Oprah Writes a Letter to Her 19-Year-Old Self | Welcome to Linda Ikeji's Blog

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Tuesday 3 April 2012

Oprah Writes a Letter to Her 19-Year-Old Self

The letter which the billionaire media mogul wrote to her 19-year-old self, a teenager she calls - 'beautiful brown-skinned girl', can be found inside next month’s ‘O’ magazine. Very inspirational letter. Read it below...
Dear beautiful brown-skinned girl,
I look into your eyes and see the light and hope of myself.
In this photo you are just about to turn 20, posing outside the television station where you were recently hired as a reporter. You’re proud of yourself for getting the job, but uncertain you’ll be able to manage all your college classes before 1 and arrive at the station by 1:30 for a full day’s work. Even so, your biggest concern is how to manage your love life with Bubba. Yes, you are dating someone named Bubba.
Continue reading...



On this day you’ve brought him to the station to see where you work, hoping he’ll be proud, too. He seems less than impressed. The truth is, he’s intimidated. You don’t know this, though, because you can see yourself only through his eyes. A lesson you will have to learn again and again: to see yourself with your own eyes, to love yourself from your own heart.
You’ve spent too many days and years trying to please others and be what they wanted you to be. You will have to learn that the wounds of your past—rape, molestation, whippings for “stepping out of place,” and not being allowed to show anger or cry afterward—damaged your self-esteem. Yet through it all, you’ve held on to a belief in God and God’s belief in you.
That will be your single greatest gift: knowing there is a power greater than yourself and trusting that Force to guide you.
The trajectory of your life changed the day you answered the call from Chris Clark, the news director at WLAC-TV. Your response was ignited by the words of your then-favorite Bible verse, Philippians 3:14. “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Knowing there is a “high calling” is what will sustain and fulfill you.
From where I sit now, viewing your journey, there are few regrets. Only months before this picture was taken, you wrote a poem about a “woman becoming.” Even then you understood that success was a process and that moving with the flow of life and not against it would be your greatest achievement.
Love you deeply,
Oprah

53 comments:

Uchefuna Chinyere said...

I just love Oprah Winfrey.

Anonymous said...

Hmnn! It s inspiring

Hairess™ Human Hair said...

I heart dis woman!! She inspires me.

Anonymous said...

Hmmmmm

Anonymous said...

Thought she didn't believe in christ?

Unknown said...

This just makes you think about how much anyone can change their life through the power of conviction regardless of the adversities one faces. Here's to my 60 year old self, I hope you tried to achieve all your goals without any fear, took risks that paid off and the ones that didn’t (I’m sure you learnt from them). Lastly I hope you had a jolly good life because frankly you deserve it. I hope you're still here in 40 plus years to reminisce. Take care my love till then pray, love, live and stay happy

xoxo

Anonymous said...

Awwwwwww! I do so love Oprah. She inspires me to believe in me n hold on to God, without sounding all smarmy n religious!!

Anonymous said...

Oprah is getting bored. Who writes a letter to themselves? She shouldn't have ended her show.

Anonymous said...

so touchy nd inspiring

Anonymous said...

**sniff sniff**

Anonymous said...

I love Oprah Winfrey!

Anonymous said...

@ Anonymous 8:12 Re: Meagan Good is engaged to a pastor
He is not a pastor! He preaches sometimes yes but not an official pastor! "He is a Sony Pictures executive and one of the producers of TD Jakes play"

Anonymous said...

Blah, blah, blah... big ole fat Oprah needs to go fix OWN!

Anonymous said...

I'm in tears reading this....the timing is just right for me.

Anonymous said...

Wow! Really inspiring! Its great to know that she still believes in God too! *note to self* write a letter to yourself when you're 40.

Odokoro ifeyinwa said...

Dnt rily get dis woman_can sømebdy tell wat exactly she's regretin n yyy_waitiñnñ...

Odokoro ifeyinwa said...

Dnt rily get dis woman_can somebdy tell mii wat exactly she's regretting n yyy_waitiññn...

Zicolo said...

Nice one...

Anonymous said...

am surprise she even quote the bible. This shows it has been a rumour all along that she doesnt belief in God. Nice write up.

Anonymous said...

Gosh I luv dis woman,I'm so inspired. Yinka

Femiluv said...

