Today, as I was working on a story on Oprah’s LifeClass, I realized that almost everything that theLifeClass team is looking for on the “Share Your Story” page of Oprah.com,spoke to me. It was like I could check off all of the boxes on a page. So how do I share a story without being the crazy person answering yes to everything? The only way I know how…in a blog…

Often, I stop and think about how much OWN has changed my life over the last 14 months…but I realized the other morning when waking up with a particular problem that I was trying to solve before my feet hit the floor, Oprah’s LifeClass has changed my life as well. Since last fall’s first season of OLC, I’ve become so much more aware of my emotions, my ego, and myself holding me back. My OLC notes have become “my guide”…my go-to resource on how to move through life when I start feeling stuck.  Life is different.  I am different.

Yes, OLC has changed my life. Yes, sometimes I think I have it all…or at least a lot that I am thankful for and sometimes, I’m still unhappy…but thanks to OLC and some Super Soul Sunday lessons, I know it’s temporary, it’s my ego talking and these emotions are being controlled by a peanut (Thank you Dr. Jill Bolte-Taylor). Yes, I probably block my blessings and sometimes struggle with feeling worthy. I used to think that was normal. Oprah’s LifeClass has shown me a new normal and Oprah has reminded me that being grateful and humbled doesn’t have to stop you from feeling worthy of having good things happen in your life. Being worthy and feeling worthy are two very different things…and one will hold you back more than the other. Because of LifeClass, I try to remember to light up and I look for joy rising in the world and try to take in those moments that fill you up until you feel like you are going to spill over. These are new lessons in my life …these and so many more… from OWN and Oprah’s LifeClass.

Yes, OLC has changed my life. Yes, I am looking for more balance in life. Every day I try to steal moments to breathe and I am trying to practice the art of saying “No” because Oprah told me that I should use the word more often. It has the potential to change my life. Yes, I want to get in touch with my spiritual side. And with a little O-inspiration, I’m working on it and when I feel stuck, I go to my LifeClass notes to help me move through the darkness and find the other side. Yes, I don’t feel comfortable in my own body…and this is my lesson to learn for sure in this lifetime…that I am lovable by just being me. Yes, sometimes it feels like I’m starting over…Yes, I need to organize my life…but life just keeps getting in the way and the craziness of life is often reflected in the craziness of my space. Not always…but sometimes. Yes, my fears are holding me back…which means that I am holding myself back…which means that I don’t put myself out there…which is why I am writing this …because I am responding to all of that and more. I am learning. I’m a work in progress. I’m a LifeClass student. Like so many people in the world, it almost sounds cliché…but Oprah has changed my life. She has been my favorite teacher and has taught me that through anything, you stand and you move through life because that is what you do.

While I don’t think I have the tenacity and courage to go on national TV to tell the world that I am a work in progress…to you, my OLC and OWN team, I will tell you that I would be your best student to tell that story. To tell everyone that I have learned that who I am is represented more by how I live my life…and less about what the outside world may or may not know. To understand that life always changes…today you will be different than you are next year on this same date. This I know for sure because yesterday was my birthday. I see the changes. I notice the difference. I know that the world that I am walking through may be very much the same as the one I walked through 365 days ago, but the spirit that carries me and the light and energy that I have found are very much gifts that I get each and every time that I attend Oprah’s classroom or look over my notes. These are the gifts that OLC has given to me and to the rest of the world. These are the lessons from you…Oprah’s LifeClass.