Oprah Winfrey's Secret to Living Happily
A while ago I watched on TV the 50th anniversary show of Larry King, the man who is dubbed the "Muhammad Ali of the interview." His guest was "talk show queen" Oprah Winfrey. Two of the world's top interviewers filled the screen. Winfrey to me is more interesting as a guest talking about herself than she is as the host of her own show. Born into a life of hardship to a single teenage mother, Winfrey found success and fortune worth some US$1.5 billion on TV and in publishing. She is the first black woman ever to join the billionaires club and she's been named one of the world's 100 most influential people. She was in the news most recently for her public endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
Asked by King if she was considering a run for office herself, Winfrey replied, "You know that is not going to ever happen." She continued, "I feel that the platform that I hold, the chair in which I get to sit in every day and speak to the world, is of far more value to me than any political office could be. Value in that I get to speak to people's hearts and get to connect with people all over the world."
I felt in the remarks the self-confidence unique to a person who has succeeded in his or her own way without being bound by the limits or the values of other people. As a matter of fact, most successes we talk about are measured not by how we ourselves feel about them but by how others assess them. We engage in games in which we have to compete and win, however miserable they may make us feel in our hearts. Let's reverse the gaze from the outside to the inside, counsels Winfrey.
Instead of following what others tell you to do in accordance with all sorts of "secrets to success," she suggests, we have to first listen to our inner voices so that we may know who we are. Only what we find that way can bring about genuine "happy success," she says. This Winfrey-style success can be likened to walking a map-less road. When she began broadcasting, Winfrey was criticized for being too sentimental and discussing private stories. She was said to be unorthodox. But the masses responded warmly to Winfrey's style. Don't suppress yourselves to win good will from others, advises Winfrey, who has succeeded by sticking to her own style.
The way she shares the fruits of her success may be even more inspiring than her success itself. She established a modern school in South Africa to give girls the opportunity for an education, and she has encouraged Americans to read more books through her book clubs. Once she gave cars to a talk-show audience as a gift. She also sponsors camps where she lectures on how to live happily.
Winfrey had a marvelous turning point in her life. Moved by the novel "The Color Purple" some 20 years ago, she made up her mind to act in the movie, which was to be made by director Steven Spielberg, by any means. She got an audition, but feared she wouldn't get the part. Should that be the case, she reasoned, it must be because of her weight. She immediately rushed to a health club. In the middle of a workout, praying that she be given the role, a health club staffer told her that she had a telephone call. It was from Spielberg, informing her that she had the part. At that moment, se said, she realized that she could direct her fate instead of being swayed by it.
The experience made Winfrey want to help other people change the way they think, because, she believes, you can live a better life if only you think differently. She attempted to become a mentor to troublesome girls with little success, but recently she has been pouring money into education projects.
Engrossed in the interview, it really struck a nerve when Winfrey said, "The way you think creates reality." Because I think she's right -- I feel like I'm living in a dark world if I'm dark and unhappy, and in a bright world if I live with a bright heart.
This column was contributed by Chosun Ilbo editorial writer Kang In-sun.
