Have you had an epiphany so shocking you actually said out loud, "Aha!"? Oprah certainly has. In the following five lessons from life teachers such as Dr. Maya Angelou, Tony Robbins and Dr. Phil, you will hear ideas that changed Oprah's life forever -- and if you're open to it, they just might change yours as well.
"When you hold onto your history, you do it at the expense of your destiny."
When Bishop T.D. Jakes appeared on "Oprah's Lifeclass" just last year, he talked about ways to help people move on from the pain of their past, giving Oprah this powerful life lesson to add to her collection. "Oh, my God. That just hit me!" she said, almost moved to tears. "That hit me. Whoa."
"The only thing keeping you from getting what you want is the story you keep telling yourself about why you can't have it."
After Oprah attended Tony Robbins' "Unleash the Power Within" seminar, she experienced this breakthrough. Everything, Robbins says, is based around the story you tell yourself about your past. The roadblock occurs when you get stuck in that story, rather than letting it evolve. "You can't access the answers as long as you have a story that says it's impossible," Robbins says. "We all know the power of belief; it can change your biochemistry... It might be true that you went through hell, but that's not why you're not having what you want today. That is horrific, but that's not what today is. That's the reason you're giving because you're just deathly afraid of what it's going to take to do it today."
"When people show you who they are, believe them."
One of Oprah's favorite lessons from Dr. Maya Angelou goes back more than 15 years when the poet and author shared this unforgettable statement about people's true characters. Her reasoning? "They know themselves better than you do," Dr. Angelou said.
"Never invest more than you can afford to lose."
During one of Dr. Phil's many appearances on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," he said something that Oprah never forgot: You don't have to worry about trusting other people if you can trust yourself. When Dr. Phil led an "Oprah's Lifeclass" about toxic people, the lesson on trust sparked this equally profound aha moment about investing your time, effort and trust in another person.
"Every life is a platform."
As a television host, Oprah has a unique worldwide platform that other people don't have, but a conversation with Marianne Williamson unearthed the way in which anyone, anywhere can touch the lives of others. "When people say, 'I need a platform,' you have a body. You have a mind," Williamson says.
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