I admire Oprah and the authenticity she has stood for; she has been an example to America that authenticity can be profitable, and I applaud that in anyone. I also admire her courage and willingness to publicly explore her spirituality, her can-do attitude, her love for books, and her faith in what is good and right. I’m not a TV watcher, but still do admire these things in her from the far sidelines. Oprah has written down some of her hard won wisdom, which I think is beneficial reading, and I’m sharing her list here, which was originally printed in her November 2009 column:

Oprah’s List of: What I Know for Sure

• What you put out comes back all the time, no matter what. (This is my creed.)
• You define your own life. Don’t let other people write your script.
• Whatever someone did to you in the past has no power over the present. Only you give it power.
• When people show you who they are, believe them the first time. (A lesson from Maya Angelou.)
• Worrying is wasted time. Use the same energy for doing something about whatever worries you.
• What you believe has more power than what you dream or wish or hope for. You become what you believe.
• If the only prayer you ever say is thank you, that will be enough. (From the German theologian and humanist Meister Eckhart.)
• The happiness you feel is in direct proportion to the love you give.
• Failure is a signpost to turn you in another direction.
• If you make a choice that goes against what everyone else thinks, the world will not fall apart.
• Trust your instincts. Intuition doesn’t lie.
• Love yourself and then learn to extend that love to others in every encounter.
• Let passion drive your profession.
• Find a way to get paid for doing what you love. Then every paycheck will be a bonus.
• Love doesn’t hurt. It feels really good.
• Every day brings a chance to start over.
• Being a mother is the hardest job on earth. Women everywhere must declare it so.
• Doubt means don’t. Don’t move. Don’t answer. Don’t rush forward.
• When you don’t know what to do, get still. The answer will come.
• “Trouble don’t last always.” (A line from a Negro spiritual, which calls to mind another favorite: This, too, shall pass.)

What do we know for sure?

Can we all write our list down?

What would yours look like?