Aha!

I'm a big Oprah fan. On Netflix, I'm on the 2nd disc in a series of 6 called The Oprah Winfrey Show: 20th Anniversary Collection. In the collection, Oprah takes us through her favorite interviews and talks about what they've meant to her. Disc 2 covers what she calls her "Aha moments". And as I watched these different interviews, a few of them really hit me. They are such important things to live by, and if taken seriously, they can really make a difference in the way you live your life. So I wanted to share them:

• Gratitude Journal - this show proposed the idea of keeping a journal, but not just a journal for whatever happened that day. It suggests that each day you write down 5 things that you were grateful for that day. And doing something small like this makes you look for these things throughout the day so that you have things to add to the list. The result of this isn't just a gratitude journal. It's a new way of life. It's no longer saying "poor me", but instead saying "lucky me".
• Authentic Power - this show asked the viewer "how do you view the world?" Look at the people around you. Are they cruel? Jealous? Constantly complaining? The people you surround yourself with are a reflection of how you view the world. If you surround yourself with negative people, you will view the world negatively. But if you surround yourself with positive, loving people, you will have a loving outlook on the world and humanity. This is one that I have really experienced myself. In the past few years, I have changed the type of people I surround myself with, and it has truly changed my life. It has changed the way I view my life and the world around me, and the things I believe I am capable of. And it has made me realize that if I too am a positive, loving person, I can pass on this energy and love to the people around me.
• Love Doesn't Hurt - 1 out of 4 women are in a battering relationship. This show addressed the problems women face in their relationships, with their denial being the biggest problem. Women stay in abusive relationships because the woman will say that the man loves her. But you teach people how they can treat you. They treat you bad because you let them. Oprah said "love feels good; love doesn't come up side your head". How is it that women think they are happy and think they are loved and think they can't live without that person, when that person is the one person making them feel unhappy and unloved and insecure. That isn't happiness. Happiness is feeling that you are the best you that you can be, and only when you find a person who brings out the best in you and lets your best you shine - that is when you can say that you are with someone who makes you happy and who loves you. There are too many women I know who don't understand the difference.
• Maya Angelou - This is a woman who has inspired Oprah since she was a young girl. Her words encourage people to overcome adversity and come out on top. She said that you need to stop and say thank you when you're in the middle of the biggest crisis of your life. When you feel like you're being hit up side the head and can't understand why - the first thing you say is thank you for it because you know whatever it is, it's only there to teach you more about yourself. And whatever it is, you're going to come out of it on the other side. And on the other side of every storm is an even greater joy.
• Children - When children walk in the room, they look at you to see if your face lights up. Do they see love or do they see criticism? Are you glad to see them? It's important for everybody, regardless of age, because every person is looking to see "Did you hear me? Do you see me? Do you really see me? Does what I say matter to you?" That is the common denominator in the human experience. And for children, this changes who they are. It changes who they will become. We need to be more conscious of how we treat others and how we make others feel. Especially children. It makes a difference. Everything we do makes a difference.