My love for Oprah started in the third grade. While I was still wrapped up in playing Barbie dolls, my good friend Kelly was way ahead of me. One afternoon during our play date, she introduced me to Phil Donahue… and then Oprah.
Donahue was fine but Oprah, well Oprah will forever hold a special place in my heart. I may not have understood all of her topics as a little girl but I somehow learned to appreciate her right away and that appreciation still lives with me today.
Over the weekend I did something I rarely do – I sat down in the middle of the day with a cup of tea to relax.
Not only did I sit down, I put the television on and went through the On Demand Menu.
I found Oprah’s Life Class.
It was quite interesting to watch her incorporate modern technology into her show since Life Class utilizes social media platforms to involve not only the audience, but viewers from home. Hearing her speak of hashtags and tweeting made me laugh a bit.
There was no such thing as an internet let alone a hashtag when I was growing up watching Oprah every day at 4:00 pm. The best you could do was send in a self-addressed stamped envelope hoping for a chance to sit in the audience at Harpo Studios and possibly stay at the All- Suite Omni Hotel located in the heart of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile.
I was in my glory watching Oprah. I even had a few A-HA and BING BING MOMENTS along with her and Dr. Phil and I am here to share them with you today.
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THREE A-HA AND DING DING MOMENT TIPS COURTESY OF OPRAH AND DR. PHIL:
1 – NEVER INVEST MORE THAN YOU CAN AFFORD TO LOSE- We can view this tip as financial but I do believe it holds much more meaning than simply about our wallets.
Often we give too much of ourselves and then wonder why people let us down so often.
Be smart with your emotions. Don’t constantly give more than you are receiving.
2- IF YOU LEARN FROM IT, IT BECOMES INTUITION – This is genius. Of course it is, it came from an episode of Oprah.
Life is full of experiences. Some good, some bad, some we are still trying to figure out. With each experience, we learn a lesson.
And, with that new-found knowledge learned, it becomes a part of us and helps to develop our intuition.
How we choose to use that new knowledge, is a whole other story.
More often than not, we find ourselves in similar situations, and most of these situations that I am referring to tend to be toxic.
Oprah and Dr. Phil love to speak of toxic situations and toxic people.
Could it be we have not developed our intuition from the lessons of our previous experiences? Or, are we choosing to ignore it?
3- SELF-NURTURING IS NOT SELFISH- You now have permission to NOT SHARE your dessert.
In all seriousness (although I am totally serious on the dessert part), it is A-OK to take care of yourself without feeling guilty.
It is not selfish of you to look out for yourself and your needs even if the people in your life feel otherwise.
If we don’t take care of ourselves and put ourselves first sometimes, who will?
This was really an A-HA moment for me.
Self-nurturing isn’t just remembering to take time out for a pedicure, a massage or a vacation from routine. It is also remembering to avoid toxic people and situations that negatively affect you and your well-being.
I have learned that it is OK for me to avoid certain friends because all they do is complain. I often feel guilty for not taking their calls, keeping our communication brief or distancing myself completely from them because the negativity is not something I need or want in my life.
I may start wearing this pin. I bet Oprah would like it so much that it would have been a giveaway on her Favorite Things episode.
Well class, that’s it for today. Your homework is to think about the A-HA and BING BING MOMENTS and see how they apply to you.
Have a great Tuesday!
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I NEED TO KNOW:
Did you grow up watching Oprah?
Were you ever lucky enough to be in the audience?
Did you have an A-HA moment along with me today? Any of these tips resonate with you?
The Cookie ChRUNicles 