What I Know For Sure

I recently received some subscription information for O magazine in the mail. One of the inserts included a postcard written by Oprah Winfrey entitled What I Know for Sure. She describes being stumped by the question “what do you know for sure” and how she has never stopped asking herself the question since. Here is her all-time top 10 list:

1. What you put out comes back all the time, no matter what. (This is my creed.)
2. You define your own life. Don’t let other people write your script.
3. Whatever someone did to you in the past has no power over the present. Only you give it power.
4. When people show you who they are, believe them the first time. (A lesson from Maya Angelou.)
5. Worrying is wasted time. Use the same energy for doing something about whatever worries you.
6. What you believe has more power than what you dream, wish, or hope for. You become what you believe.
7. If the only prayer you ever say is “thank you,” that will be enough. (From the German theologian and humanist Mesiter Eckhart.)
8. The happiness you feel is in direct proportion to the love you give.
9. Failure is a signpost to turn you in another direction.
10. If you make a choice that goes against what everyone else thinks, the world will not fall apart.

After reading Oprah’s list, I immediately wrote my own list of what I know for sure (right now). Here they are in no particular order:

1. You are what you think and speak. Eventually you’ll speak what you think about yourself. Those thought and words have life and will become your life.
2. Change is inevitable so face it with grace and optimism. Complaining about it is a waste of time and energy. Expect great things to from every situation.
3. What I do and don’t do impacts the world and everyone in it. My decisions effect history.
4. I was wonderfully created and I’m full of purpose. (So are you!)
5. I have the capacity to love and forgive unconditionally. I chose whether or not I’ll operate at maximum capacity.
6. The mind, body, spirit connection matters. If one is off balance, it will eventually cause the others to be off balance as well.
7. We are all different on purpose. We meant to need, perfect, and complement one another.
8. Everyone wants and deserves to be loves. (Even if you never admit it.)
9. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. –Eleanor Roosevelt
10. If I worry about what everyone else is doing or thinking, I’ll never have time to figure out and carry out my own purpose, vision, and plan.

Take a few minutes and write your own list. You’ll be surprised of what you know for sure.