Super Soul Special: Joel Osteen: The Two Powerful Words That Can Change Your Life
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I'm Oprah Winfrey. Welcome to Super Soul Conversations, the podcast. I believe that one of the most valuable gifts you can give yourself is time, taking time to be more fully present. Your journey to become more inspired and connected to the deeper world around us starts right now.

Today, Pastor Joel Osteen is considered the most watched inspirational figure in America. Millions tune into his weekly sermons and podcasts. He and his wife of 29 years, Victoria, co-pastor a congregation of thousands at the Lakewood Church in Houston, and they pack stadiums around the country and the world on their Night of Hope tours. Joel Osteen is also the author of more than 20 books, including seven New York Times bestsellers.

I don't think anybody was more excited than I when I saw the cover of your new book, The Power of I Am, because I heard a sermon that you preached, probably 2012, on the power of I am. And that sermon literally changed how I spoke power into my own life.

So I think I remember telling you this story. I was shooting "The Butler." I had heard that sermon. I was so exhausted. I was like trying. We'd been shooting and shooting and shooting. And I remembered hearing that sermon. Your voice came into my head that whatever follows I am.

will determine what your experience will be. - Yeah. - Yeah. And so I literally thought, "Okay, I'm gonna just try that." 'Cause I was so exhausted. And I started saying, "I am getting my second wind."

I am going to feel so much better by midnight. I'm going to want to shoot all night. I am. And I'm telling you, I started to feel differently. And I couldn't believe that it was-- that it happened so quickly. I know. It's an incredible principle. I don't think we realize that, you know, like you said, what follows that "I am," we're inviting into our life. You know, you say, I am, you know, tired.

I am frustrated, I am lonely. I think you're inviting more of that in that. So the principle is to turn it around, invite what you want into your life. - Okay, so this is it. Whatever follows I am will eventually find you. Those were your exact words in the sermon. - It's so important. It's just what you said. And you know, even from the scripture, it says, let the weak say, I am strong. I think a lot of times we wanna say how I feel,

You know what, I am lonely, I am tired, and I think there's a balance to it. And I don't think you're denying the facts, otherwise, hey, well, I'm just hiding my head in the sand. It's not so much that, it's just not magnifying the negative. Like I talk about in the book that I am a masterpiece. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I am strong. I am talented.

I think that is speaking to the core of what God's put in each one of us, that he has equipped us, he's empowered us. We have what we need to fulfill our destiny. But I do think that we have to bring it out. And you can't bring it out being against yourself. A lot of people, you know, they may not say it out loud as much, but in their mind, it's, you know what, I am not that talented and I'm not as smart as my sister and I'm not that, you know, just all the negative I am's.

And I think that keeps us from our destiny. So we've heard that phrase, you know, speaking truth to power. It feels like when you understand that whatever follows I am is going to eventually find you, that if you start speaking all the positive aspects of yourself, as you say on page 14, I am secure, I am valuable, I am approved, I am determined, I am generous, whatever that is for you, when you start allowing yourself

what you want to be your truth, even if it isn't at this moment, you begin to speak truth, the truth of I am, to the power of what can be. Correct? I think you're exactly right, Oprah. It's got to be God's purpose and plan for your life. But, you know, I don't know me saying I am going to be the president. You know what? I don't think that's the purpose for my life. Because that is not in agreement with God. Exactly. God's plan for you. Exactly. Yeah. So do you believe that every person born to planet Earth

There is a God's plan. Yes. I believe God wouldn't have breathed life into somebody without giving them a purpose and a destiny. I don't know that I understand it all, but I believe that there's something distinct for you to do that nobody else can do. When he breathed life into you, he set that in motion. Then there's a reason for you being here. Exactly. Yes. So how did you come up with this concept of life?

the power of I am. Obviously, it's stated in the Bible, but the fact that you now, you know, would preach a sermon about it, that you would write a book about it. You spoke of a young lady who, after a service, was...

you know, feeling very defeated and saying, you know, I'm so depressed and I can't find a job and I'm not beautiful and I'm not what, was that what sparked it? You know, it's, it's part of it. Just what you said. There's, there's, you know, I hear so much of it in, in a position like mine, visiting with people after service. And, you know, just a lot of people seem to be against themselves. And I think about there's enough people and circumstances in life against us already. Don't be against yourself.

