So I attended the Oprah’s Life You Want Tour in Miami this past weekend and I am still high off of inspirational wisdom that I consumed from Lady O and her panelist of trailblazer friends. The guest panel of motivational speakers included spiritual master Deepak Chopra, author Elizabeth Gilbert, pastor Rob Bell and the life fixer and TV host Iyanla Vanzant.Oprah opened the event by sharing her mission, which she said, “I want all of us to fulfill our greatest potential. To find our calling, and summon the courage to live it.” Yes, live the life you want. It was an amazing weekend. I am always seeking wisdom from those that have experienced life in all of its pain and glory, and this weekend I took the opportunity to soak it all in.
Oprah welcomed the audience
- Deepak Chopra informed the crowd of the importance of spirituality and getting in tune with your mind, body, heart and soul. His segment included a meditation exercise where the audience participated in a meditation session lead by the master of meditation himself. He went on to say, “meditate to seek consciousness for a healthy body and alert mind. If you are here now (focused), you will have all the time to do what you want. The self of you is the self of the universe.” The simple message? Life isn’t just about you! It’s about a higher calling, a greater good. Here are some of my favorite quotes and takeaways from Deepak’s segment where he touched on 5 important principles.
1. See the world as a reflection of your inner state
2. Understand the essence of relationships
3. Make sure that your intentions are not about yourself, but the greater good
4. Learn to center yourself in your true self/soul beyond the ego, the gaps between your thoughts/meditation
5. Free yourself from emotional toxicity, hostility, resentment, jealousy, guilt, shame and fear
- Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the best selling book Eat Love Pray shared her personal journey to a life of happiness. Elizabeth’s message certainly resonated the most with me. She talked about stepping into the unknown and leaving our comfort zones. Whatever that may be—a relationship, a job or any unhappy circumstance. She said, “we have to be our own hero and take the journey.” The journey into happiness. Sometimes we become complacent in our lives knowing that the situation isn’t good for us and brings us no joy or happiness. Elizabeth shared her personal story of how she got out of an unhealthy marriage and went on a purpose-seeking journey to India where she discovered the true meaning of happiness and her calling in life. Here are some of her key points.
1. Once you cross the threshold, there is no going back
2. The journey is not easy
3. Become the hero in your own journey
4. If you can’t start your journey today, begin to plan it
- Rob Bell touched on how the stars of the universe aligns with our greater purpose in life and that there are no accidents or coincidences in life.
- Iyanla Vanzant hit the stage and delivered a powerful message of forgiveness, heeding life’s signs and messages and putting in the necessary work in life to get the outcome that we want. In true fix your life fashion, the New York native gave it to us raw and uncut. Iyanla personalized the message by sharing her story of becoming a teen mom at the age of 16 and recounted her child birth experience. During labor, she recounted how disparate she was to reach for someone to help ease her labor pains after being alone for quite some time. So the first person that entered her hospital room in what she thought was a clinical uniform, she reached out for his arm. Well, the person’s arm she reached out and grabbed wasn’t part of the clinical staff, but happened to be a janitor entering her room to take out the trash. She followed up by saying, “be mindful of what you grab on to while in labor, it might just be trash.” Lawd!!!! Yes! During life’s journey, be mindful of the decisions we make. Here are some additional takeaways from Iyanla.
1. If you made it from the past, you’ve passed
2. You don’t need an ‘A’ to pass. A ‘B’, ‘C’ and sometimes a ‘D’ can do
3. Good friends would tell you what you don’t want to hear
4. Tell the truth about yourself to yourself
5. Life doesn’t play tricks on you, your mind does
Photo Credit: George Burns
Man, oh man! She went there. In fact, they all went there. I’ve been holding on to some issues for years. One of the things that I look forward to is mastering the art of forgiveness. I have a couple people in my life that I need to forgive and I simply haven’t mustered up the strength to cleanse my soul and clear the path to the road of forgiveness. Each day I get closer and closer. I’m getting there, one step at a time. One of the most profound takeaways was to ask yourself these questions. They are key to understanding life and your journey to happiness. So ask yourself…Who are you? What do you want? What is your intention? What is your purpose?
Photo Credit: George Burns
“You can be a better you than a pretend anyone else.”– Oprah
“When your intention is aligned with your purpose, there is flow.” – Deepak Chopra
Outfit Details: Tee: Target | Skirt: Thrifted | Flats: Me Too via Nordstrom | Watch: Michael Kors | Crossbody: Snob Essentials (here)
I was able to snap a quick pic at intermission. I hope you all enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed the event. Until next time…Peace, Love & Blessings!
