the daily OWN

The Importance of Choice

by patricia on May 20, 2013

Life is a constant stream of choices. Some are more trivial than others…chocolate chip or snicker-doodle? Others hold more significance. Regardless each choice is a turn in our path. Every decision changes our lives…either for a few minutes or forever. While some choices lead to success, others can set us on a path to failure. The trick is making the right choice.

When we are young, choices seem less important. There is a sense that we have time to change our course and achieve all that we want. It is easier to let other people’s judgment sway our sense of what is right….especially if the alternative is more carefree. With a ripple effect, suddenly we are off course and our journey can become even more difficult. All because of choices.

As we get older, we begin to recognize the impact of our decisions. This is were it gets complicated. Suddenly aware of the ripple effect, many people find themselves stuck and fearful of change and choice. Everything matters. The crazy thing is that being frozen and incapable of making a choice, IS A CHOICE. That choice adds to your steps along your path.

Sometimes bad things happen and I am as troubled as anyone else about this. But not all things that happen aren’t foreseen and not everyone is an innocent victim. For many people, they have taken steps towards it each and every day. Selfish decisions, failure to act, indifference…only to name a few turning points. You see…negative choices bring negative energy into your life.

I grew up hearing my mother drill the mantra “you reap what you sow” deep into my soul. As I get older, I see how true this is. Those who never tended their crops, find their themselves hungry and desperate for life. While those who cultivated their relationships and took time to make proper decisions, are full and thriving.

“Quality questions create a quality life,” Tony Robbins informed us all. I believe our life is the sum of all of our choices. No matter how still you are, life keeps changing. If you are finding yourself stuck in “choice” quicksand, her are a few questions that may help to get you out:

Will this steal my energy or enhance it?
Will this choice hold me in my past or move me towards an inspiring future?
Will I grow from this?
Is this an act of love…or sabotage?

Newton’s first law basically states that an object in motion will stay in motion until acted upon by an outside force. Life is the same. You are in constant motion until you die. The question is where are you heading? Ultimately the choices you make will define you. The goal is to be the best person you can be in each moment…one moment at a time, one choice at a time.

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Mother’s Day – A Celebration

by patricia on May 12, 2013

Today is a special day. A day that will be filled with ”Thank Yous” for woman all over the world who have taken the time in their lives to help mentor or nurture a child. There is no greater gift than the gift of love and feeling significant. Although at times they may drive you a little crazy with their concern or their worries, one thing is certain…the love is always there! So today be sure to stop and take a moment to reach out and thank the women in your life. The women who have helped to make you the person you are today.

To all of you who have made a difference in the life of a child…THANK YOU from TheDailyOWN!

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Our OWN Don’t Miss List

by paula on May 10, 2013

Just in time for a little Spring planning of your schedule this weekend, here comes our OWN Don’t Miss list! With Mother’s Day upon us, Oprah and team are showing the “mom love” this weekend. Don’t miss the Saturday superwomen line-up with Iyanla: Fix My Life, Life with LaToya and Raising Whitley. Then, sleep in on Sunday and wake up with Oprah and Dr. Maya Angelou on a soulful Super Soul Sunday and finish up your day with an Oprah Lifeclass with Iyanla and an audience of single moms and a lot of mom lessons. Here we go…for OWN and for YOU!

9pm Saturday – Fix My Life 9/8c
10pm Saturday – Raising Whitley (one of our favorite new shows!) 10/9c
10:30pm Saturday – Life with LaToya. 10:30/9:30c
11am Mother’s Day Sunday– Blessed are we this Super Soul Sunday to have Oprah sitting down with Dr. Maya Angelou in part one of a not to be missed SSS episode! So, spend your Sunday filling up your soul! This - like all of the other episodes – is sure to be an AHA exercise for the soul and spirit.
7pm Sunday Night - An encore of Oprah’s Lifeclass: Fatherless Sons will be replayed for those who didn’t catch last weeks airing. Amazing discussions to open hearts and heal old wounds. 7/6c
9pm Sunday Night - ALL NEWS Oprah’s Lifeclass – Oprah & Iyanla Vanzant/The Secret Pain of Single Mothers …it’s not easy being a single mom… there is sure to be some love and lessons in this hour. 9/8c

And for this very special Mother’s Day weekend…stop, take a deep breath in and make sure that you put on your list all of the amazing women who have been mothers or like a mother to you. While they should be celebrated everyday…this is your reminder to tell them how much you love them… Here’s an even better idea. Sit down with them and watch OWN this Sunday! We know that we will be doing this! Happy Mother’s Day weekend everyone! Let the celebration begin!

