Oprah's coming! Oprah's coming!

That's right, kiddies. Today marks a new season for The Oprah Winfrey Show. I'm as excited as if I've heard the ice cream truck in the distance. As you may know, I adore Oprah. I don't want to be her as much as I want to be Oprah-esque. In honor of my shero, I've put together my thoughts on what I've learned from the Big O. Enjoy!

Be yourself

Oprah is a modern-day phenomenon. It’s like the Boston Red Sox winning the World Series or Gloria Steinem getting married. You thought you’d never see it in your lifetime. Here’s a black woman from the south who struggles with her weight and isn’t a conventional beauty yet is now one of the most influential women on this planet. The world adores Oprah.

Sure, she went through her toothpick period where her hair rose like a lion’s mane and her nails extended like bright red talons but it was the late-80s. We were all looking for that extra height in our hair and nails. Too many Tina Turner videos will do that to a woman. She eventually hit her stride and settled into a subtle glamour that understands she’s not the most beautiful or skinny woman but can still rock a red carpet with class and sass.

She sends the strong effective message that woman don’t need to apologize for being smart, having opinions and not taking no for an answer. That doesn’t make you a bitch. It makes you a strong woman. Women aren’t defined by their bra size, hair color or income. They exist through their wit, faith and intelligence.

Use your influence

This woman is an innovative media diva. She realizes that when you have influence and a platform to speak from, you’re unstoppable. She ushered in a new trend in daytime talk shows where it’s not enough to simply expose that a mom is getting busy with her daughter’s boyfriend or that Robert’s girlfriend Samantha is really Samuel.

Even if you’re heading the bake sale and other church fundraisers, there’s no reason why you can’t ask your co-workers and neighbors for help. Instead of adding that $500,000 chapel, you know the one that will allow you to charge more for weddings, ask church members to settle on a smaller chapel and give the extra money to the local women’s shelter.

One person can make a difference

What’s your pet peeve? Is it people who don’t clean up their dog’s poo or children who have no place to go after school? Whatever the answer, the solution lies with you. Most great organizations started with one person with an outstanding idea. Look at Mothers Against Drunk Drivers and the Girl Scouts of America. These organizations were founded by passionate people with a vision. Of course, this would mean that you’d have to actually get off you behind and think about someone other than yourself which seems to be an enormous problem for some folks.

Oprah set her sights on literacy and managed to launch obscure writers to bestselling authors and assemble the most finely-pressed book club in her viewers. She made Anna Karenina as hip as visiting a Kabbalah Centre. She offered a reward for two at-large sexual predators on her show, less than a week later both were apprehended. Who said one person doesn’t make a difference?

Dignity

Whether she was 140 pounds or tipping the scale at 300, she always has an easy grace. She might have been secretly plotting an escape but we were clueless. There are overweight people that are confined to their homes due to embarrassment and health conditions. Oprah braved a national audience daily and as her girth expanded so did her audience. It’s difficult for me to have dignity or grace when I leave my house only to realize that my favorite Capri pants fit perfect when I’m standing but want to rebel and possibly burst when I sit down. Where’s the dignity in that? Did she take a class?

Dream big

There’s something that happens around the age of 22. We stop dreaming and drift into this purgatory of car notes, baby diapers and working late. We forget those childhood dreams of becoming an astronaut or ballerina because we suddenly realize we’re afraid of heights or its painful to stand on our toes. Practicality and common sense replace curiosity and innocence.

Everyone has dreams. Make it through the week without sending your boss to hell or save enough money to visit Aunt Sadie in Florida. Oprah asks us to dream a bigger dream. If you can’t go a day without visualizing your boss being run over by a truck, look for another job or consider going into business for yourself. Chances are you know way more than you give yourself credit. Turn that trip to Florida with your favorite aunt into a family reunion. Put the call out to the clan and make Alex Haley proud by gathering as many generations as possible. Once you accomplish this dream, who knows what’s next.


50 is the new 30

Something was activated when Oprah turned 50. She got HOT. She was our enlightened spokeswoman. I mean she was always attractive and stately but never HOT. The planets aligned for her or she made a pact with the devil. Maybe she just found herself. She’s an inspiration for 50-somethings everywhere. Hell, we can all learn something for her. Fifty has changed. Say goodbye to sensible shoes, turtlenecks and floor-skimming skirts and hello to pointy-toed high heels, plunging necklines and snug boot cut jeans.

Repeat after me. Oprah! Oprah! Oprah! Oprah!