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5 Ways to Search for your Best Life

by patricia on July 31, 2012

OYou 2012 Boot Camp Challenge – Week 1.

So often we wait for a sign…something to reaffirm that we are heading in the right direction.  However, we can spend our whole lives waiting.  Imagine that opportunities run parallel in your life.  Without reaching out or turning a corner, you may never come in contact with them.  In fact, the comfort of the narrow road we travel often limits our experiences.  With this week’s OYou challenge of searching for our best lives, let’s all reach out a little to our parallel paths and maybe we just might find something that sparks our interest! 

Here are a couple of things you can try in your search for your best life.

  • Self-Discovery – Take a moment to write down all of the things you are good at, all the things that make you happy and all the things you would try if you didn’t fear failure. When two (or even all three) of these things come together, pay attention. It can change your life.
  • International Food Night – Make it a point to venture out this week and find an Indian, Greek, Ethiopian, French, Thai or any International restaurant. It is a great way to experience a little of the world without needing a passport.
  • Give a Little Bit – Find a local charity that interests you.  Give them a call and offer your services for a few hours, a day or even a few hours throughout the week. Use your skills to help your community…pack food bank bags, walk animals at the shelter, paint props for local children’s theater groups, offer free haircuts to a battered woman’s shelter, music lessons to the local children’s shelter or simply offer to do office work.  Every little bit helps and you may find that you benefit the most from the experience.
  • Get Creative – Sign up for a local painting class or simply grab your camera and head out to experiment with your own inner artist.
  • Share Your Story– We all have something that we can’t read enough about, whether it is fashion, holistic medicine or current events.  This week, take one of the headlines and use it for inspiration.  Sit down and write.  It doesn’t have to be polished or flow smoothly.  Simply write and try to capture what it is about the subject that captivates you.
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Finding You: The Search For Your Best Life

by paula on July 30, 2012

OYou 2012 Boot Camp Challenge – Week 1.

I don’t know how many times I have been caught up in my own head with this one particular question – what is my passion?  Oprah has told us for years that this is our purpose in life…to go and find our passion and has excited us to make our passion our life.  But how do you do that?  For years, I have been looking for what fills my soul. In my 20’s it was all about looking outside me and passion always rested in the current relationship or cute guy in the early morning college course that got me to class.  As I’ve grown older, I’ve realized that the passion that I’m looking for isn’t going to be found by finding someone else.  It’s going to be found by finding me.

There is a reason why we choose the “Lifecoach” series at the beginning of our OYou Boot Camp this year.  As Martha Beck spoke during the OYou 2011 event in Atlanta, she talked about riding the wave of your journey.  Now, the only wave I’ve ever ridden was body surfing in Santa Cruz when I was 18…but I got the message.  Over the months since the conference and through this ongoing journey of finding myself, the lessons about riding the wave have reappeared religiously in my life.  The greatest point taken from the inspiring discussion is this:  all things in life are temporary.  The only thing that is constant is change.  If you are riding high and feeling great it’s not going to last forever.  Even more importantly, if you are feeling low and depressed or defeated…it’s not going to last forever.  A great life strategy for how to maneuver through life – it’s simple.  Just ride the wave but while riding, keep your eyes open.  What do you see along the way?  What keeps coming back into your life?  More importantly, what makes you FEEL AMAZING and fills your body up with happiness each time it comes across your path?

So, for this week we are beginning our OYou Boot Camp Challenge looking for our passion and paying attention to life.  It’s our “Finding me” journey.  Here’s our weekly 3-step challenge.

  • Step out of your box and try something new – Anything. A new restaurant or book or road. Get off your regular path, shake things up and do something different.
  • Create a vision board for your life –  End to end create your vision that you want for your life. Do it and hang it up to remind you to look up and see your life in front of you.
  • Listen to your life – Take 5 minutes at the end of each day to find 5 things that made you happy. Look for the smiles from the day and give yourself a few minutes to focus on what lifts your heart.  We are hopeful that this will be fuel for the soul.  

We hope you follow our journey and are inspired enough to start your own. Welcome to week one of our OYou 2012 Boot Camp Challenge.  Take the time to pay attention to your life…take care of your mind, body and spirit and it will take care of you.

