We Owe It To Ourselves To Rise Stronger Every Time We Fall

I THINK OPRAH IS A SYMBOL OF SUCCESS, PERSEVERANCE, AND GUTS. I have heard so much about her. I remembering pulling every reading material I can get my hands on to read about her. The discoveries I made were both inspiring and harrowing. I cannot believe some of those events happened to someone so accomplished and successful as her. But those discoveries also helped me developed a profound sense of respect and admiration for her even more.

I should mention I have always admired her as a person. Everything about her exclaims what I want to do in life.

I first watched the Oprah Winfrey Show when I was in fifth grade; it was a special interview with Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. I knew little when the interview aired; knew little about life and the path to take.

Despite already having my degree and a fair few successes under my wings, I still get a sense of foreboding related to me not being where I ought to be quite yet. I still question my abilities and skills. But this much I know, seeing the interview with Mariah and Whitney discussing many things about their lives and their careers was one of the most powerful and inspiring 45 minutes on TV.

I wish every woman would be able to see the interview and realize how much power they have in them; that they can do what they aspire in their lives. Women have to know they can be bigger and bolder than most men can ever be if they shove off the whispers of doubt about them.

I wish every child will have access to that flick and realize they have nothing to worry about because miracles do happen despite hope being frail at times. I hope every child in the world would become the very best versions of themselves and not allow failure to hinder them from taking another chance at life, love, and everything in between.

I realized from the many times I stumbled on to my feet that life offers you several chances to make up for your mistakes. I realized every time I fall, I owe it to myself to rise again and believe in me in the way I didn’t the time before. I realized that we can only be as best than we were yesterday.

I hope the world would see the inspiration Oprah gives by merely appearing on TV and talk about life. She has managed to moved many mountains and achieved many things in life. She struggled but remained undaunted; believed in herself. Persevered. And now, she has come at a point in her life where the horrors of her past are just specs that had swiftly flown away. She sought for faith and found it; now, faith is what she gives to many people–to me.

I knew little when the interview aired, but I knew my heart was full. I knew then I must keep pushing forward and stand up stronger every time I fall. I understood I will fall and I’d be swayed by people who would not believe in me.

Looking at it now, there were many times I allowed people’s perceptions and opinions to get beneath and consume me. I always look back at what Mariah and Whitney said during the interview, to the song When You Believe, and I am reminded that you can choose a thousand opinions people have about you but at the end of the day none of them matters because those people never joined you at the dinner table.

I know how easy it is to give in to fears and be blinded by pain. But I also think that no matter what, we owe it to ourselves to believe in us. I also know behind the fog that blurs our visions and blocking the paths ahead to our successes, people are cheering for us. All we have to do, no matter what is to believe in us.

You have to root for yourself when no one else does and believe things will eventually work out fine in a way that everything else just doesn’t. Because when you believe in yourself, you'd also be able to move mountains as Oprah did.