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I Have BAITERs

by paula on April 29, 2013

I have BAITERs. I didn’t know they had a name until Dr. Phil told me. I have known them, loved them, and encouraged them with my actions. I have supported them, ran to them in a moments notice and in retrospect, I may have even been one with my choice of words or in the midst of a storm. I have and have had BAITERs in my life. NOW…what am I supposed to do with this information?

Last night on Oprah’s Lifeclass, Dr. Phil sat down with Lifeclass students to start talking about life and the lessons he lays out in his new book, “Life Code”…In the hour, he opened the conversation to start talking about different toxic people that show up in our lives that may go unnoticed. Giving them the acronym of “BAITER,” Dr. Phil spells it out clearly what these people are set out to do to your life…take it over. A BAITER stands for the following kinds of people that show up in your life – Backstabbers, Abusers, Imposters, Takers, Exploiters, and those who are Reckless with your life and with theirs.

From the live taping of the show on Monday to the network airing on Sunday night, I’ve been walking around with all of this information and with questions - I have had BAITERs in my life. Some are still lingering around. Am I something of a BAITER magnet? And if I am, how do I stop the pull…and an even bigger question, can you love a BAITER without letting them wreak havoc on your life?

Throughout my life, friends, family and even a fiancée have shown up as regular people only to creep over and cross the BAITER line somewhere in the process. And while they may have slipped into destructive behavior, here’s my role in all of this…I didn’t do anything about it…at first. I allowed for people to use me, take advantage of me, and be reckless with my open heart, my generosity and my forgiveness. The man I was going to marry once said to me, “Well, I know I can screw you over and win you back. I’ll just keep trying really hard and sooner or later, I know you’ll take me back.” Today that declaration would receive a raised eyebrow, a sarcastic “Reaaaaallllly?” and then me walking out the door. Done. Back then, when I was amidst my BAITER lessons, I think I laughed it off…but only on the outside. Inside, I raised an eyebrow, thought “Reaaaallllly?” and my heart started walking out the door.

Once I stopped minimizing the actions and I started recognizing and trying to stop letting this behavior creep into my life, the consequence of learning the lessons became the closing off of my heart. Protected…but tucked away in darkness…this is how I handled the BAITERs in my life. That was until recently…when I realized that closing off my heart only takes away the sunlight that it needs in order to grow…and that I am strong enough to see bad behavior, realized I cannot change it, and turn the corner and keep on walking and moving forward in life.

So while Lifeclass and Dr. Phil give me more to think about and more labels to attach to my life experiences, this I know for sure…BAITERs will show up in your life. Everything in life is drawn to the love and light that you put off into the world…just like the plant leans towards the window with a yearning for the sun to grow and be strong. Love and light are natural magnets for everything. But with your love and light, open your eyes and when you see a BAITER show up in your life, raise an eyebrow….and take your light and your life towards a different direction. Really.

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Our OWN Don’t Miss List

by paula on April 27, 2013

It’s been awhile, but we are jumping back in and giving you our OWN don’t miss list. When I was pouring a little coffee this morning…I realized there’s a few things that didn’t make the list…our wish for you is that you find something on here and jump into your own life and don’t miss a thing. Here we go…for OWN and for YOU!

Saturday – Home Made Simple starts your weekend off right with a little DIY tips at 9am EST
Saturday – Fix My Life 9/8c
Saturday – Raising Whitley (one of our favorite new shows!) 10/9c
Saturday – Life with LaToya. 10:30/9:30c
Sunday– Join one of our favorite show encores of Super Soul Sunday with Oprah and Eckhart Tolle and Being in the Now at 10/9c. Then a both SSS sessions with Nate Berkus on The Things That Matter and finished with Oprah’s talk with Don Miguel and The Four Agreements! The is change your life TV. Each and every Sunday like clockwork, our spirits wake up excited about Super Soul Sunday. Join in with all the other Super Soul Sunday spirits and spend time nurturing your soul for the week!
Sunday Night - Oprah’s Lifeclass is back with Dr. Phil and giving us amazing lessons on How to Spot and STOP the Bad Guys in Your Life. We watched the live taping and THIS is a Lifeclass NOT to miss! Take your seats by 9p8c for a great class!

And on a personal note, DON’T MISS the amazing things and people happening in your life everyday. Take the time to hug someone…long enough to feel their heart beating with yours. Don’t miss the moments when smiles are offered and laughter shows up. Stop and be in those moments…and don’t focus so much on the “other stuff” that fills up your life that you forget the most important things right in front of you – time with those you love…and time with yourself. Don’t miss living your best life…all you have to do is pay attention!

On the OWN side, we hope this makes channel surfing a little easier. Enjoy OWN and if you can, join us on Twitter during the shows! We’d love to connect with you!