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OYou BootCamp 2012 – Twelve Weeks That Will Change Your Life

by paula on July 25, 2012

With O Magazine’s OYou conference inspiring us to celebrate and live our best life, we decided to make the commitment to go through our second OYou Boot Camp Challenge and to bring you along for the ride.  Last summer, we spent eleven weeks moving through weekly areas that the conference brought into focus and trying to get to know the speakers just a little better.  This year, we are taking the journey to a new level.  After spending the last year living the lessons of O Magazine and Oprah’s Lifeclass and putting them into place in our own lives, we thought that this OYou Boot Camp should raise the bar a little higher and dig a little deeper.  So with OYou 2012 and a special luncheon with Oprah on the horizon for October, we will be putting ourselves through a twelve week “mind, body and spirit” challenge and telling you all about it here at The Daily OWN.

Here is our challenge. Starting this next Monday, for the next twelve weeks, we will be taking ONE of the O Magazine, OYou and Oprah topics and focusing on their teachings for one week. We will be searching for lessons to share and doing the work in our own lives and telling you all about the journey here at the Daily OWN. Each Monday morning, we will outline our simple 3-step action plan for the week. During the week, we will take you on our journey. Here is our boot camp schedule for 2012:

O You Boot Camp Weeks

  • Week 1 (July 29) – Finding You: The Search for Your Best Life
  • Week 2 (August 5) – Fitness Week: Get Moving, No Excuses 
  • Week 3 (Aug 12) – Organizing Your Life
  • Week 4 (Aug 19) – Beauty Inside and Out
  • Week 5 (Aug 26) – Healthy You, Healthy Life
  • Week 6 (Sep 2) – Design on a Budget
  • Week 7 (Sept 9) – Hope and Finances
  • Week 8 (Sept 16) – Fashionable You
  • Week 9 (Sept 23) – Authentically You (Gayle King inspired)
  • Week 10 (Sept 30) –  Unleashing Your Gratitude Circle (Oprah inspired) 
  • Week 11 (Oct 7) – Your Energy Community
  • Week 12 (Oct 14) – Wrap up, Recap & Get Ready!
  • OYou in Los Angeles (Oct 20)

Check back on our progress…we’ll be posting daily from O You Boot Camp. Whether you want to JOIN IN and go through your OWN O You Boot Camp challenge or simply come back for the lessons and tips, we would love the company! Get ready…it’s time to change a life!

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Finding the Extraordinary

by paula on July 11, 2012

It’s strange how the world works sometimes.  For the creative mind, sometimes the darkness is where the work comes from.  Music will tell of heartbreak. Movies will take you through troubled journeys. Life…it does the same thing.  Dodging each and every one of us from light to dark and back to light again.  But that’s the key point to remember…back to light again.  Things get better.  Here’s a little tip on what makes the sun in your life come out a little faster. Look for the extraordinary…because when you find it, it’s magical.

When the world slowed down and I first moved to Florida from California, life was heightened.  The noise and fast pace was substituted by a quieter, closer awareness to the world around me.  Looking up and out into the world. Noticing people holding hands, children’s voices, trees swaying in the wind, the sound of laughter, the magic of smiles…everything opened up and came into clear focus.  Life is extraordinary.

Don’t wait to look up from where you are and see the world around you.  Channel your inner photographer to capture those amazing magical moments and then, soak them into your life and fill up your heart because it’s in those moments that you realize…life is amazing.

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Morning Has Broken

by Guest Blogger on June 14, 2012

Catherine Duffy

“Morning has broken. Like the first morning. Blackbird has spoken. Like the first bird. Praise for the singing. Praise for the morning. Praise for them springing fresh from the world.”

Those were the words that came to mind this morning when I woke up. Feeling the innocence of my youth flowing through me. When I used to sing that song in assembly feeling like the world was my own. When I believed in my dreams. When I thought my possibilities were endless.

And then I opened the blinds to see a perfect day breaking. I woke this morning with the mindset of setting a good intention for the day, for the week. To start this week off with purpose and positivity. And when I opened the window I was greeted by nature at its best.

