Free What I Know For Sure by Oprah Winfrey Page A

all: to have the courage to seek your dream regardless of what anyone else says or thinks. You are the only person alive who can see your big picture—and even you can’t see it all. The truth is that as much as you plan and dream and move forward in your life, you must remember you are always acting in conjunction with the flow and energy of the universe.
    Move in the direction of your goal with all the force and verve you can muster—and then let go, releasing your plan to the Power that’s bigger than yourself and allowing your dream to unfold as its own masterpiece. Dream big—very big. Work hard—very hard. And after you’ve done all you can, fully surrender to the Power.

Awe
    “In the word question , there is a beautiful word—quest. I love that word.”
    —Elie Wiesel

 
    I no longer make a list of New Year’s resolutions. I do, however, give considerable thought every January as to how I can continue to move forward.
    One New Year’s morning, I was sitting on my front porch in Hawaii, overlooking the ocean, meditating. I prayed to be more resolved about being fully conscious, allowing every experience to bring me closer to the deepest essence of life.
    By nightfall my prayer had been answered in the most profound spiritual encounter I’ve ever had.
    My friend Bob Greene and I were taking a hike. The sun had set, leaving wisps of lavender ribbons across the sky. Clouds moving down from the mountain spread out over the ocean, with only a small opening through which we could see the moon. All around us was the cloud mist and just one clear space of sky glowing with the light of a crescent moon.
    “Look at that,” Bob said. “It looks like the DreamWorks logo. I feel like climbing up and sitting there with a fishing pole.”
    It was surreal.
    As we continued our walk, Bob turned to me and said, “Stop a minute.”
    I stopped.
    “Can you hear that?” he whispered.
    I could—and it took my breath away. “It” was the sound of silence. Utter and complete stillness. So still I could hear my own heart beating. I wanted to hold my breath, because even inhaling and exhaling was a cacophony. There was absolutely no movement, no breeze, no recognition of air, even; it was the sound of nothing and everything. It felt like all life … and death … and beyond contained in one space, and I was not just standing in it, I was also part of it. This was the most peaceful, coherent, knowledgeable moment I’ve ever experienced. Heaven on earth.
    We stood there for the longest time. Trying not to breathe, in awe, I realized this was exactly what I had asked for earlier in the day. This is the meaning of “Ask, and it shall be given … seek, and ye shall find.” That moment was indeed “the deepest essence of life.” And what I know for sure: That moment is always available to us. If you peel back the layers of your life—the frenzy, the noise—stillness is waiting.
    That stillness is you.
    This is what I call a “glory, glory, hallelujah” moment. I wanted to hold on to it forever, and I have. Sometimes I’ll be in the middle of a meeting, with people lined up outside my door, and I’ll just inhale and take myself back to the road, the clouds, the moon.… Stillness. Peace.

     
     
    I’m often confronted by things about which I have no certainty at all. But I for sure believe in miracles. For me, a miracle is seeing the world with light in your eyes. It’s knowing there’s always hope and possibility where none seems to exist. Many people are so closed to miracles that even when one is boldly staring them in the face, they label it coincidence. I call it like I see it. To me, miracles are confirmation that something larger than us is at work. I believe they happen not just sometimes but every single day, if we are open to seeing them.
    In my own life, miracles often involve the simplest things, like being able to run five miles in less than fifty minutes. Or being exhausted after a long run and