The“Oprah Winfrey Show”was number one in our time slot for 21years and I have to tell you I became pretty comfortable with that level of success.But a few years ago I decided，as you will at some point，that it was time to recalculate，find new territory，break new ground.So I ended the show and launched OWN，the Oprah Winfrey Network.The initials just worked out for me.So one year later after launching OWN，nearly every media outlet had proclaimed that my new venture was a flop.Not just a flop，but a big bold flop they call it.I can still remember the day I opened up USA Today and read the headline“Oprah，not quite standing on her OWN”.I mean really，USA Today？Now that’s the nice newspaper！It really was this time last year the worst period in my professional life.I was stressed and I was frustrated and quite frankly I was actually，I was embarrassed.It was right around that time that President Faust called and asked me to speak here and I thought you want me to speak to Harvard graduates？What could I possibly say to Harvard graduates，some of the most successful graduates in the world in the very moment when I had stopped succeeding？So I got off the phone with President Faust and I went to the shower.It was either that or a bag of Oreos.So I chose the shower.And I was in the shower a long time and as I was in the shower the words of an old hymn came to me.You may not know it.It‘s“By and by，when the morning comes”.And I started thinking about when the morning might come because at the time I thought I was stuck in a hole.And the words came to me“Trouble don’t last always”from that hymn，“this too shall pass”.And I thought as I got out of the shower I am going to turn this thing around and I will be better for it.And when I do，I‘m going to go to Harvard and I’m going to speak the truth of it！So I’m here today to tell you I have turned that network around！
And it was all because I wanted to do it by the time I got to speak to you all，so thank you so much.You don‘t know what motivation you were for me，thank you.I’m even prouder to share a fundamental truth that you might not have learned even as graduates of Harvard unless you studied the ancient Greek hero with Professor Nagy.Professor Nagy，as we were coming in this morning，said，“Please，Ms.Winfrey，walk decisively.”
I shall walk decisively.
This is what I want to share.It doesn‘t matter how far you might rise.At some point you are bound to stumble because if you’re constantly doing what we do，raising the bar.If you‘re constantly pushing yourself higher，higher，the law of averages，not to mention the Myth of Icarus，predicts that you will at some point fall.And when you do，I want you to know this，remember this：there is no such thing as failure.Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction.Now when you’re down there in the hole，it looks like failure.So this past year I had to spoon-feed those words to myself.And when you‘re down in the hole，when that moment comes，it’s really okay to feel bad for a little while.Give yourself time to mourn what you think you may have lost but then here’s the key，learn from every mistake because every experience，encounter，and particularly your mistakes are there to teach you and force you into being more who you are.And then figure out what is the next right move.And the key to life is to develop an internal moral，emotional G.P.S.that can tell you which way to go.Because now and forever more when you google yourself your search results will read“Harvard，2013″.And in a very competitive world that really is a calling card because I can tell you as one who employs a lot of people when I see“Harvard”I sit up a little straighter and say，“Where is he or she？Bring them in.”It’s an impressive calling card that can lead to even more impressive bullets in the years ahead：lawyer，senator，C.E.O.，scientist，physicist，winners of Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes or late night talk show host.But the challenge of life I have found is to build a résuméthat doesn’t simply tell a story about what you want to be but it’s a story about who you want to be.It’s a résuméthat doesn’t just tell a story about what you want to accomplish but why.A story that’s not just a collection of titles and positions but a story that’s really about your purpose.Because when you inevitably stumble and find yourself stuck in a hole that is the story that will get you out.What is your true calling？What is your karma？What is your purpose？For me that discovery came in 1994when I interviewed a little girl who had decided to collect pocket change in order to help other people in need.She raised a thousand dollars all by herself and I thought，well if that little 9-year-old girl with a bucket and big heart could do that，I wonder what I could do？So I asked for our viewers to take up their own change collection and in one month，just from pennies and nickels and dimes，we raised more than three million dollars that we used to send one student from every state in the United States to college.That was the beginning of the Angel Network.
And so what I did was I simply asked our viewers，“Do what you can wherever you are，from wherever you sit in life.Give me your time or your talent，your money if you have it.”And they did.Extend yourself in kindness to other human beings wherever you can.And together we built 55schools in 12different countries and restored nearly 300homes that were devastated by hurricanes Rita and Katrina.So the Angel Network—I have been on the air for a long time—but it was the Angel Network that actually focused my internal G.P.S.It helped me to decide that I wasn‘t going to just be on TV every day but that the goal of my shows，my interviews，my business，my philanthropy，all of it，whatever ventures I might pursue would be to make clear that what unites us is ultimately far more redeeming and compelling than anything that separates me.