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Financial Freedom

Oprah’s 10 commandments for lifelong success

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Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth. – Henry David Thoreau

I recently read the book Oprah Winfrey Speaks : Insights from the World’s Most Famous Influential Voice.

It was very inspiring.

Here are some of the things the “Queen of Media” had to say:

“Just tell the truth. It’ll save you every time.”

“Don’t complain about what you don’t have. Use what you’ve got. To do less than your best is a sin.”

“Every single one of us has the power for greatness, because greatness is determined by service-to yourself and to others.”

“I am a woman in progress. I’m just trying like everyone else. I try to take every conflict, every experience and learn from it. All I know is that I can’t be anybody else. And it’s taken me a long time to realize that.”

“If you’re angry, be angry and deal with it. Don’t go eat a bag of Ruffles.”

“God blesses you better when you pray on your knees.”

Oprah Winfrey is worth an astounding $2 billion dollars. I figured if anyone could talk about what it takes to be successful it’s her.

OPRAH ON COMMENCING SUCCESS

Oprah gets requests to speak at college commencements. Sometimes she accepts. Hear her talk about life and success to recent college grads in this 2018 commencement video.

And now, let’s talk Oprah’s 10 commandments for success.

OPRAH ON PLEASING OTHERS

Oprah Winfrey’s Ten Commandments for Success

  1. Don’t live your life to please others.

You better believe it. When I was younger, I was so concerned with what other people thought of me. I was teased so bad that I just got numb to it all.

I started focusing on my education. Read every book I could get my hands on. Looked for colleges I could go to that were affordable. Made sure my personal style and grooming became impeccable. The teasing stopped. I never looked back. Read my post on being fearless. 

That was in high school.

When I stopped trying to people please my life got better.

I also noticed whenever someone would call me selfish after I just finished helping them out or because I chose not to help them out at onetime or another. Just ignore the them. Push ahead and move forward.

I let those people go and cut them out of my life. Or cut them back. I need people that will lift me up.

No one can stop you. If you are meant to have it, no one can stop you from getting it.

Thank u, next!

OPRAH ON DEPENDING ON SELF

2. Don’t depend on forces outside of yourself to get ahead.

That’s right. Everything I every really got in life was due to hard work, determination, and persistence.

It didn’t matter if someone helped me out or gave me anything. I still had to work to keep or maintain it.

OPRAH ON HARMONY AND COMPASSION

3. Seek harmony and compassion in your business and personal life.

I too have noticed when I have my personal life in order, then I can also get my professional life in order.

The two are connected.

A cluttered home or office usually leads to a cluttered mind.

Simplify your life and always keep moving forward.

Like that animated movie, Meet the Robinsons taught its young audience, you can’t stop moving forward.

OPRAH ON SURROUNDING YOURSELF WITH GOOD PEOPLE

4. Get rid of the backstabbers—surround yourself only with people who will lift you higher.

In the book, Oprah Winfrey speaks, Maya Angelou went to court when Oprah was involved in a lawsuit in Texas. When asked what made her come down to Texas she stated, “I am here to lift Oprah up. For no other reason than that.”

Get rid of naysayers, negative Nancy’s, and Debbie Downers. They will only bring you down.

You do not have to be friends with everyone. Everyone does not have to like you. But we can respect each other.

OPRAH ON BEING NICE

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5. Be nice.

A little kindness can go a long way.

I learned that Oprah said as a little girl her family was poor. They had so little money that one time they could not even celebrate Christmas.

Then on this one fateful night, a group of nuns visited her family and offered Christmas dinner. Oprah was so grateful and thankful that someone cared she decided she would make sure in her life she always helped others.

Due to this story, I decided I would also do the same. Making a difference in the life of others is its own reward. I love to write. So, I write. I don’t do it for the money. I do it because this is my passion.

OPRAH ON GETTING RID OF VICES

6. Rid yourself of your addictions—whether they are food, alcohol, drugs or behavior habits.

Yep. I had an addition to credit and shopping. It took years to understand that I was psychologically using shopping as a way to fill avoid.

 Once I was able to identify the problem, I am happy to report that shopping was never a problem  for me again. I shop with lists, on a budget, and do not impulse buy.

You are looking at a reformed shopaholic.

I also was able to change my eating habits because I focused my energy more on working than eating.

I only needed three square meals to do the work. Made sure not to have idle hands. And to get the work done, it required me to exercise so I would have more energy and strength to work even more doing my passion!

