What I Know for Sure

Sharing my learnings from the book, What I Know for Sure by Oprah Winfrey.

What I Know for Sure by Oprah Winfrey

Organized by theme—joy, resilience, connection, gratitude, possibility, awe, clarity, and power—these essays offer a rare, powerful and intimate glimpse into the heart and mind of one of the world’s most extraordinary women—while providing readers a guide to becoming their best selves. Candid, moving, exhilarating, uplifting, and frequently humorous, the words Oprah shares in What I Know For Sure shimmer with the sort of truth that readers will turn to again and again.

• Though she experienced incredible hardship early on, Oprah believes that it’s what eventually made her so successful. In her opinion, the loneliness that gnawed at her as a young child taught her the importance of being self-sufficient; she learned that no one else was going to take care of her, and so she would have to fend for herself. She also learned that happiness was something for which she couldn’t depend on others; she would have to achieve it on her own.
• Oprah believes that determination and an open mind will enable you to overcome your most difficult struggles and turn them into your greatest strengths.
• Instead of depending on others, however, we need to focus on ourselves as our source of love and self-worth. Oprah believes that you possess the power to give yourself affection and care. The truth is that no one else can change the way you feel about yourself or boost your value and worth. You’re responsible for your life, which means that you’re responsible for loving yourself and convincing yourself that you matter.
• Lying awake in bed one evening, she started to feel her heart beat rapidly. The palpitations went on for six months, and her doctors were perplexed as to what was causing them. In light of this health scare, Oprah realized that she had been taking her health and wellbeing for granted. She should’ve been grateful for her heart, eating healthy foods and exercising to nourish it, but instead, she was preoccupied with her dress size and the way she looked.
• no matter your age, you should never let fear stop you from becoming the best version of yourself.
• instead of adjusting her life ambitions to align with the expectations of others, she decided she needed to focus on what she wanted. She came to see that the only person she had to impress or prove something to was herself. In doing so, she stopped fear dictating her life.
• To escape from the fallacious belief that being a good person means always saying yes, Oprah had to accept that she was a kind and well-natured being, even if she refused people’s requests. She started saying yes to activities only when she really wanted to, letting her heart guide her in the decision-making process. That is, she acted according to whatever felt right, whether that meant saying yes or saying no.
• Oprah’s pursuit of excellence and her goal to get people to vote are informed by racism.