And I think it dishonors God to go around thinking that you don't have enough of this or just negative or discontent. Turn it around and say, you know what? I am valuable. I am a masterpiece. I have something to offer this world. Because you say we can either speak to the power of faith or speak defeat into our lives. And that I think it's so interesting that, I mean,

I mean, I'm aware of these principles and concepts, but I was reminded when I was reading The Power of I Am, how often do I speak defeat into my own life? Yeah. Yeah. It's so important. You know, sometimes it's just been so natural to us. We don't realize that we're, you know, maybe a strong way to say it is we're cursing our future. You can curse your future or you can bless your future. So be careful what you say. I think I love where you say we need to send out some new invitations to ourselves. Isn't that good? Yeah. Isn't that good? Yeah.

Even if I said it. Isn't that good? Yeah, you got to. Man, I like to get up in the morning. I like that play in your mind. So let's talk about that a bit. What do you think when most people wake up in the morning, they are inviting into their lives? Well, I think a lot of people, I can't speak for everybody, but they get up and they go, I'm so old. I'm so tired. I don't feel like going to work. Look at all these wrinkles. They come up with all the negative things. And it's just...

I don't know that it's necessarily natural, but you got to turn that around. I think you have to tell yourself, "I am beautiful. I am attractive. I am something special." Then you know what? Do something on the inside. Isn't there a member of your church who every day going to church? Tell me about her. Yeah, there's this friend of mine. She gets up every day and she looks in the mirror and she says, "Girl, you're looking good today."

She's just a funny girl to begin with. And I asked her one time, I said, you still say that every day? She said, yeah. And she said, matter of fact, today when I got up, I said, girl, sometimes you look good, but today you look really good. She's just fun. But I like that principle because most people can't look at themselves and say you look good. Well, you know, it's so hard when you are measured by a standard of beauty.

quote, beauty that it's really hard to achieve. You know, I think about this every time I do a photo shoot for my magazine or even just getting ready this morning. People are trying to measure themselves against a beauty standard that is literally airbrushed in the world. I know. Yeah.

There's always going to be somebody more beautiful, always somebody more attractive, always somebody more successful. But again, I think we know this, but nobody can beat me at being me. Nobody can, you know, nobody can beat you at being you. Yeah.

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Join their 19 million customers today at Empower.com. Not an Empower client paid or sponsored. So you say that we are constantly comparing our lives, our homes, our appearance, our vacations and everything.

I think our social media culture has encouraged us even more. I mean, people look on, I had a friend say, I can't look at Facebook anymore because people are there and they're on vacations. And, you know, you actually say in the book, they're going to Mexico and I'm just going to grandma's house. Yeah. Yeah. But we've created a culture that compares us. We really haven't. I think it's gotten, like you said, with the social media, it's gotten so much more.

easier to fall into that trap. I mean, it's all fine to see what people are doing, but you got to be comfortable with who God's made you to be because that comparing, it just only makes you discouraged. It only, it only pulls you down. Okay. I love it when you say, as long as you're comparing your situation to others, you will never feel good about yourself.

You have to realize you're not running their race. You are running your race. Ooh, that's good. You have a specific assignment. God has given you exactly what you need for the race that's been designed for you. That's good.

That's good. That's good stuff. See, I don't mean about me, but see, I can speak to that. Because see, Oprah, when my dad died, he'd pastored our church for 40 years. I'd grown up there. And so all of a sudden, I'm the new pastor. I felt like I was supposed to do it. Again, it's just that destiny on the inside. I knew I was... I didn't know I'd be successful, but I knew I was supposed to do it. But, you know, I believe those are tests of our faith. And that was on a Monday, and that was the most miserable week of my life. I couldn't sleep. I just...

Did you know what you were going to preach on? How did you figure that out? Well, I just started coming up with some notes, and I ended up telling a bunch of funny stories about my family, and tied it back into faith. But I was so nervous and talked so fast. By this time, though, your dad had gone to the hospital. Was he not in the hospital? He had to go to the hospital that Friday. Just some complications from dialysis. He'd been on dialysis three months. He still seemed very healthy. So we hooked him up by the telephone back in 1999. Didn't have the Internet like today. And we hooked him up, and he heard me speak my first sermon.