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Finally, Dr. Phil is Coming to Oprah’s Lifeclass Tonight!

by paula on April 22, 2013

Tonight, Spring classes are back in session as Dr. Phil sits down with Oprah in Chicago for a filming of Oprah’s Lifeclass. Saying a little “thank you” prayer for the perfect timing of this event for us, Oprah and her OWN team are taping a two-hour session of Lifeclass at 7/6c tonight that will be live streamed around the world via Oprah.com and on Facebook.com/OWNTV.

As Dr. Phil’s sits down for his first appearance on Oprah’s Lifeclass, we are sure to get some “tell us like it is” moments and some great life lessons to add to the notes that we’ve already taken on Lifeclass. Like no other show on television, Oprah has opened up the stage to an interactive life course – master level for those searching to step up and into their best lives.

Join us and other Lifeclass alumni tonight as we virtually sit next to each other in class. But if you can’t make it tonight, OWN will be airing the show in the network lineup in the near future. Take in an extra deep breath and an extra dose of daily meditation because here comes Dr. Phil…and when he steps into class, who knows what might happen.

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Raising Whitley Coming to OWN

by paula on April 16, 2013

OWN is not your ordinary channel…and Raising Whitley looks like it’s not going to be just another reality show. Comedian and new star of Raising Whitley, Kym Whitley, sat down with OWN Ambassador and A Spoonful of Paolo host, Paolo Presta, to talk about life and a little about her journey. This will give you an insight to why we are Raising Whitley on OWN starting this Saturday…and why we are going to like her so much. Thanks Paolo and Patrick for bringing us a side of Kym that we can share before the big premier. We absolutely LOVE her! And we abosolutely LOVE Paolo and Patrick. For more of their videos, visit them at A Spoonful of Paolo.

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OWN Ambassador Malika Garrett Making a Difference Through Art and Passion

by paula on April 13, 2013

It’s easy to see the extraordinary when there is so much love and light around a person.

Last week, our friend and fellow OWN Ambassador’s amazing painting created for the charity, Akshaya Patra, captured the hearts of many and a $50,000 donation from more than one bidder. And in a roundabout way…all on a journey that included a lunch stop with Oprah, the attention of Deepak Chopra and tweets for OWN.

When we met artist and woman extraordinaire, Malika Garret, friendship came so easy and she seemed to be born with that extraordinary kind of light and energy around her that brought with it an instant connection. So, when we heard of this latest story about her and her amazing artwork, it came as no surprise of the great kindness and gifts that she has to offer the world. But what we did find interesting is that it all came with a little nudge from a great Oprah Lifeclass teacher and an eye opening experience of validation and service.

“In December,” Malika said, “When contacting Dr. Chopra about a different project, he mentioned that he would be traveling to Atlanta for an Akshaya Patra (AP) fundraiser event.” With the little nudge in this direction, he sent her the link to their website and there Malika says, “before I knew it I was firmly on board the AP train and my life changed forever.” Malika offered to do an original painting as a donation to the AP Foundation Fundraiser and asked if Dr. Chopra would collaborate on this piece and sign it. As Malika tells it, “His enthusiastic response was, “Of course.””

As it so happens, during this journey, Malika traveled to India for a scheduled family visit and was able to experience firsthand the difference that the work of the charity was doing. After spending a day with those who prepared the meals and then handing them out at a nearby school, Malika took in the lessons. “What struck me most besides the pristine cleanliness of the facilities was the unspoken discipline and grace of the whole process,” Malika shared. “Everything operated like clockwork and each volunteer and worker approached their duties with a sense of deep reverence and offering.” Malika said that what she realized during her visit was that AP was doing more than just providing daily hot meals, they were shaping and changing the lives of these children by making sure that they knew that they mattered and that they were worthy of a hot meal.

Her journey and visit came through on the canvas, as she created a piece of artwork for the fundraiser. As Malika said eloquently, the “visit captured my consciousness and filled my heart with indelible images that inspired the painting I created.” But her work does a little more than that…it offers lessons to all of us as we move through our lives. Here are the ones that I encourage you all to look out for.

- You never know when and where your life will change. Be open to the little nudges that may push you in different directions. It just may take you exactly where you need to travel.

- The world speaks to us all to validate our gifts. Malika is an amazing artist. Embrace your talents – whatever they are. They are there for a reason. Don’t ask why they are your talents; ask what you can do with them to make the world a better place.

- When you don’t know what you have to give, know that YOU are the most valuable thing you have to offer. You are enough.

- Open your heart and let the love and energy from the world fill you up. Because it’s when your own open heart overflows that you realize how capable you are of changing the world and making it better because you are here.

Malika is one of the kindest, most genuine people that we have met on this journey. Her artwork captures this beauty of her spirit and through the vision of her heart, what she sees in the world. It is no wonder that Deepak Chopra connected with her and her spirit or that her painting donation will help AP change the lives of so many. She is love and light and it shows up radiantly on canvas.