Significance, Not Success

No one understands how to achieve success better than renowned talk show host, media executive, actress, and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey. Being raised in an impoverished upbringing and toxic environment, Oprah moved from rural Mississippi to inner-city Milwaukee. Eventually, she would establish a firm foundation and somewhat of a routine in Tennessee with her father. One day while sitting in front of the television, she noticed legendary broadcaster, Barbara Walters. She quickly decided she would be the African American version of Barbara. Off to Tennessee State University, then to Baltimore, Oprah Winfrey was ready to take on the world. Then suddenly, her career came crashing down. The television station in Baltimore, WJZ, decided she was dull and stiff on the air and noted she regularly mispronounced words. They fired her. “At the time, I was devastated, devastated!” is how an emotional Oprah recalls this event.

But rather than ending their relationship with Oprah altogether, WJZ looked for something else she could do. They had a failing talk show, “People Are Talking,” and they decided to give her an opportunity. Never thinking she could turn the show around. Oprah Winfrey blossomed. Her personality shined as she listened intently. Oprah never had a list of prepared questions because she felt, looking at the questions did not allow her to hear or pay attention to the answers. To say her career took off would be an understatement.

While we might not be able to garner all of Oprah’s accolades in our lifetime, we can learn from her to help us along our journey. The greatest takeaway from Oprah Winfrey occurred after she had a setback and faced an obstacle. She easily could have been unenthusiastic about the new position, looking for different opportunities to revitalize her career. But instead, she became sustainable, not situational.

Sustainable people believe in doing the best job they can do for today, tomorrow and in the future. They think they are never leaving their position. They devote time, energy, and passion, to the short term as well as the future. They believe in Scottish historian Thomas Carlyle’s great quote: “Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.” Sustainable people never think about the next job, or when we do well here, we can move to bigger and better places. Sustainable people, like Oprah Winfrey while in Baltimore at television station WJZ, believed the best place is where they currently are and where they can make the most significant difference. Whereas situational people think only of the current situation. They never care about the future, or how they leave a job for the next person. Significance plays no role in their daily life, only their success—the next job and the next paycheck.

As we embrace the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow, remain thankful for the wonders in your life. Think about becoming a more sustainable person. Work like this will be the last job you ever hold—while making a positive difference and finding the light in a dark situation, just like Oprah did!

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