The Smartest Advice I Ever Got

In her new column for Oprah.com, author, political commentator, and veteran campaign strategist Donna Brazile offers her rules to live by.

1. Be the buffalo.
Wilma Mankiller, the first female principal chief of the Cherokee nation, once told me how the cow runs away from the storm while the buffalo charges directly toward it—and gets through it quicker. Whenever I'm confronted with a tough challenge, I do not prolong the torment. I become the buffalo.

2. Organize the small to make room for the big.
I am addicted to gadgets. Trouble is, I keep forgetting where I put them. A friend once said, "Our lives are spent in moments—how many of them do you want to waste looking for your cell phone or BlackBerry?" Finding a place for everything frees up time to pursue what you really want.

3. Go help someone.
My mother wasn't a very patient woman. If I complained about being lonely or bored, she'd tell me to go help someone, anyone. To this day, when I start feeling sorry for myself, I look for a good deed to do. But I keep in mind one thing....

4. Ask the turtle.
I'm proud to call Gloria Steinem a friend, and this advice came from her. While on a field trip in college with her geology class, she discovered a giant snapping turtle that had climbed out of the river, up a dirt path, right to the edge of a road. Worried it would soon be run over, she wrestled the enormous reptile off the embankment and back down to the water.

At that moment, her professor walked up and asked what in the world she was doing. With some pride, she told him. He said that the turtle had probably spent a month crawling up that long dirt path to safely lay its eggs in the mud on the side of the road and that she had destroyed all that effort with her "rescue." Gloria tells this story to illustrate the most important political lesson she ever learned: Always ask the turtle.

5. Wear comfortable shoes.
Men don't wear high heels, and they don't make allowances for women who do. Tottering down the corridors of power in beautiful but crippling stilettos telegraphs your preference for style over substance.

6. Take care of your body.
This has always been a difficult one for me. I sleep too little, go too fast, and indulge too often in minor vices. But as my Grandma Frances said, "You can only go as far and as long as your body will take you." That's why I slow down to enjoy an occasional glass (or two) of finely aged single-malt scotch. I don't think it's what Grandma Frances meant, but taking that moment is what allows me to keep going too far and too fast the rest of the time.

- Oprah.com

Conquer Your Fears

Allow yourself to consider this possibility: There is no tragedy in life, and there are no victims. In this consideration lies your own empowerment.

How can there not be tragedies?
In many ways, your enemies can teach you much more than your friends. You can't have control over what happens to you in this moment, but you do have control over your response to it, and over the context in which you put it. In the case of rape, there are many people who will go through traumas and see themselves as victims. And others who will find compassion and understand that anyone who is doing violence is hurting very much.

- Oprah.com

The Four Things Every Soul Needs

1.  Harmony. The perception of power as external that separates nations is the same that exists between individuals. The love, clarity and compassion that emerges within the person that aligns themselves with the soul is the same that will bring harmony to other people's lives.

2. Cooperation. We are together because we want to be together, not because we have to be. Realizing together, co-creations emerge.

3. Sharing. Share what is important to you—not possessions. Give yourself.

4. Reverence for Life. Reverence is a level of protection and honor about the process of life so that while a person is maturing toward the journey and through the journey of authentic empowerment, he or she harms nothing.

- Oprah.com

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Open Your Heart to Feelings

Be aware of what you're feeling, because your feelings are the force field of your soul. Use the following techniques to embrace your feelings:

    * Experience everything you are feeling, even when it's anger, sadness or jealousy. Underneath anger, for example, if you stay with it long enough you will find pain. If you feel it, you can deal with it!

    * Let the feelings go, but use your will consciously. When you feel depressed, jealous, sad or angry, understand that these are the things that you must heal in order to go where your wholeness is calling you to go.

What else would you add here?

- Oprah.com

Are You Making These 10 Health Mistakes?

Over the past decade, I've noticed that people tend to make the same mistakes over and over again when it comes to losing weight and staying healthy. Luckily, you don't have to follow in their footsteps.

1. They work out simply to burn calories. What matters more is exercise intensity. Vigorous exercise dulls your appetite, while moderate exercise stimulates it.

2. They strength train with two-pound dumbbells. Heavier weights will help you build bone mass. You should be able to complete only eight to ten repetitions of each exercise.

3. They substitute pie for the pie chart. Draw a circle and divide it into wedges, like a pie. Label each wedge with some aspect of your life - your finances, your kids, your spouse - then, using a plus or a minus sign, note whether each area is going well. Work on nurturing areas that you're unhappy with, and your weight will be easier to control.

4. They aren't aware of third-hand smoke. These foul-smelling toxins can linger on your hair, clothes, carpet, and furniture. Even if your partner isn't lighting up inside the house, third-hand smoke can harm you and your family.