Gave me chills. That was touching and inspiring.

Anonymous said...

QF
nyz1 Oprah!!!

megito said...

i just love this woman. so inspiring.i wonder why people say she does not believe in God.she has made me believe that all things are possible after going thru abuse like she did and having to leave men and marriage out of my life to achieve my dream.i love u oprah.i know i will get there just like u did.a man, husband etc should never define u.have a dream believe in God,pray, work hard and go for it. even d devil will give up.am living my life like its golden.hahahahaha.

Anonymous said...

WoW! Awesome!

Anonymous said...

I love this lady. If only we could pick real message when we hear them, without being critical of the messenger, the world truly wud be a better place.
Cheers!

Makeover by T.E.J.U said...

Beautiful, but Where did God Go wrong for fulfilling her dreams, she seems to have let Go and taken solace in Worshipping the manmade god she and her followers believe in...oh well...let God be the judge*

SizzlingBrina said...

Oprah Winfrey is an Idol, she is inspiring. I just love her focus in life despite what she passed through.

Anonymous said...

I think she is a very frank lady ...something everybody shuld do in retrospect....

Anonymous said...

Oprah my role model I T V

Anonymous said...

She spoke to me...I love u oprah moreso because of ur r/ship wit christ our Lord!....Neni

Anoine... said...

You see this line...."Even then you understood that success was a process and that moving with the flow of life and not against it would be your greatest achievement"..is the take out for me....Moving with flow of LIFE...thanks Oprah for reinforcing it in my head....x x x

Payme said...

She is an inspiration!





Support Payme's 2Cents please! You won't be bored :)

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Anonymous said...

i thought they said she doesnt believe in God.

SOLA said...

Teary

Anonymous said...

Luv u Oprah! u r an inspiration.

Anonymous said...

Oprah can be sooo boring...

Kayem said...

She just quoted the part of the bible that says, " I press on towards the goals to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus". She just disproved all rumours that she is illuminati. She actually believes in Jesus. Way to go....

Anonymous said...

is that opray by the left? guess she was talking about herself...Nice one!

Unknown said...

I'm so motivated and inspired right now...this is lovely and a wake-up call for every young person to press on to a higher calling. Don't let the past or self esteem hold you back. If she did it, we all can do it. But the question is, how far are you willing to go?

http://lynnville.blogspot.co.uk

Anonymous said...

The woman with God's touch of upliftment. Alwayz luvd.

Chikaka said...

The fact that she said God and Jesus Christ doesn't mean that she believes in them. She will tell us what we want to hear!

Anonymous said...

No.If u ve ever hrd Oprah speak,u wld knw she truly blivs in a higher power.

Chikaka said...

That higher power may not be God the Supreme Being. He's the highest power!

Y.Tee said...

Deep!

Anonymous said...

U're absolutely right. She also reports that OWN was a mistake. I guess she got ahead of herself. Not easy staying on top is it?

Nigerian Navy school said...

The higher being? Could that be Our Holy God? Or is there another?

Check your jamb result here said...

This is sweet, i love this girl.

DotaofGod said...

Thank you Oprah for reminding me that God has a plan for my life....only if I follow His directions...then I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. There is only one God! His name is I am...the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Just Me said...

people can be really stupid sometimes....

Anonymous said...

Me too
I wana be lyk oprah wen I grow up!!!!!

#Naby..!

Anonymous said...

kudos to all of u dat thunk she,s illuminati cz u all baffle me, do u think u are the only one's that believe in God, it won't be shockin to know that all this so called illuminati u criticise make heaven because they might make peace with God in the last days of their lives, whereas u d judges of evil get lost in passin ur verdict nd 4get to d right thing nd end up in hell, jst sayin lets be careful to judge nd rite off ppl bcz we might be worst than them. Oprah is inspirin, glad she had impart on lives

Anonymous said...

pls dear LIBloggers lets be careful 2 judgin because while we are bizy lost in the act of judgin, they ppl we re judgin might be out tryin to make peace with God and eventually make Heaven whereas we the judges make the other place all bcz we were bizy doin the wrong things, let's be speak to slow and quick to listen## just sayin. glad to know that Oprah inspired many and is stil doin so, i hope we all inspire people in our own ways

tee said...

Awww...I lyk creative pple lyk u

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