The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life's Direction and Purpose
Oprah Winfrey
To the teachers who help us realize we can take on the world.
INTRODUCTION
There is no greater gift you can give or receive than to honor your calling. It’s why you were born. And how you become most truly alive.
—Oprah
The simple act of asking “What is my purpose?” on the Internet has the power to elicit nearly one billion responses.
That’s a staggering commentary on the way so many people feel about who they are and how much they long for an existence that matters.
On the surface, typing those four little words … what—is—my—purpose … and pressing Enter may seem trivial, but it’s really a profound reflection of an intimate prayer rising from the deepest part of the heart. It’s asking to be acknowledged. Initiating that search is a sign that the journey toward an elevated life filled with meaning and character is ready to begin.
And here is the great news. Beyond the labyrinth of digital links, there is really just one being who holds the keys to unlock the answers to all that you were meant to become. That miraculous soul has been speaking your entire life. Of course I’m talking about you!
I believe every one of us is born with a purpose. No matter who you are, what you do, or how far you think you have to go, you have been tapped by a force greater than yourself to step into your God-given calling. This goes far beyond what you do to earn your living. I’m talking about a supreme moment of destiny, the reason you are here on earth.
Each one of us has an essential role in the whole of humanity. All you have to do is follow your path to answer the call.
In the words of the Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu, A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
My hope with The Path Made Clear is to offer the wisdom of experience from the visionaries, artists, teachers, and trailblazers who have walked this road before you, and who have shared their inspiration and lessons with me. The common thread among them: They have discovered that in this world, there is no real doing without first being.
Within these pages, you will find a guide to activating every layer of the miracle that makes you uniquely you—and applying it to the life you envision.
Committing to a life of purpose takes courage. There was a time in my own life when I felt torn between who the world was telling me I should be and what I felt to be the truth of myself. Today, I know for sure what I’m here to do. That’s because I started listening to my instincts and paying attention to the decisions I made each and every day.
If you’re at a crossroads in your career or relationship, if you’re struggling with finances, with addiction, or to take control of your health, the journey to lasting change begins with defining what matters most to you. All of us have a limited number of years here on earth. What do you want to do with yours? How do you want to spend your precious, ever-unfolding future? There’s no need to waste another day wondering if there’s more to life. There is. And it’s yours for the finding.
When you’re ready.
—Oprah
CHAPTER ONE
THE SEEDS
Your life isn’t about a big break. It’s about taking one significant life-transforming step at a time.
—Oprah
August 14, 1978.
It was a Monday, my first day working on a Baltimore talk show called People Are Talking. It was also the last day I had a job.
Up until then, I’d been a news anchor and reporter. I knew I was not my authentic self. And my bosses certainly made no secret of their feelings. They told me I was the wrong color, the wrong size, and that I showed too much emotion. I’ve always said that the best part about that experience was meeting my best friend, Gayle, who was a production assistant at the same station.
I could feel I was misplaced. Even though the six o’clock news was a time slot most young journalists covet, I was never fully comfortable in that seat. And, when I look back at the tapes, I can still hear the pretend anchor voice I used on air.
It wasn’t until I was unceremoniously “demoted” to cohost of People Are Talking that I experienced the first spark of what it means to become fully alive.
During the show, I interviewed Tom Carvel, the Carvel ice-cream man, and the actor who played Benny on All My Children. Not exactly glamorous, but as we talked, I felt lit up from the inside, like I had come home to myself. When the hour ended, there was a sense of knowing resonating within my heart and radiating to the hairs on the back of my neck. My entire body told me this was what I was supposed to do. As a reporter, I’d been exhausted all the time. I really had to drag myself in to work. But after one day on this local talk show, I was energized in a way that fueled every cell of my being.
There was no doubt that the seeds of what was to give my life meaning and purpose had been planted. That day, my “job” ended and my calling began.
Years later, The Oprah Winfrey Show would achieve a level of success no one could have predicted. It was an exhilarating experience. And yet, another little kernel of knowing was revealing itself to me. Even at the show’s peak, I had a deep awareness that a supreme moment of destiny still awaited me. That’s why, after twenty-five years, I trusted my instinct when it told me, This isn’t it. There’s something else. The show was my home, the audience was one of the great loves of my life, but I couldn’t ignore the flicker of certainty telling me it was time to move on.