Tweet

Lesson #2: Rise Above Your Obstacles

Article Overview: “Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity,” says Oprah. “Don't fight them. Just find a different way to stand.”

Lesson #2: Rise Above Your Obstacles

“Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity,” says Oprah. “Don't fight them. Just find a different way to stand.”

Oprah is a woman of extremes; she is extremely successful, extremely powerful and extremely passionate about what she does. But, her success has come at the end of a long road of other extremes: obstacles. From sexual molestation to drug abuse to racism, Oprah has endured an inordinate amount of both personal and professional challenges on her path to becoming the richest woman in America.

Born as a poor, black, and out of wedlock child, Oprah already had the odds stacked against her. Raped at the age of nine and sexually harassed by family members for the next four years, Oprah turned to a life of rebellion and drugs. It was not until she went to live with her father, who imposed strict discipline on the young Oprah and encouraged her education that she began to turn her life around. With a renewed focus on school and the encouragement of her father, she overcame the mental trauma of harassment and went on to win a scholarship at a reputable university.

Reflecting on her youth, Oprah says, “You can take from every experience what it has to offer you. And you cannot be defeated if you just keep taking one breath followed by another.”

She has extended this philosophy into the professional realm as well. Faced with both racial and gender discrimination in the world of American broadcasting in the 1980s, Oprah was even more determined to succeed. Ironically, Oprah also experienced racism from African Americans, who believed she was only hired as a ‘token’ minority due to quotas that were imposed following the riots of the 1970s. To this, Oprah responded, “Yeah, but I'm a paid token.”

Despite the blows she was routinely dealt, Oprah never stopped fighting to achieve her goals. She became the youngest news anchor and the first black female news anchor at Nashville’s WTVF-TV.

Initially unsuccessful as a news anchor and thrown off the air due to her tendency to get emotional, the event made Oprah realize her passion for television. “I came off the air and said to myself, ‘this is what I should be doing. It's like breathing.’” Fueled with this newly ignited desire, she re-invented herself as a talk show host and used her ability to relate to people to propel her into becoming the most successful female television talk show host of all time.

“We are each responsible for our own life – no other person is or even can be,” says Oprah. That is why it is crucial not to let challenges, be they your own characteristics, events, people, or other uncontrollable factors, act as barriers between you and your goals.

“Energy is the essence of life,” she says. “Every day you decide how you’re going to use it by knowing what you want and what it takes to reach that goal, and by maintaining focus.” Overcoming the obstacles present in your life is precisely what will give you the confidence to achieve your goals.

Having triumphed over those hurdles she faced on her meteoric rise up, Oprah continuously faces new challenges with the increasing scope and success of her media empire. The difference now is that she is better equipped to deal with the challenges. “You are built not to shrink down to less but to blossom into more,” she says. “The right to choose your own path is a sacred privilege. Use it.”

Related Articles
  Getting Into the Mindset For Creative Writing
  Appreciate Your Obstacles!
  Getting Rich Is An Exact Science
  Obstacle or Opportunity? You decide.
  Overcoming Obstacles

Article Tags: african americans, american broadcasting, center of gravity, drug abuse, extremes, gender discrimination, ironically, mental trauma, news anchor, oprah, professional challenges, professional realm, quotas, racism, reputable university, richest woman in america, riots, sexual molestation, strict discipline, wedlock



Related Forum Posts
Dan Kennedy Marketing Methods - We haven't sent out the physical letter yet as the person owning the list wanted to make modifications to the letter that we knew would work well but the List owner had a point - it didn't reflect her personality so her clients would know it didn't come from her. Lesson learned for me. We're back to the drawing board with the list owner more involved in the development of the letter and emails. I should have known better being a Business Analyst in my day job that you never leave the end-user out. So Evan we haven't had the opportunity to test any of it yet but it's been a fun process for me to stand back and look at.
Napoleon on Project Management - Why do I include this in a list of books aimed at female entrepreneurs? Well...in the expectation that there are as many female history buffs as male ones, and in the belief that anyone interested in history will find this book fascinating, while those interested in project management will learn a thing or two. I think this was the first "gimmick" book - an author using a historical figure (usually a male, military figure, it must be admitted) to talk about modern day business management. I refuse to read any of the kind that advocates - even obliquely - the techniques of the Sopranos or the Mossad - but these military ones are pretty fun. Anyway: Only in the understanding of history, Napoleon might say, do we gain an understanding of strategy in the present. In the same spirit, Napoleon on Project Management offers the recipe for successfully managing your commitments using the strategies, tactics and priorities that propelled Napoleon himself to victory. [The book doesn't gloss over how Napolean eventually fell in defeat, of course, and there's lessons to be learned there as well. TOC Foreword by Douglas James Allan (Napoleanic Society of America) 1. The Rise to Power -The Skills to Succeed -A Compelling Vision -Diplomacy and Networking -Lessons from the Great Campaigns 2. Napoleon's 6 Winning Principles -Introduction -Exactitude -Speed -Flexibility -Simplicity -Character -Moral Force 3. The Downfall -What Went Wrong -Lessons from the Russian Invasion and Waterloo -The Four Critical Warning Signs -Napoleon's Legacy


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

The State of the Sustainable Furniture Industry

Life, Conflict and Work

Ways to Improve Your Landing Page Conversions

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.