I got up there and I had to hold onto the podium. I was so nervous. And my first thought was, why is everybody staring at me? Because I'd never seen it from that point of view. That is funny. So anyway, I spoke. Because you're the one speaking. I know, I know. So I spoke and I was so relieved. We went up to the hospital. We saw my dad.

The nurses stopped me in the hall and they said, "Joel, we have never seen your dad so proud." He just beamed with joy. And of course that made me feel well. Well, little did I realize that next Friday my dad had a heart attack and he died. He went to be with the Lord. And I thought, what are the coincidences of me speaking the last Sunday of his life? Because he was healthy for the most part. And so here's the thing. About two or three days later after I got past the shock of my dad dying,

I felt that same feeling that said, "I'm supposed to step up and pastor the church." And again, every thought said, "Are you crazy? You spoke at one time. You think you're going to get up there and pastor it?" But, you know, I knew I was supposed to do it, and I took that step of faith. But I got up there to minister, and I thought, "I've got to be like my dad." I mean, all these 6,000 people, they come every week, you know, a lot of them for years and years. And if I don't teach like my dad and preach like my dad and use the same, you know,

You know, I just felt like that, you know, I would, it's not going to be right. So the first sermon you did, you were trying to imitate your dad. Yeah, I remember once. You were trying to invoke him. The first few months, I felt pressured to be him, not in a bad sense because I love my dad, but I just thought, you know what, I felt like I needed to be because that's what everybody expected of me. Because I'm, hey, you know, we've been here all these years. But then one day, about three or four months in, I realized I'm not good at being my dad.

I'm not good at preaching His messages. He came from a Southern Baptist background. He's more fiery and I thought I'm laid back.

I'm good at encouraging people, talking about life. And it's about three, four, five months in, I read a scripture that said, David fulfilled his purpose for his generation. And I felt like I heard something here that said, Joy, your dad fulfilled his purpose. Go be you. Your dad fulfilled his purpose for his generation. And the next generation has to do the same. I think that's so true for so many parents and so many kids are tied to, I've got to do what my parents want me to do.

But I love that your prayer for your children, actually, is that they become who God created them to be. You know, hope they follow in the line somehow, but whatever. They don't have to be like me for me to be fulfilled. And I think that running your own race is probably another one of the biggest things that keeps people from their destiny because you can't run somebody else's race. I think it's really important for everybody to actually realize. And it's hard in a society that...

tries to impress upon ourselves, upon the culture, through selling the stuff all the time, that you can only be you by being like other people.

But there was a defining moment, I think, that actually impressed you to be yourself. Didn't you overhear some little old ladies talking about you? And they didn't know you were behind them. They didn't. It was after the service. After which service? After a Sunday morning service at Lakewood. So my dad had died like three or four weeks earlier. So I'm up there. I'm as nervous as can be. I don't know if I can pass through the church. I haven't told anybody. I just felt like I'm supposed to. And so the service is over. I've just given my message. I'm out in the lobby in these...

and older ladies, they don't know I'm kind of behind them. And one of them said, "Well, he's not as good as his dad." And another one said, "Yeah, I don't think he's going to make it." And Oprah, if you only knew how much I did not need a negative comment at that time because I was already... You were already thinking that exact thing. I was already against myself thinking, "Joel..." Every thought told me, "Joel, you haven't been to seminary. You're going to get up there and look like a fool. What makes you think you can pastor the church after you've been behind the scenes for 17 years?" You know, I believe those are tests of our faith.

I could have dwelt on that and let that play over and over, but I'd get in front of my mirror sometimes and do just what I tell people to do in the book. I said, Joel, you are strong. You are well able. You are equipped. You are empowered. I love well able. I love that. I think you can talk yourself into your dreams or you can talk yourself out of your dreams. I think you have to talk. You have to do the talking or else you'll talk yourself out of it. Did those little ladies do you a favor? Did they embolden you or did they, in the

moment create more fear and anxiety for yourself? Because they're actually saying what you were already feeling. Yeah, I think it was God ordained for them to be there, but I think it was up to me to say, which way is it going to go, Joel? Are you going to just receive them, let them keep you from your destiny, or are you going to get an agreement with me? Are you going to get an agreement with God? And that

