Young Republic Blog

The Challenge of What’s Next

For Oprah, daring means “coming to the edge. Seeing the space between where I am and where I want to go. It’s pretty wide! But having the faith to take the leap anyway and knowing that no matter where you land, it’s going to be okay.”

I can’t say I have always been an Oprah fan, but since becoming a woman in business, I now realize how amazing her drive is. Sure, she was “The Oprah Show” on NBC hosting celebrities and giving away cars like candy, but I really didn’t appreciate her efforts at the time. It’s amazing how easy it is to get used to a phenomenon – that is the plight of being American I suppose. However, in recent moments I have come to appreciate her wisdom and effervescent energy.

Oprah attained the tippy top of fantastic financial success, then called it quits on her own show after 25 years in 2011. You might think she was ready for retirement, or maybe some down time, or a permanent vacation. Oh no! She was quickly on to the next challenge. What could be bigger and more difficult than her own show, well how about her own channel? It is known as OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) which is experiencing the ups and downs of a fledgling channel . ”When you have reached the peak of a mountaintop, which is where I was with the Oprah show, you have absolutely no worries,” she explains of the ambitious undertaking. “I’d been in the right space at the right time, and I’d done that in the best way possible for 25 years. But you have two choices: You can come down from the mountain and spend the rest of your days thinking it was so beautiful there, or you can create a vision, look upward, see the next mountain, and start the climb all over again.”

As a fashion designer, her words give me an understanding of why I keep pushing myself and my brand forward. When you have taken your design dreams and ideas and woven them into a single look or an entire collection, or maybe taken the next step in your business plan, you may feel as though you have conquered the mountain and come to the end of the challenge. However, the real challenge comes when you realize that in order to keep moving forward you must see the top of the next mountain off in the distance and start preparing yourself to climb again. To reach the next pinnacle and know that there is no such thing as DONE! Adopting this attitude is what creates success. Learning from your process, staying humble, and knowing that hard work is what keeps us creative, fulfilled and perhaps alive. Take it from Oprah, money isn’t everything and being idle doesn’t change the world.
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So raise a glass to your next big idea, collection, or business venture- it might just take you to the summit of your life!

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