 Successful people always choose their own stories. I've told the story I learned about Oprah Winfrey. One time as a child, her grandma was spreading clothes on the line. When the grandma told little Oprah, watch how I'm spreading them clothes because when you grow older, you're going to become a maid just like the rest of us. Little Oprah rejected that statement. Young as she was, she had a bigger vision for herself. Even as a child, she had chosen to write her own success story. And since that was the path she had chosen, no one would take it away from her. Oprah Winfrey grew up poor and moved to different cities several times as a child. She never forgot her childhood dreams. However, she kept believing in herself, worked hard until she eventually got several television jobs as an on-screen reporter and anchor. In the early 1980s, Winfrey moved to Chicago, where she first started the Oprah Winfrey Show. The show was a huge success. The Oprah Winfrey Show became the highest rated daytime talk show in the country. Her show had 25 seasons in all. After that success, Winfrey diversified into other endeavors like acting and producing. She started movies like The Colour Purple and Beloved. She became a sensational success when she started her own magazine. Oh, and then her own TV station, OWN, or the Oprah Winfrey Network. Today, Winfrey is known as one of the most successful television personalities in the country. Her estimated net worth is almost $3 billion. Listen to this. It took more than luck for her to hit that kind of success, especially seeing as she was born poor. It took a lot of perseverance and all the wisdom she had acquired. In today's video, I'll share with you 10 rules of success, as explained by Oprah Winfrey. Subscribe to our channel so you don't miss other interesting videos like this. 1. Rather than overwhelming yourself with a big picture, ask yourself what the next right move is. It's easy to feel intimidated by everything on your plate. So instead of facing such an enormous proposition, take things one step at a time. Make the best move you can, then make the next move, and then the next one. Each time, going as carefully and thoughtfully as you can, Winfrey believes that success isn't one giant leap. It's a series of baby steps, and if you make one mistake, understand that your life and your career won't be defined by that one mistake. You have more steps to take, and you will arrive at success eventually. 2. When you see an opportunity, take it. Oprah does not chuck up any of her success to luck. Instead, she insists there's been grace and blessings, but there's also been opportunity. The key to being successful is recognizing when the opportunity is in front of you and seizing it. So what about luck? Luck is preparation meeting the moment of opportunity, Winfrey has said. If you're not prepared, if you're not looking for that chance, then luck when do you any good. 3. Forgive yourself for your past mistakes. You're not the person you were 5, 10, 20, or more years ago. A lot of wisdom just comes with age. So don't beat yourself up for youthful errors. You didn't know any better, but you know better now. Look at those past mistakes as teachable opportunities, learn as much as you can from them, and then move forward. 4. Never stop improving yourself. This means continually working on your personality, your skill set, and your network, so that you are in the best possible position to make a difference. Others may see your efforts to improve yourself as self-centeredness or being full of yourself, but Winfrey believes you should ignore them. You always need to be improving if you want to get ahead. If people are saying that about you, take it as a compliment. You're doing a lot, and others are noticing. 5. Go as hard as you can. Beyond that, recognize that you have control only over your own performance. You can't control the competition at all. When Winfrey was starting out with her talk show, she knew that there were lots of other shows competing for guests, topics, and airtime. But she also knew that she had no control over any of that. All she could do was make the best show she knew how to make. Similarly, all you can do is the best you know how, all the time. It's like a race. You just run hard until you reach the finish line, and all you can do is make yourself run more quickly, not make your competition run more slowly. That's what brings you success, building yourself up, not looking behind you to see where your competition is. 6. Don't just dream. Believe. It's okay to have big dreams for yourself. We all do. But if you're going to be successful, you have to do more than dream. You have to believe that the life you aspire to lead will one day be yours. Winfrey always knew that she would live a big, fulfilling life. She had that strong belief in what her future held. Do the same, and hold firmly to that belief. Even in the most difficult times, and you're likely to get exactly where you want to be. 7. Remember that people are more alike than they are different. We're all seeking the same thing, Winfrey will tell you. We all want to reach our fullest potential. Sure, we all go about that in different ways because we all have different skills and different passions, but at the end of the day, we all just want to be true to ourselves. 8. Find your purpose in life. According to Winfrey, if you're going to be successful, you need to figure out why you're here on earth. Most entrepreneurs already feel like they know their purpose, but if you don't, stop everything. Take some time to search yourself and find your purpose. 9. Keep yourself grounded and centered. It's easy to get lost in your work, and it's easy to let your ego inflate. But if you keep your focus, stay compassionate, and always seek to understand and connect with others, you'll improve your chances of success substantially. Winfrey attributes much of her own personal success to her ability to keep herself grounded. 10. Try to remember that everything will be okay. If you're aiming for success, you have to take the long view. Yes, it's normal to be afraid, but never lose faith that everything will work out just fine. If this video inspired you, like the video. We love you.