Different hues of orange and red as the clouds floated across the sky against the backdrop of the rising sun. A gentle breeze wafting through my slightly opened windows. A stillness that’s almost indescribable. Silhouettes of the trees and leaves against the dawn sky.

And I felt the force of life and abundance flow through me. Accepting there are some things we are not meant to understand. Accepting I am limited in my human beliefs. But surrounded by the infinite of the Universe I exist within.

Grateful that I am here living and breathing for another day. Grateful that I really do have all I need to be here.

Watching a little kiskadee sitting on the chair directly outside my window. Wondering what the tapping noise of my keyboard is. His head angling toward me with every tap. Listening to the sound of the rooster shouting his morning sound. Understanding there is so much in the world. So much to go around.

Feeling so confident and secure in where I am for the moment. Holding on to that feeling while it last. Not trying to superimpose anything on it.

Not panicking because I can’t get online. Just writing and hoping that when the time is right I will find a connection. Filling myself up with the possibilities that exist for me today. Praying that I will keep my eyes and ears and all of me open to every possibility that presents itself to me even when it may frighten me.

Feeling a tingling sensation going through my whole body because I have set my intention for the day. To be as open, as compassionate, as loving, as giving, and as forgiving as I possibly can in order to attract what is rightfully mine.

Here’s to another week. This time with gratitude. And as I type these last words, my Internet connection just came on. Proving to me that when we surrender and accept a solution is always found. And for this lesson I am truly grateful.

And then I listened to Cat Stevens singing Morning has Broken. Filling me with incredible joy. Try it. It will make your heart, mind, body and soul sing. Glory to this morning and this day. A new beginning.

Enjoy the song on You Tube and enjoy your day!

 

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Oprah’s Lifeclass Lesson 25 – Notes and Videos from You’ve Always Had the Power

by paula on November 13, 2011

You can become what you believe. Love yourself. Be inspired. See the magic. From all of the Oprah Lifeclasses this semester, it has been clear. YOU have more power than you can even imagine. YOU can move any mountain in your life. YOU can do anything…because you can…you just may not know it yet. With a little tear from all of this understanding and for the final class this session, here are my class notes and some videos from OWN. Believe in yourself…believe in your world…believe in your best life. Anything is possible. Here are my notes…
•Understand that there is a force guiding the universe. Tap into it to have that power. It is your responsibility to tap into that power and change the world…your world.
•You have to find the power yourself.
•Our magic ruby slippers are inside your OWN heart.
•From OWN: How to Fulfill Your Dream
If you don’t have a dream, start thinking about what the dream for your life is. Start believing that just having a dream begins the process of fulfilling it. You can do it if you’re willing to let every step you take move you in that direction. Remember, you deserve the best life has to offer.

•Case Study: Terarai Trent’s Dreams and how that can inspire you – If you desire your dreams, then they are achievable. Writing down her dreams and making them come true. Everyone, it’s time to write down your dreams – your REAL dreams – and believe that YOU have the power to make them happen.
“Only you have the power to make the changes you want in your life.”
•Your life is a relection of the way you think. What you believe is what you become and one person can make a difference…and that person is you.
•It’st never too late to become everything you dream.

•From OWN: Why Tererai Trent Embodies Oprah’s Lifeclass Lessons
In 2009, Oprah first met Tererai Trent, who she says is the essence of every lesson talked about on Oprah’s Lifeclass. Raised in a rural Zimbabwean village, Tererai grew up without much hope for the future. But she persevered and went on to obtain her bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and doctorate. Tererai is the perfect example of why it’s never too late to become everything you dream.