That in a sense, in my personality, and I think it should be for all of us, it kind of stirred me up. I thought, you know what? I'm going to do this harder. I'm going to dig deeper, and they're not going to determine my destiny. God does, and you've got to have that holy fire on the inside. I believe that, and I also believe that

You know, I keep coming back to this point you made about getting in agreement with God because I think that every life is ordained. I call it being in flow, being in flow. There is a flow that is the current of God for you. And it's your job to figure out what that is. That's right. Let's get back to the race that every single person has.

has a race that is their own. So we're just gonna focus on what we do and not worry about what anybody else does because we can't be them anyway. - Exactly. - But you gotta know what your own is. You gotta know, you gotta have a vision, you gotta have a way of seeing yourself in the world.

How do we find what is our own race, Joel? You know, I think, Oprah, it's difficult. You've got to look down on the inside. I believe, you know, sometimes it takes a little bit of time. It takes, you know, I've gotten more comfortable in the last three or four years. I finally, you know, outlasted the critics. I finally, you know, get a little confidence. And you realize that, okay, you know what, this is my lane. I know it deep down in the core of my being. When you're looking over here and over there, that's energy that you need. And, you know, you're...

Taking that energy, you're taking that focus away from what you need. Yes. When you need to get yourself back on track, always, there is always the track that is designed for you. The way to do that is how?

- Well, I think, Oprah, you start by looking away from a lot of the distractions, the comparisons like we're talking about, coming back to that center, knowing what you're supposed to be doing. - Yeah, so we were talking earlier about it's hard not to be pulled

by everybody else's vacations, their homes, their cars. How can you tell people to be satisfied with going 12 miles down the road to your brother's house or grandma's house for vacation when all around you people seem to be, you know, they're going to the islands, they're going to Mexico, they're going... How can you be satisfied with that? Well, I think you can be satisfied knowing this, if I'm doing my best...

if I'm giving it my all, if I'm pursuing my dreams, if I'm growing, then I've got to believe my time is coming. And in the meantime, I think when we're content, we're showing God that we're honoring God. If you don't get happy where you are, you probably won't get to where you want to be. And so I think you've got to come back and say, okay, you know what? I'm not in my...

I'm not going on the big vacation yet, but I'm going to be faithful right where I am. I'm going to make good choices. I'm going to develop my gifts, and I believe God will open up some of those doors. Because I think everybody, we spent a whole generation striving, striving, striving, striving, and...

Now with all the striving, a lot of people, there's no satisfaction or contentment with what they've achieved. I know, that's right. And you know, it's about the journey, you know? Gotta be content where you are 'cause you're gonna reach that next goal and then there's going to be the next goal there. And so I think it's just very important to enjoy the season that you're in.

Even if you're not growing as fast or even if it's a difficult time. And so I think that's a lot of times we just, we don't take time to enjoy where we are right now, knowing that God's going to get us to where we're supposed to be. I think that's what's so hard is people think, well, if I'm content, it means that I'm okay with it being the way it is. So there is a level of, I must surrender to this moment now.

as I also try to strive for the moments to come. That's exactly right. Yeah, exactly. You said it exactly right. Because you're right. We don't mean content, hey, man, I'm just going to be in poverty. Everything's okay. Yeah, no. You're saying, God, hey, you know what? God, I want to do something greater with my life, or I want to pay this house off, or I want to start this business, but...

Right now, I'm not going to be discontent where I am. Yeah, it means not resisting. Exactly. Not always fighting it. Some people are always fighting, you know, I've got to change my child today and I really should, you know, speak better. And, you know, you've got to come back to a place of peace and say, okay, I'm going to do my best, but God, I'm going to trust you. I love it on page 171 where you say, this is really key, I found this too, you have to be careful of who you let into your inner circle. Yeah.

It may be difficult, but you have to have the attitude, "I cannot fulfill my destiny with your critical spirit in my life. I can't become who I was created to be with your spirit dragging me down." That's true, isn't it? It is. Yes. It's so important. It's one of the biggest things that keeps, holds people back. It is one of the biggest things that holds people back. You know, you can't have negative forces in your life every day. And even people that are causing you to compromise, being less than your best.

and fulfill your destiny. And it is hard because nobody wants to lose friends and some people you've known, sometimes their family. And I'm not saying you disown people, but you've got to look at it and say, you know what? I'm going to miss my destiny if I don't make some hard choices. And I've learned this, Oprah.

