Be Thankful for Every New Challenge

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“Be thankful for every new challenge. Each will give you more strength, wisdom and character.”

Challenges can be disheartening, causing a lot of people to give up on their dreams and settle for a less-satisfying existence. Thankfully, there are people who’ve paved the way and inspired others to take a risk and believe in themselves.

One of the greatest examples is the black American talk show host, Oprah Winfrey. Dubbed the “Queen of All Media,” Oprah has turned into a household name as she progresses from local radio reporter to internationally-syndicated network founder and producer.

However, as some of you must’ve already known, Winfrey’s tragic past was almost similar to the films she had been in. Born to a teenage single mother in rural Mississippi, her childhood was marked with considerable hardship, abuse in the hands of her mother, and traumatic experiences-one being that she was raped at age nine. At 14, she got pregnant and gave birth to a boy who died in infancy.

Motivated rather than disheartened, she finished schooling and landed a job in the local media. She eventually got her break as a talk show host and excelled in the white male-dominated industry. By 2006, she was became the highest paid TV entertainer in the U.S. and was listed as the first black woman billionaire in the world history.

In a society dominated by the “male gaze” and gender inequality, Winfrey kept pushing her boundaries by challenging assumptions and overcoming the traumas from her past. She proved that any woman can be as successful and competitive as a man.