Epic.

The dictionary defines epic as, “heroic or grand in scale or character“. This is the word that comes to mind when describing Oprah’s Live The Life You Want Tour.

Epic.

On Friday, evening I joined what seemed like millions of people in San Jose to begin the last stop on this tour. We packed in the SAP center in San Jose anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Queen, Ms. O. I heard a passerby say that this was on there bucket list – to see Oprah in person. I cannot say it was on my bucket list or that I even have a bucket list. What I can say is that I wanted to attend this tour to find out how the great thinkers, Oprah, Deepak Chopra, Elizabeth Gilbert, Rob Bell, and Iyanla Vanzant make it through those hurdles and mountains that can get in the way of life. What makes them keep going? And how can I live the life I want – now.

I grabbed an expensive fruit salad from one of the vendors and hurriedly navigated to my seat. It was the kickoff and I was ready to receive any advice Oprah and her trailblazers had for me. After listing to some great tunes spun by DJ Kiss, Oprah took the stage in a beautiful Orange gown that permeated through the whole audience. The audience stood up to great Oprah and the rhythm of their claps were so authentic.

We were ready. Thousands of like-minded people in the audience waiting for guidance. Acceptance. Assurance that we could live the life we wanted. That assurance came from Ms. O.

I was captivated and my notebook filled up with notes of the many takeaways I received from her story. While there are too many to list here, I will leave you with some that I believe will also help you. After all, there is no joy in keeping this information to myself. I’m most complete when I am living my purpose. And my purpose is to encourage, uplift and share my testimony with you so that you can be comforted on your journey.

Live The Life You Want Tour – Day 1 – Takeaways/Development Opportunities

• You are here because you’ve been called. Everyone has a calling and a purpose on their lives. This is something that I knew on some level. But hearing Oprah Winfrey say it was confirmation for me. We are called according to purpose. What have you been called to do?
• Finding Your Oak Tree. Oprah told us that she meditates under her Oak Tree. It’s a spot where she can have quiet time with God. I kept thinking to myself after she said this, “Where is my Oak Tree”. I haven’t answered this yet. It’s only been a day but I am determined before 2014 is over to find my Oak Tree – that representative space that I can go to get quiet time with God. My house is small, a studio to be exact, however that will not stop me from carving out a spot where God and I can commune. Its something I had been thinking of recently and could not articulate it until I heard Oprah speak about her Oak Tree. Where is your Oak Tree?
• Who are you serving? According to Ms. O, your life is validated by your service to other people. I’m still grasping this. This magazine and The Divas Circle Talk Show were all developed because I wanted to serve you, my audience. Because I wanted you to know that you were not alone. That life can be rough but you are not alone. Because when life was rough for me I needed to know that I wasn’t alone. But there is more I can do and I can be better at what I am doing now. That is why I’m calling this a takeaway/development opportunity. Whom are you serving?
• Intentions. It was clear throughout her speech on Day one that intentions matter. Why you do things and say yes to things you don’t really want to do. All of that matters. You matter and I matter. We all need to make our intentions clear. What is your intention for the day each day you wake up? Honestly, I hadn’t thought about it like this. Sure, I want it to be a good day mostly. But the idea of being specific about what you want to happen and why is something I never put into practice. From now on I am going to try to consistently and specifically describe my intentions for the actions I take and the decisions I make. Why am I saying yes to things I want to say no to? What is my intention for doing that? Why am I attending this event? Donating to this charity? Are my intentions pure? These are questions I will be asking myself. How are you going to set proper intentions for your life?

And this was only Day One…