Tonight, Oprah held her first Lifeclass on OWN. Through the series, Oprah is hoping to give us our OWN “ah-ha” moments and empower us to live our best life. With thousands of others around the world, Oprah is sitting down and opening her heart to us to share what she has learned…and pass it on. Welcome to Oprah’s Lifeclass. Here are my notes and Oprah’s lessons…from her Lifeclass.

• You can’t begin to love yourself or even be true to yourself unless you know who you are seperate from your ego.
• Eckhart Tolle – Chapeters 3 and 4 changed the way Oprah looked at life.  *note to self…time to re-read this book…at least these chapeters.
• Ego is any identification with form. Ego – any identification with form – anything that is other than your true self – is ego.
• The EGO is wiley, cunning, deceptive – imposing on the real you and making you think that you are something you are not.  You are not the shape of your body. You are not your status. You are not your position in life.  You are not the car you drive.  You are not your house.  If you think you are, that is your ego talking.  Those things do not make you or define you.
• Exercise: Close your eyes. Notice what you are thinking. Now, who is thinking those thoughts? Can you notice there is a space where you are observing the thoughts and where you are aware of the thoughts you are observing? Eckhart says, “You are that awareness disguised as a person.” When I got to that, I understood the difference between my true self and my ego self.
• Understanding the ego is having the awareness of your true self and your ego self. Oprah talks about her journey to and through the ‘fat wagon’ episode back in 1988 and uses herself in this lesson to show us where her ego came out…and the difference between that experience and then, her journey with Bob Greene.
• The connection is the connection to the truth and your true self.  The connection of the alignment and the power within.  Operating out of ego means you are operating out of fear.  Operating out of fear means that you always going to be scared and running for your life instead of being in alignment with your life. It’s about really remaining conscious and connected with that piece of yourself that knows that you are not the thoughts in your head…you are not identifying with the thoughts in your head or the things that surround you.  You are not defined by your possessions or titles or positions in life…that you are aware and live in the space of awareness and are connected to it in such a way that everyday you move from a space of peace.
• Make the connection to your true self so that you don’t have to operate from ego.
• The ego is the disassociation from your true sense of self-worth.
• “The ego is the false sense of self based on mental concept.”  – Eckhart Tolle
• The moment you say, “Oh, that’s my ego,” you begin to deminish it’s power.
• “I dont think it’s possible anymore for other people to hurt me.  They’re just giving me their observation and I’m giving it meaning.” – Rita Bridenstine
• Recognizing my ego can save me from frustration and will help me step out of the situation and let it go.  The way the ego flares brings that kind of energy.
• The ego is never satisfied and feeds itself on wanting.
• It’s hard to call out the ego for what it is, but the moment you do and have the courage to step up and say, “I don’t want to be this person anymore,} the ego cannot stand once you recognize what it really is – if you are willing to see and acknowledge that false self.
• The abiltiy to know the truth of yourself and to have awareness is how you disconnect from the ego.
• “The defining character of a person is what they do when they are down…and how they get up.” – Vance Johnson
• You alone are enough.
• “Do not wait until you are on your death bed before you start to recognize that no thing – nothing – no material possessions, no position in life, no job, no status ever really matters in terms of defining who you really are. No thing has ever defined who you really are.” – Eckhard Tolle
• No thing, no material possession matterns in terms of defining who you are.
• How does your ego show up in your own life? It shows up every time you buy something you cannot afford and you didn’t need…it shows up every single time you extend yourself in a way that you know if not the truth…in all of the stuff and all of the things…it shows up everytime someone doesn’t agree with you and you feel offended by their disagreement.  You ego is your defense.  It shows up in every way you pretend to be somebody that you are not.

Oprah’s Lifeclass is powerful, enlightening, emotional and defining. Life changing lessons and it’s only day one.   Amazing…after each class this week, Oprah is holding a LIVE web class on Oprah.com and direct from Facebook and replays for tonights live discussion can be found here.  Tonight, the discussion ended with this beautiful poem…that inspires me in so many ways and is the perfect way to finish the class.  Thank you Oprah…

Love After Love by Derek Walcott

The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other’s welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.

Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.