OPRAH ON SMART PEOPLE

7. Surround yourself with people who are as smart or smarter than you.

I once read a woman say she when she goes out on she asks dates men do they have a passport and a library card.

She wanted someone who had traveled and was as well-read as she herself was. Since, it’s easier to maintain a relationship with people we have things in common with. She figured just ask for what she wanted. 

I always recommend books for people to read about finances.That way, instead of always having to ask someone for help, pay a professional financial advisor, or feel inadequate in any way you would now be knowledgeable.

I like to fill the gaps in anyone’s financial education. That way, if you know what I know, we are equals.

This is also why many people tend to meet and marry people that run in their social circles. It’s easier.

OPRAH ON MONEY

8. If money is your motivation, forget it.

Don’t even get me started.

It’s funny because I noticed whenever I focused on money it never appeared. When I stopped focusing on it, like chicken little said, it fell from the sky.

Money attracts money. Money is attracted to money.

Therefore, it is best to figure out who you want to be and what you want to do. If you are good at whatever it is, the money seems to come.

“Do what you love and the money will follow.” — Marsha Sinetar.

Build up the capital first, then start a business.

“If you wish to get rich, save what you get. A fool can earn money; but it takes a wise man to save and dispose of it to his own advantage.” ― Brigham Young

I learned that like I control a car, I also control and command my money. I tell it what to do. It doesn’t control me. YOU control it!

When you are angry, frightened or beg for money it seems to pull away from you.

If you act like this, would you want to hang out with you?

OPRAH ON POWER

9. Never hand over your power to someone else.

Absolutely, not!

When I read Pat Benatar’s biography, the two things I remember most are this:

One – when she said that her family went on annual vacations on someone else’s dime. Their creditor. They borrowed from their home to do it.This caused the family to go from having a home that was purchased for $7,000 to balloon to a $45,000 balance! They traded their life energy and many more years of working for a few days of fun every year. The creditor after 20+ years of payments still had power over their lives. She said it was not worth it.

Two – after signing her record deal with Chrysallis, she said she became an indentured servant. The label or “suits” had control of everything they did. It ruined relationships within the band that took years to repair, if ever. When her contract ended she never gave her power away again!

These are lessons we all can profit from. Do not give up your power. NEVER. EVER. EVER. 

OPRAH ON PERSISTENCE

10. Be persistent in pursuing your dreams

Never give up if you really want something, keep plugging away at it and your dreams can come true. – Robin Leach

I agree. One of my biggest dreams in life was to get a good education. It took me years to get where I wanted to go, but it happened.

Now, I not only finished college, but on average I read about 50 books a year.

It took me 15 years to get to the level I aspired for myself.

I just never gave up.

And neither should you.

Celebrities and Money, Entrepreneurship, Financial Freedom, Financial Independence, Self-Made Millionaires, Wealth

How being an outlier can make you rich

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“Ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness.” – Malcolm Gladwell

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” – Bruce Lee

No one can arrive from being talented alone, work transforms talent into genius. – Anna Pavlova

If you’re a fan of Enter the Dragon, like me, then you know that talent and practiced skill are the difference between winning and defeat.

Bruce Lee also said Knowledge will give you power, but character respect. 

That reminds me of this saying from The Rock.

I also notice that mavericks tend to get rich.

Those willing to do more than the bare minimum. We are talking captains or titans of industry and business mavericks, that buck the trend, throw caution to the wind, and are all in.

Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, LeBron James, Phil Knight, and Walt Disney, to name a few, embody the characteristics of what it takes to dominate in one’s field.  They are outliers. If you dare to dream and be an outlier yourself, then you are in great company.

WHAT IS AN OUTLIER?

A person or thing that is atypical within a particular group, class, or category. – Merriam Webster Dictionary

Simply put, you are different than the rest. You stand out. An outlier is the proverbial diamond in the rough or needle in the haystack. The 1 out of a million.

We all know how it worked out for Aladdin in the end.

When everyone else goes right, you go left and turn down the street.

You have tunnel vision. All energy is focused on a single task until it is completed or you are an expert. The rejection of noise and naysayers are a must.

A great definition of focus is this: To follow, without halt, one aim: There’s the secret of success. – Anna Pavlova (Prima Ballerina)

WHO ARE OUTLIERS?

The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique. – Walt Disney

We will take the examples above and expand on those individuals that have either been born great, achieved greatness, or had greatness thrust upon them. (To revise Humphrey Bogart’s famous words: Here’s looking at you, William. Shakespeare that is.)

