Oprah's words of wisdom to college grads are all the motivation you need on a Monday
Oprah Winfrey delivered an impactful, motivational commencement speech at Colorado College on Sunday, and it's the inspiration you need to get through the Monday blues.
Per usual, the media mogul, 65, was poignant, thoughtful, and gave over 500 students in attendance chills, along with advice they will be able to implement for the rest of their lives.
"I’m here to tell you that you actually do get to transform the world every day by your actions. Small steps lead to big accomplishments," she said, according to the university's coverage of the speech.
Winfrey told the captivated audience that "life is about decisions" and not to try and fix everything. But there is one decision the young graduates could make right then and there.
"And the decision is that you will use your life in service; you will be in service to life. You will speak up. You will show up. You will stand up. You will sit in. You will volunteer. You will vote. You will shout out. You will help. You will lend a hand. You will offer your talent and your kindness however you can, and you will radically transform whatever moment you’re in -- which leads to bigger moments," she continued.
Winfrey stressed that the most important contribution these graduates can make in the real world is "touching other people's lives."
She also had words of wisdom on overcoming failure and finding one's true purpose.
"For years I had a job. Through that job, doing a lot of things I didn't want to do, I got demoted and discovered my life's calling," she admitted of her early days working in news. "Many times there are things that look like failure in your life...it will pass. You will be fine."
"The bumps in the road led me to a path made clear, and that is what I wish for you today -- that your path is made clear," she added.
Winfrey came to speak at Colorado College because of 19-year-old Palesa Mokoena, a student guided by the game-changing businesswoman via her Leadership Academy. The young woman, who hails from South Africa, calls Winfrey "Mom O."
“She has been an incredible mentor to me, and her promise to Nelson Mandela to build a school in South Africa changed the trajectory of my life. The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls is the greatest gift to my country and to me. For that, I am eternally grateful,” Mokoena said.