If you don't... - That's good. That's a tweetable moment. I'm going to miss my destiny. I am going to miss my destiny if I don't make some hard choices. - And here's another strong one too. What about this? If you don't distance yourself from the wrong people, then you'll never meet the right people. So you gotta look up and say, "Well, these friends, I know they're not right for me, but you know what? I love them and all this, but..."

How do you know God doesn't have something so much better for you that can push you into your destiny than always having to have people that are pulling you down? So everyone has a destiny and you have to be in a lot. Your goal, this is what I talk about, is finding out how to be in alignment with your supreme moment of destiny. That's good. I agree. Spread the love for Black Founded Brands. Yeah. Found here at one.

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You were just trying to hold on to those 6,000. Now you got 40,000. And the largest congregation in the United States. How do you define success? - To me, Oprah, it's doing what God's called you to do. It's fulfilling your purpose. So those 17 years behind the scenes, I felt successful. I felt content. I was doing what I was supposed to be doing at that time. So I don't think you can always be successful

always quantify it in the numbers. I have friends that pastor a church of 200 in a small city and I believe they're successful. So to me, it goes back is, are you being your best with what God has given you?

in your lane, because you know what? - We've all got our lanes. - We've all got our lanes. - Which is the same as our race. - Exactly, it's so important. So I think that's it. You know what, again, it's not a comparison type thing. It's back to, you know what, this is what I know I'm supposed to do. - Yes, so you're often defined as being a minister of prosperity or a prosperity preacher. Would you own that, do you not? - Yeah, I don't like the term, but I do believe that God wants us to be blessed. - Yes.

And so when you hear prosperity, prosperity means joyful, abundance, receiving all that you can. Exactly. Yeah. Exactly. Well, first off, prosperity is your health, good relationships. There's nothing wrong with having abundance. It's just using it to bless others. Yeah. One of the things that I noticed in all of your preaching in sermons, you know, you don't talk about the devil and Satan. Yeah. Is that on purpose? It is on purpose because I grew up

Oprah, with a lot of times we blame the devil for everything. Oh, Lord, yes. You know, the devil made me, you know. Do it. Yeah, do it. Yeah, just name it, whatever it is. And so I like to take the, you know, sometimes we're the enemy. Sometimes it's our own thoughts. We're allowing things. Sometimes we're making choices. And like we said, we've got a friend that's not the devil. It's our friend that's causing us to compromise. So I don't beat people up.

I think life beats people up enough with guilt and condemnation. So I turn it around. The Scripture says it's the goodness of God that leads to repentance. So I'd rather tell people, hey, you know what? You can break that addiction. You can be a better father. You can reach your dreams. You're made in the image of God. That draws people to a loving Heavenly Father.

Again, I like to get outside of the church as well because it's easy to talk to the church people all the time. But what about people that didn't grow up like me and you in a church and think, "Hey, you know what? I'm not spiritual. I'm not religious," is what they tell me, "Joel, but I like watching you." I think they start to feel a connection with God to know that, you know, God is not about the rules and regulation. God's about fulfilling your purpose. And you say on page 229 here, "If you turn your back on God, we're told sometimes religion pushes people down."

If you turn your back on God, He'll turn His back on you. If you make poor choices, don't expect God to bail you out. It was your own fault. But the truth is,

that when you fall, God doesn't turn away from you. He comes running towards you. - Yeah, that's our message. And that's what I see in the scripture. You know, the prodigal son, the father came running to his son, he represents God. And so, you know, it's a different take than some people agree with or like, but it's what I really believe, I've seen it. - You say when you blow it, God doesn't say too bad, you lost your chance.