So, who are these mavericks you say? Just keep reading.

Steve Jobs

Photo: Forbes.com

Steve Jobs was the CEO and co-founder of the most valuable brand in the world: Apple. The first ever trillion-dollar company in the entire world.  He pioneered revolutionary technologies. Thanks to his genius and willingness to dare to be different, we now have a computer in our pockets.

He decided to buck the trend and paid no dividends for Apple shareholders (this changed in 2012), as he thought that money could be better spent to expand the company.

Forbes, in 2011, estimated Jobs’ net worth to be around $6 billion to $ 7 billion dollars prior to his passing.

Bill Gates

Photo: Forbes.com

Bill Gates is a business magnate who is the founder of Microsoft. He took the road less traveled by famously dropping out of one of the most elite and prestigious universities in the world: Harvard.

Mr. Gates devoted every minute of his time to computer technology. He would read trade magazines and stay informed on the latest in tech. Becoming an expert in the field and later launching Windows in 1985. It became the top operating system for PC’s.

Forbes lists Gates’ net worth at $96B.

LeBron James

Photo: Forbes.com

LeBron James started playing basketball at a very young age. He loved the game so much that he played and practiced non-stop. By the time LeBron was 14, he had ESPN covering his high school basketball games because he was just that good.

He was drafted in 2003, to play professional basketball with the NBA. It is estimated that he spends $1.5 million dollars a year just on his health care and personal training to keep his body in the best athletic shape possible. He would go on to win the first ever championship for Cleveland. Ever. He recently built a school and is offering college scholarships to those students.

Forbes estimates James’ net worth at $440 million. That’s a lot of M’s just for going hard in the paint. It pays well to be the best.

Phil Knight

Photo: Forbes.com

Phil Knight is a business magnate and the co-founder of Nike. He ran track for the University of Oregon under the infamous track coach Bill Bowerman, with whom he co-founded Nike.  Bowerman is famous for coaching 31 Olympic athletes including the legendary Steve Prefontaine.

After attending Stanford Graduate School of Business, Knight decided to become an entrepreneur. His business plan paper became the catalyst for his company. He traveled to Japan to see about good running shoes, which would go on to become Nike.

Forbes estimates Knight’s net worth at $31B.

Walt Disney

Photo: Forbes.com

Walt Disney was a pioneer in the American animation industry. He always loved to draw. He had a paper route with a grueling and exhausting schedule as a kid, which contributed to his poor grades at school.

None the less, he continued to draw. He had $40 dollars in his pocket when he moved to CA to start his career. After, getting fired from a job in animation at one company, he decided to start his own.

People laughed at him for wanting to draw a talking mouse. An old legend states he was rejected 302 times to get financing to start Disney World. He ended getting the last laugh as Disney is the biggest and most diversified mass media and entertainment conglomerate in the world.

At the time of his death in 1966, he was estimated to have a net worth equal to $1 billion in today’s dollars (adjusting for inflation).

HOW CAN BEING AN OUTLIER MAKE YOU RICH?

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. – Henry David Thoreau

People are willing to pay for unique. Something that is one of a kind. The rarer the better.

Do something so good that people can’t wait to see you.

“Make sure it’s mean so them fiends keep on coming back” –  Who Dat (Song by J. Cole)

Keep them wanting for more.

They say the riches are in niches.

Mae West wrote on taboo subjects in the 1920’s. She made a mint in real estate and oil. This is what she thought of all that hoopla she made way back when.

I believe in censorship. I made a fortune out of it. – Mae West

Figure out what you are good at and make it happen.

When you start out you have to take what you can get, but when you blow up, you can name your price.

Remember that song Back Then by Mike Jones. Yeah, it can be something like that.

GO AHEAD AND TAKE THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. – Robert Frost

Many people have made a fortune off being different.

Success depends in a very large measure upon individual initiative and exertion, and cannot be achieved except by a dint of hard work.  – Anna Pavlova

Let’s see some numbers for clarity and perspective.

Only the best can become NFL players. Here is what the best can make.

Rookie Salaries in the NFL

Source: FootballNextLevel.com

Highest Paid Players in NFL

Source: Spotrac.com

These are just salaries for one profession. There are many others.

CEOs are making bank. In addition, so can authors, producers, actors, musicians, professors, doctors, and more can as you can garner success in many other fields.

How hard are you willing to work to make success happen?

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson says success takes no less than everything you’ve got. You don’t need directions on the road to success, just point to the top and go! Here are a few more of his words of wisdom for motivation.