- Yesterday was Oprah Winfrey’s 66th birthday.
- In 2017, she delivered a college commencement speech that revealed what she called “the secret to her success,” and the three steps to achieve it.
- The secret is “the power of service” — combining self-discovery with your unique talents to discover what you have to offer the world.
In 2017, Oprah Winfrey delivered the commencement address at Smith College. And when Winfrey, who rose from humble beginnings to become a media trailblazer and billionaire, said ” … that truly is the secret to my success,” it’s fair to say we all wanted to know what exactly she was referring to.
The secret, she explained, is “the power of service.” But you have to hear her out or risk believing she thinks success equals serving others.
Rather, she goes on to recall how, when she asserted that she’d “only do shows that were in alignment with [her] truth,” she became truly successful. She references best-selling author Gary Zukav, who believes that you have to be aware of what you’re good at and what you’re therefore meant to do — that’s what you’re in service of.
In other words, she’s not making a point about selflessness: She’s talking about self-discovery.
The question that Winfrey would have each of us ask ourselves is: How can I be used? Translation: What are the unique talents I have to offer? What am I specifically meant to be doing?
In many ways, her speech is the roadmap to follow the age-old advice to do what you love.
Step 1: Believe in the “why”
Believe in the “why” behind whatever it is you do. You have to believe you’re doing something meaningful.
Step 2: Embrace your uniqueness
Find your unique talents and invest your whole self “in service” of your goals. You shouldn’t feel like you could do your work mindlessly, you should be actively using your gifts.
Step 3 : Prioritize self-care
Prioritize self-care. If you put yourself last and burn out, you won’t have anything left for others, let alone the goals you’re striving to achieve.
That’s how, according to Oprah Winfrey, you too will find “fulfillment” — which is how she defines success.
Jeff Thomas
Publisher • Opinion Columnist • New Orleans
Jeff Thomas is the publisher of Black Source Media and one of New Orleans’ most direct voices on civic affairs, economic justice, and Louisiana politics. He writes from the intersection of experience and accountability — as a licensed general contractor,a tech company founder and executive with over 30 years experience, and a businessman who has worked across the city’s civic, media, and construction ecosystems for decades.
His Sunday column covers Louisiana legislative politics, insurance discrimination, housing policy, and the forces shaping Black community life in New Orleans and across the state. Thomas writes in the tradition of Black journalists who hold power accountable without apology — building arguments from data, delivering verdicts from evidence, and speaking to Black New Orleans with the directness the moment demands.
He is also the principal of EA Inspection Services, LLC, a government inspection services company. Black Source Media is his platform for the civic conversation New Orleans has needed and too rarely had.
Selected Articles by Jeff Thomas
Black Neighborhoods Pay the Highest Insurance Rates in Louisiana. Here’s What They Don’t Want You to Know.
They Didn’t Yell the N-Word. They Went to Law School, Bided Their Time, and Rewrote the Constitution Instead.
Vappie vs. Morrell: Why Does Justice Look Different in New Orleans?
The State Has the Money. New Orleans East Just Needs Them to Use It.
The Failure of Mitch Landrieu
Publisher — Black Source Media
Jeff Thomas
Publisher • Opinion Columnist • New Orleans
Jeff Thomas is the publisher of Black Source Media and one of New Orleans’ most direct voices on civic affairs, economic justice, and Louisiana politics. He writes from the intersection of experience and accountability — as a licensed general contractor,a tech company founder and executive with over 30 years experience, and a businessman who has worked across the city’s civic, media, and construction ecosystems for decades.
His Sunday column covers Louisiana legislative politics, insurance discrimination, housing policy, and the forces shaping Black community life in New Orleans and across the state. Thomas writes in the tradition of Black journalists who hold power accountable without apology — building arguments from data, delivering verdicts from evidence, and speaking to Black New Orleans with the directness the moment demands.
He is also the principal of EA Inspection Services, LLC, a government inspection services company. Black Source Media is his platform for the civic conversation New Orleans has needed and too rarely had.
Selected Articles by Jeff Thomas
Black Neighborhoods Pay the Highest Insurance Rates in Louisiana. Here’s What They Don’t Want You to Know.
They Didn’t Yell the N-Word. They Went to Law School, Bided Their Time, and Rewrote the Constitution Instead.
Vappie vs. Morrell: Why Does Justice Look Different in New Orleans?
The State Has the Money. New Orleans East Just Needs Them to Use It.
The Failure of Mitch Landrieu