•From OWN: Oprah Surprises Tererai Trent
In 2011, Oprah brought back her favorite guest of all time, Tererai Trent, to thank her for sharing her story and having an impact on so many viewers. Plus, Oprah donated $1.5 million to help Tererai build a school in her village to help others get an education

•Case Study: Never Stop Believing – From homeless to Harvard, Khadijah was on the street. Her mom, sister and herself were homeless in Los Angeles and would move from shelter to shelter. Spending most of her time at the public library, she changed her life. She empowered herself…and gave her a little piece of control of her life. Education was what she believed in…and it was hers.
•You are not defined by your circumstances.
•You have the power within to believe in yourself and achieve anything.
•You start exactly where you are…You don’t have to wait.
•It doesn’t just happen…it is a process. Take every step that is available to you…to move you in the right direction…
•There is a process to success. We must each figure out what that process is for our particular life.
•From OWN: Khadijah Williams’ Story
In 2009, Oprah spoke with Khadijah Williams, who is a prime example of someone who always believed in herself and had the power to change her life. You don’t have to wait to achieve your dream until you have more things, time or money. Start exactly where you are. For Khadijah, she started as a young homeless girl on the streets of Skid Row and ended up at Harvard University.

•Case Study: It’s never too late to have a wake up call. Grow to who you were meant to be. You have the power. Jeff Henderson, Executive Chef at Café Bellagio who turned his life around after being in prison for 9 years for selling drugs. “I started to realize I was smart…I started to believe in myself,” he tells Oprah.
•Everybody has their own time.
•We are all evolving toward our own moment of transformation.
•What is the dream for your life? Think about it. Start dreaming. Start believing that having a dream will move you to the fulfillment of that dream if you are willing to let every step you take move you in that direction.
•Start believing that just having a dream begins the process of fulfilling that dream.
•You deserve the best that life has to offer you…the best version of yourself…becuase you are here…because you were born.

•Case Study: Somebody else believing in you can be enough. Arenl Pineda’s Journey to Journey. Don’t Stop Believing…Arnel Pineda. Growing up poor in the Philippines. His mother died when he was 13 and had a tough life…a street kid…and would sing to really survive. He credits his mother for always encouraging him…and it was a member of Journey who found a video of him on YouTube and found their new lead singer.
•Feel for what your soul believes. If you believe it, you can achieve it. Anything is possible.

•You are more than what you can see. You being here matters.
•Everything that is happening in our lives and that is all around us is here to show us what is possible.
•From OWN: The Real Reason Behind Oprah’s Lifeclass
Oprah explains the real reason why she wanted to have this show and do Oprah’s Lifeclass: so you will start to understand that there is a greater power guiding the universe. And once you tap into that, you then have that power.

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50 Things I’ve Learned From Oprah’s Lifeclass So Far…

by paula on November 7, 2011

As we go into the last week of Oprah’s first session of Lifeclass (writes a hopeful “second session” student to the powers that be), I am seeing lessons and changes everywhere in my life. So, to take a note from Oprah’s OWN book, O Magazine, here is what I know for sure.

