathtaking tale of the American dream, replete with Everest-like highs and cavernous lows. Oprah was born to a single, teenager mother in small-town Mississippi. She grew up in extreme poverty and as a young girl, wore potato sacks for dresses. From a very early age, she showed a gift for speech and memorization, and became known for her ability to recite Bible verses.
Oprah shuffled around with her mother, moving to the Milwaukee-area during her youth. At the age of nine, she was first molested. Sadly, this sexual abuse lasted for years.
“I was raped at 9 years old by a cousin, then again by another family member, and another family member.”
Oprah had a child at the age of 14, who possibly was fathered by her uncle, who had raped her. The baby was born prematurely and later died in infancy. She was ashamed of her pregnancy and never talked about it, in an effort to bury the pain.
It took courage to overcome sexual abuse, molestation and the loss of a child at the age of 14, to continue relying on talent and belief in self to reach her goals. During her high school years, Oprah’s mother sent her to live with her father in Nashville. He provided her with the disciplined environment she needed- finally- to focus on her dreams.
“My father turned my life around by insisting that I be more than I was and by believing I could be more.”
From there she took off academically and professionally. She worked in a variety of radio and TV jobs, starting during her senior year of high school. Oprah was destined to make her voice known to the world.
Crafting Her Vision and Dream
No one, no matter how great they become, gets there without first imagining and dreaming what seems at the time to be impossible. Oprah Winfrey knew that in order for her to be in her element, to profoundly affect peoples lives, she needed to align her vision with what people wanted.
“I always understood there really was no difference between me and the audience. At times, I have had better shoes. But at the core — at the core of what really matters — we were the same.”
In this way, we can better appreciate Winfrey’s path and her resolute willpower to get to the mountaintop of media. Through all of the cultural and societal obstacles in her way, all of the personal adversity, she kept pushing on and believing in herself. She refused to accept excuses.
“One percent doubt is zero percent faith.”
She attended college at Tennessee State University on full scholarship, then moved to Baltimore to become a news anchor. When that didn’t work out, she moved into hosting a local talk show, People are Talking, which was a big hit. After several years, time in which she honed her craft, Winfrey moved to Chicago to host a morning talk show, AM Chicago.
Another big-hit started to attract the attention of fans and TV executives, which led to the incredibly famous, The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Oprah’s idea of starting her own program, which was part self-help, part TV confessional was pure genius. She knew that people craved this medium. Success in the marketplace is about providing a service that people need and delivering it with perfect execution.She had the emotional intelligence and positive attitude to seize this opportunity and deliver the results. For 25 years.
In the end, she had presided over one of the greatest, most successful TV shows of all time. From there, where else to go but to start your own TV network?
A True Pioneer
What may seem commonplace today was far from the norm 30 years ago. At the time Winfrey broke through with her own show, the idea of a black woman holding an influential position of power like hers was unheard of. Winfrey was a pioneer for African-Americans and women. She continues to be and to use her platform for good.
It took imagination and courage to start her own production company, to ask the questions others were afraid to ask and to find a way to identify with millions of people who needed to hear her message. It took effort to leave the past behind and keep forging forward into uncharted waters. To continue perfecting her approach.
“Turn your wounds into wisdom. You will be wounded many times in your life. You’ll make mistakes. Some people will call them failures but I have learned that failure is really God’s way of saying, “Excuse me, you’re moving in the wrong direction.”
The Queen of Emotional Intelligence
Oprah’s greatness can be defined by her empathy, her desire to listen, learn and help others. Oprah showed the country that caring and showing our emotional sides is OK. It’s why we think today of going on, “Oprah’s couch,” for a good cry and to let our emotions out.
Oprah redefined the self-help industry by giving it a new, understanding and accepting face. The more she told her personal story, the more she endeared herself to millions and did wonders to help people who suffered from physical and psychological abuse.
Oprah Winfrey used the gifts she was given- speech, writing and otherworldly emotional intelligence to solve problems and help others. She did not doubt herself, rather viewing adversity as the opportunity to change direction and find what really mattered. I’ll finish with her words, hopefully to illustrate that anything is possible if we keep moving forward
“I am a woman in process. I’m just trying like everybody else. I try to take every conflict, every experience, and learn from it.”
Please stay tuned for Part 3 in my series this Thursday, where I tell the success story of Elon Musk. In the meantime, if you enjoyed reading this, please be so kind as to click on the green heart, and let me know what you have to say! And if you’re really feeling lucky, please consider following me here on Medium! Thank you so very kindly for reading.