So what does he say? I believe he says, I'm going to give you another chance. I'm going to, you know what, get back up again. I think as long as you're breathing, you get another chance. Absolutely. And I just, I like that fact that, you know, that God comes running to you. I've heard this said, when you make a mistake, God doesn't love you less. He loves you a little bit more because he comes running to you. It's like when the scripture said, you know, if a shepherd has 99 sheep,

and one goes astray, he goes looking for that one. And when he finds it, it says he, God rejoices over the one sheep that's found. - Yeah, absolutely. I think what is amazing, you have the largest church in North America and you actually outlasted the critics. You mentioned that. I'm wondering, was there a time when the critics actually bothered you? You know, saying you don't preach about Jesus enough and you were talking about prosperity and you were not, you know, traditional enough. Did it bother you?

I'm real good at not letting that bother me. Really? You know, I am. I think maybe, you know, there's probably irritates you here and there, but I just, I no more dwell on that. I come back to say, you know what, am I doing what I'm supposed to do to the best of my ability? Here's my thing, Oprah. I start off every day by searching my own heart, praying, meditating, reading the scripture. How long do you spend doing that? You know, typically a half an hour. It varies, you know, but typically a half an hour. I like to do that, but I always feel like, you know what, if I can leave my...

place of prayer and meditation and feeling good about who I am, you know, if I'm pleasing to God. It orders your day too, doesn't it? It really does. And you know what? It's easy to let the distractions go because here's my thing. If I miss it in front of God, I thank God I'm going to miss it with a pure heart because I'm doing the best that I know, you know, and I'm not going to be influenced by the left and the right because you know this as much as me is you're always getting pushed one way. I'm not hard enough and I'm too hard here and I'd rather be

criticized for who I am than what people have made me to be. Okay. So I think you are Pastor Olsteen and you are always positive. Do you continuously live in that space? You don't, you never have a bad day? No, no, I do. I think there, I don't, I don't know if I have a bad day, but I'll get up some mornings and I think, oh,

"I can't go write another message. I don't feel inspired or I got, you know, I don't, you know, I feel maybe out of balance or something." - Yeah. - One, I find something to be grateful for. I think, "Lord, I thank you that I'm alive today." 'Cause somebody out would love to trade places with me. And number two, I try to do something for somebody else.

YOU KNOW, GET MY MIND OFF MYSELF. BUT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK IT TAKES THAT LONG TO SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, I'M GOING TO MAKE A DECISION TO LIVE THIS DAY HAPPY. LOOK AT ALL THAT'S RIGHT IN MY LIFE. AND I'VE GROWN TO WHERE, YOU KNOW, MOST OF THE TIME I'M CONTENT. I'M NOT JUMPING UP AND DOWN, BUT I'M VERY CONTENT. YEAH. I WANT TO KNOW HOW YOU SEE GOD. YEAH, I SEE GOD, OPRAH, AS MY

Probably the best way. I was raised by a good father and I felt love from him. So I see God as my heavenly father. I see God, you know, like you said, in people, in creation. But do you see God as like a physical being when you picture him? I do. I do. I can't picture what he looks like, but I see him as a being, you know, as a, yeah, physical being. It says we're made in the image of God.

I don't know, is God, you know, a person type form? I don't know, but I see him as a being. Not just as a fog or something, but you know, as a specific-- - As a being. - Yes. - As a being. Do you see God in all people?

I do. I believe that we're made in the image of God. I see God in the beauty of creation and I do. Yes. And do you believe that whenever you're out of order with God, your life is out of order? I believe that's true because I believe there's a perfect will. I believe that, you know, again, God has a plan for us and we can go against His will and, you know, He still loves us but... Can we be faithful and not be religious? I think so. Is there a difference between faith and religion?

I think I like faith more than religion because I think religion can have political overtones and you know some of the other stuff that just it's got a lot of baggage and I don't think Jesus came to give us religion. I like that. I like to say faith to me is a relationship with our Creator, our Heavenly Father and so I think there is a difference. Yeah. So tell me one of my favorite Bible passages I know is yours because you mentioned it in The Power of I Am.