  1. I  love life…and I am paying closer attention to it.  The wind, the breeze, the sunset, the smiles, the laughter.  It’s like a heightened sense of awareness.
  2. I have so much.  I have food. I have a roof.  I have family. I have love. I have so much to be thankful for…and now, I’m about to have a cup of coffee.  And when I don’t think that I have any of those…I have my breath.
  3. I know that dreams happen when you are awake.
  4. I know that if people like Christine McFadden can get up and move forward and find a smile that I can get up and move forward and find a smile every day…
  5. I know that my ego is the negative voice in my head…and I am more powerful than it is…and I can turn it off by simply thinking, “I can turn you off.”
  6. I know that when I light up for people in my life, my OWN life light’s up too.
  7. I know that animals are teachers with lessons to give me…I will be open and learn from them.
  8. I know that JOY is happening all around me.  I  just have to open my eyes and take it in.
  9. I know that my age IS my beauty…and my life is validated by each year that I add to the number.
  10. I know that my capacity to learn and change my life is is endless.
  11. I know that a whole new world will open up to me if I just push myself to step out of my comfort zone.
  12. I know that following my gut will save my life.
  13. I know that the best way to know who a person is is to watch what they do…not what they say.
  14.  I know that with everything that I do, that I am showing people who I am.
  15. I know that my energy is strong…and can change lives…especially my own.
  16. I know that letting go of the past is like cutting off the anchor that is holding you down and rising to the surface to breathe again.  Just let it go…
  17. I know that I need to get out of people’s way of learning their own lessons.  Everyone is strong enough to save themselves.
  18. I know that my life is bigger than what it looks like.
  19. I know that there is no way that my past is going to hold me back and keep me from living the best life that I can and being everything that I am meant to be.
  20. I know that my whispers speak to me all the time, anywhere, and are always worth listening to.  They calm me, guide me and help me…and they will answer if I ask them a question…I just have to listen for them.
  21. I know that texting while driving is a death sentence.
  22. I know if you DO pay attention, it will change your life.
  23. I know that if you DON’T pay attention, it will change your life.
  24. I know that big things in life begin to happen with one little step.
  25. I know that I can feel joy at anytime if I open up my eyes…or my ears…to life’s music.
  26. I know that family and friends are the real joy in life.
  27. I know that the attitude that I bring to the world is exactly what is mirrored back to me in my life.  Change your attitude, change your life.
  28.  I know that I am responsible for my life…and no body else.
  29.  I know that only I have the power to make my life what it’s meant to be.
  30.  I know that negativity in my life will only make me feel bad…and who wants to feel bad?
  31.  I know that sometimes negative people can be changed by your positive attitude.  If not, move on…and let them sit in their own darkness.  You have a positive happy life to live!
  32. I know that I am responsible for the energy that I allow to be brought into my space and all the energy around me too.
  33. I know that I will never be able to be who I am supposed to be in the world if I continue to allow the energy suckers to be in my life.
  34. I know that I can use my power to make life better for myself and for others.
  35. I know that as an adult, I am responsible for what happens to me. I am responsible for the energy and the power that I give over to other people in my life.
  36. I know that everyone has made mistakes.  It’s time to let them go, learn from them and move on.  Don’t let them hold you hostage.
  37. I know it’s never too late to change.
  38. I know that when I lie about my age, I am denying my life and my experiences that have happened and make me uniquely me.
  39. I know that my dogs light up when I come in a room and for me, it feels great.
  40. I know that I was born with a purpose…and I need to pay attention to my life…because it can show up at any moment and I don’t want to miss it.  This right now could be the moment.
  41. I know that knowing what I don’t like to do is important too…because knowing what you don’t like gets you closer to that which you do like…and closer to your purpose.
  42. I know that “Regret Minimization” is now my life mantra.
  43. I know that pretending is not nearly as rewarding as being your true authentic self.  It’s just easier…and so much better to be YOU.
  44. I know that my past doesn’t define who I am today.
  45. I know that there is no one more deserving of me believing in than myself.
  46. I know that I am worthy of living my best life. 
  47. I know that everyone and everything around me is a teacher and that I am a good student…
  48. I know that all things are possible.
  49. I know you become what you believe…so you might as well believe yourself smart, attractive, rich, happy, fun, laughing, healthy, and joyful.  Believe it. Live it. Be it.
  50. I know that if I give myself the gift to get quiet…and to let all of these lessons sink in…and to listen to my whisper,  that my whisper is saying, “Great job, Paula…you are on track and you are exactly where you are suppose to be. Now…go on to class.”
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A Real Life “Eat, Pray, Love” Journey…Would You Watch?

by paula on October 26, 2011

As OWN programming takes us deeper and deeper into finding a voice,  it’s doing something to my OWN life.  Like a spiritual awakening of sorts, Oprah’s Lifeclass has me looking deeper…Rosie’s nightly ”class” has me relaxing and laughing…and Super Soul Sunday has me realizing that LIFE is AMAZING and that I just need to open my eyes.

So, as I woke up this morning after hitting the snooze button 3 times (God, how I love “snooze”), I started thinking about how wonderful it would be for the Oprah Winfrey Network to take this 40-something (OWNing my age!) and everyone else on an “Eat,Pray,Love” journey on OWN.  Indulge me and my diet on white truffle pizza or crazy amazing anything.  Calm my chackras with a spiritual journey, a chant and a guru or two.  Fill my heart with finding LOVE for myself, for life and for everything around me in this world.  Doesn’t this sound crazy AMAZING? 

If you are listening Oprah…find me a guide.  Take me along.    My bags are packed…I’m ready to go…when do we leave?

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