I am a Chicago native. For those who don't know it, when Oprah Winfrey first came to Chicago in the 1980's, she was a tv news reporter here. That was my first exposure to her. I was 13 years old, in high school, and would sometimes watch the evening news with my mom.

The evening news anchors were Mary Ann Childers, Tim Weigel (on sports) and a little known new kid in town, Oprah Winfrey. I really liked the special chemistry the three news anchors had together. When my dog Brownie had three puppies, two white and one brown, we named them Mary Ann, Tim, and you guessed it, the brown one was Oprah.

A lot of people don't know that Oprah's early dream was merely to be a tv reporter, a news anchor. She admired Mary Tyler Moore and Barbara Walters.

Oprah was simply following her bliss and pursuing her dream of being on tv news, when a position opened up at the tv station for a morning show called "a.m. Chicago." She walked in as an unknown, gave it her all, and changed the climate of television as we know it. People knew there was something about her, but no one knew all of the gifts that were dormant within her... just waiting for the opportunity to be developed.

Oprah's biggest Secret to Success:

Follow your bliss.

When you set goals and are pursuing your dreams, having a plan is part of the process. When you are working your plan, when you follow your bliss, new opportunities will be opened to you that you could never have predicted or planned. These opportunities are often invitations for growth. Sometimes you accept them and sometimes you don't. Oprah accepted her opportunity at being a talk show host, having no experience in that area and having no idea where it would lead.

Oprah dared to enter the arena of daytime talk shows when it was dominated by the reigning King, Phil Donahue. You need to be courageous when you are working on your dreams.

Oprah says,

"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity."

Some producers early on told Oprah her face would never work on television, that her eyes were too far apart and her weight and hair were an issue. Ouch. She persisted anyways.

When Oprah first started in television, some tv producers even told her to change her name because it was rare, unique, and so many people had difficulty pronouncing it. Now she is so famous, her first name alone is a Global Brand!

Sometimes you will have detractors.

Sometimes you will have supporters.

But you must set your goals and follow your bliss.

Along the way, you will be met with some unexpected challenges.

But if you persist in following your bliss, you will also be met with unexpected blessings.

You will be met with opportunities you could never have predicted.

Oprah always held tight to her values and priorities, which enabled her to carefully select which opportunites were aligned with her faith and values. Oprah adhered to Time Commandment #3.

Like you and I, Oprah has the same 24 hours in a day. She only invests her time in those endeavors which harmonize with her intentions.

Oprah set her goals, created a plan, followed her bliss and is now one of the most powerful people in show business and is the world's first Female African American Billionaire.

Wherever you are today, you have the capacity to change the world... but you must follow your bliss.

Oprah had no idea early on that she would one day own her own syndicated talk show, that she would own her own tv studio and production company. She had no idea early on that she would star in a movie of a book she loved (The Color Purple) or be nominated for an Oscar. She had no idea she would produce tv and motion picture movies. She had no idea she would produce Broadway plays. She had no idea when she was a tv reporter that she would own her own magazine and become known all over the world. She had no way of knowing she would raise millions of dollars for charity and build schools in Africa. She could never have imagined when the producer told her to change her name, that one day she would be known the world over by just her first name, Oprah.

Your destiny is bigger than anything you can create by yourself... but if you follow your bliss, you will inevitably attract others who resonate with your positive intentions.

Opportunities come to those who follow their bliss.

Learn and apply The Time Commandments that will help you follow your bliss and and live a life that is bigger than you could ever create by yourself. All you have to do is start and follow some easy universal laws of success.

I explained how Oprah invested her time and energy in pursuing her dreams.

I want you to pursue your dreams.

I want you to discover all the gifts that lie dormant within you.

Apply The Time Commandments and unleash your destiny.

I want you to develop your greatness.

I want you to invest your time in the areas of your highest vision.

Follow your bliss...

Live Your Dreams,