"Be still and know that I am God." What does that mean to you? - It means to live from a place of rest and let God be God in your life and know that He's directing your steps and He'll get you to where you're supposed to be. I think it comes back to the central thought of, you know, as long as you're honoring God, being your best, treating people right, you know, God will get you to where you're supposed to be. - How do we not be discouraged though, looking at the world? I mean, I literally,

other than watching Gail in the morning. I watch CBS Eye Opener just to see what's going on in the world so I can have an articulate conversation about it. But I make a conscious effort not to let myself absorb all of the negativity in the world because it feels very... If you sit and watch the news for a couple of hours or you're on a...

channel where there's nothing but news, you can become really, first of all, anxiety-filled, fearful, and discouraged. Yes. So how do we not be discouraged? I'm like you. You've got to have a worldview, know what's going on in the world. But, you know, to feed yourself all that, it's not healthy. Verse saying, you know what, living out of a grateful heart, you know what, I'm blessed to be alive. And just keep your thoughts going in the right direction. So I want to read this passage you have on page 210 here.

You say, "God's dream for your life," I offer this to all of you, my super-soulers, "God's dream for your life is so much bigger than your own." If He would have done it earlier, you wouldn't have been prepared. Now is your time. You're about to step into what you were created to do. You're going to step into a new level of your destiny.

And so the disappointments and the delays and the setbacks in the past were all a part of the plan to get you prepared for right now. Nothing was wasted. It strengthened you. You developed trust, endurance, and confidence. And now you are prepared for this time. You're on the runway about to take off.

I was going to say, that's good. That's good. I love that. That's good. I love that. You know, nothing is wasted and it's a right way to live that God is going to connect all those dots. And sometimes, you know, a lot of times the way I speak is I'm speaking faith into people. I'm trying to ignite those seeds. And sometimes you need to hear that. You know what? This is your time. This is your moment. But that principle of, I just started talking about this maybe two or three years ago, particularly, you know, I have all these girls from South Africa and

who are graduating now from college beginning this year. And, you know, a lot of them had some difficult transitions coming to this country, new culture and all that stuff. And I, that's why I teach that, preach that, say that all the time. And to anybody else, anything that you're going through at this particular time is going to be useful to you down the line. There's nothing that has happened in any of our lives. No.

No. That doesn't bring you to wherever it is you're supposed to be going. You know, it's an interesting principle to even think about this, to say nothing happens to me, it happens for me. Isn't that good? Because it is. You look back at some of the... We'll all look back in five years, what we think is so difficult. Now we're going to think, you know what? Joel, are you reading my mind? I say that all the time. Everything that happens to you is happening for you. Okay. But it is. You look back and, you know...

It's a longer story, but you know, you realize that disappointment. I met somebody that I'm going to need five years from now, and if I hadn't have met them, I wouldn't have met this, met that one. It's just God's going to use it all. Yeah. What is the world's greatest wound, do you think? Hmm.

You know, probably to be loved. There's so many hurt people, you know, the injustices in the world. So I think just that need to feel loved and important and valuable. Yeah. I would say over the years of all of my interviews, interviewing people who are coming from crisis, dysfunction, whatever, that when you go down to the

common layer of what's going on. It's a sense of unworthiness and not being loved. I think you're right on. And what can we do to heal it? Every one of us can make a difference in somebody's life. You know, can you show love to somebody? Can you make them feel better about themselves? Yeah. You know, Oprah, it's not always the big thing. Some people just need a smile.

or somebody put people need to say you know what you look beautiful today just uh something to let people know that you care you know what i do i honestly if i'm feeling like out of sorts which is really rare but if there's some day like a couple weeks ago i was like gee i'm feeling like really kind of like not in alignment first i pray and ask what that is

And then to make myself feel better, I will think of someone, literally go through my calendar, look at people's names and think of who can I make feel better with a little surprise. And it literally turns it around. It's so important because we were made to give. You make somebody else's day. God will always make your own day.

I think that's so important, just those little things. And nowadays, you know, you send a text that takes you 20 seconds. I am thinking about you. I love you. I'm proud of you. Something simple like that just makes somebody's day. Well, I am so grateful that you came all the way across country to be here with me today. I am blessed to know you. I'm blessed to be here. Thank you. Thank you so much. The power of I am.

I'm Oprah Winfrey, and you've been listening to Super Soul Conversations, the podcast. You can follow Super Soul on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. If you haven't yet, go to Apple Podcasts and subscribe, rate, and review this podcast. Join me next week for another Super Soul Conversation. Thank you for listening. Spread the love for black-founded brands, yeah. Found here at one.

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