5. They keep eating until they go to bed. Make a hard-and-fast rule: no eating within two hours of bedtime.

6. They don't pay attention to the hunger scale. Imagine a scale from one to five - one being full, and five being ravenous. If you're hitting a three - your stomach's grumbling, you're physically dragging - it's time to eat. Any lower than that, and you're eating to fill an emotional need, not a physical one.

7. They don't think about how relationships affect their motivation. If you've got a strong support network, you're less likely to de-stress by crashing in front of the TV or eating poorly.

8. They think a finite goal is the only thing that matters. I've seen clients reach their goal weight, then gain it back once they realize that life isn't suddenly perfect - even at a size 6. Make your goal to live a healthy life, no matter what's on the scale.

9. They fall for the latest fad. A "cookie diet" is not a sound nutritional plan.

10. They underestimate the power of 80 percent. People tend to have an all-or-nothing attitude when it comes to living healthy. But if you can put these tips into practice even 80 percent of the time you're still going to be successful.

- The Oprah Magazine written by Bob Greene

10 Ways To Stay Spiritually Connected

Whether you practice a traditional religion or relate to a more universal spirituality, these steps will help you tap into a sense of unlimited peace.

1. Recognize your Creator. Think on this: There is a supreme power in the universe that is bigger and more powerful than your small mortal self. This step really makes you humble.

2. Seek opportunities to put more love into the world. Strive to be a vesel of love, to fill the world with more compassion and kindness. This step makes you loving and lovable.

3. Set aside time each day to spend in spiritual reflection and contemplation. Dwell in the presence of the divine: Your path may be to pray, meditate, read spiritual material, take a long walk through nature - or all of the above - but optimum practice includes both morning and evening sessions of at least 20 minutes each. This step makes you strong.

4. Become more accepting. With every interaction, surrender any tendency to judge another person. Pray for a more accepting heart. This step makes you gracious.

5. Forgive anyone you have not forgiven. Whenever you withhold forgiveness, you keep yourself bound to your own feelings of guilt. This step makes you kind.

6. Recognize your mistakes. Admit where you yourself have been wrong, and be willing to be corrected. This step makes you responsible.

7. Try to see the good in others. When you're tempted to judge someone, make an effort to see their goodness in people will subconsciously bring it forth. This step makes you positive.

8. Take stock of your thoughts and behavior. Each night ask yourself when were you negative when you could have been positive? When did you withhold love when you might have given it? When did you play a neurotic game instead of behaving in a powerful way? Use this process to self-correct. This step makes you grow.

9. Bless the world. Pray not just that your own life will be blessed but that blessings be poured on everyone. This step makes you beautiful.

10. Use each interaction to be the best, most powerful version of yourself. Try to rise to the occasion. Be the most wonderful expression of you that you're capable of. This step makes you a conduit of God's love.

- The Oprah Magazine written by Marianne Williamson

The 10-Step Life Renewal Plan

Ask yourself these questions to figure out what's working, reject what's not, and move toward your best decade yet.

1. Does the way you spend your time reflect what's important to you? Make a list of your top five priorities - marriage, children, volunteer work, and so on - and track how many hours you devote to each in a week. If any numbers are too low, recalculate your time budget so you can live according to who you want to be.

2. Does your Blackberry get more attention than your family and friends? Resolve to switch off your gadgets during private moments so you can nourish personal connections with complete focus.

3. Are you nursing a grudge or two? Let bygones be bygones, and free yourself from the emotions that weigh you down.

4. Who should be in your life? Phase out any so-called friends who offer only criticism and negative energy. Surround yourself with people you admire, who believe in you and want you to succeed.

5. Have you typecast yourself? You may cherish your responsibilities as a mother, but "Mom" is not the whole of who you are. Ask yourself if one role is draining all your energy, leaving other expressions of your authentic self unfulfilled.

6. What battle are you fighting? Is your husband really the one who's letting you down, or are you blaming him for the pain of a past relationship? Are you doing what's best for your kid, or are you parenting with a chip on your shoulder left over from your own childhood? Remember: You are not a prisoner of your legacy.

7. How can you live greener? Can you swap your gas guzzler for public transportation? Trade plastic bottles for a thermos? Go meatless once a week? Pinpoint changes you can make now.

8. What are your goals? Define specific goals with measurable outcomes and assign yourself a timeline. Passion and will-power alone won't cut it - you need a strategy.

9. Who is standing in your way? The answer may be you. Reject self-loathing and treat yourself with the kindness and respect you would show your best friend.

10. What one thing can you do for yourself every day? It could be as simple as finding 20 minutes to take a bath (my wife, Robin, swears by that.) Every day is a new opportunity to pay attention to your own needs and make choices you feel good about. This decade, claim the right to minister to yourself.

- The Oprah Magazine, written by Dr. Phillip C. McGraw, PhD

What items would you add to this list?

What Matters In Life

Being successful in life is not what really matters, being significant in life is really the core root of what matters.

- A recent guest on Oprah

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