Oprah Winfrey reveals intent is the secret to her success

'I only do what I intend to do'

Oprah Winfrey reveals the secret to her success (Getty)

Oprah Winfrey has revealed the defining realisation she experienced early on in her career that ultimately led to her success.

Appearing at the Qualtrics user conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, the talk show host recalled that, in 1989, she wasn’t happy with the direction her show was going in.

According to Winfrey, there were two episodes that made her realise she needed to make a change - one where she interviewed skinheads, and later felt that she’d given a platform to hatred, and another a week later that featured a cheating husband, his wife, and his girlfriend.

During the second show, the man informed the audience and live national television that his girlfriend was pregnant - a moment that served as a wake-up call for Winfrey.

“I felt this should not happen to a human being and certainly not under my watch,” Winfrey told conference attendees, KSL reports. “I will not be a part of any kind of show that continued to do that.”

The realisation prompted Winfrey to speak to her producers to discuss how they could be a “force for good”.

But it was when reading "Seat of the Soul" by Gary Zukav that the talk show host and philanthropist realised she needed to understand the intent of her message before each show - a principal that changed the direction of her life.

“I don’t do anything without thinking about what I ultimately want the energy, the motivation I’m putting into it. What is the end result going to be,” she said. “I only do what I intend to do."

It was after she began focusing on intention that her show began to really resonate with people, later earning her 16 Emmys over its 25 years on air.

As for deciding what your intention should be, Winfrey said it helps to ask yourself: “How do I use this in the service of something greater than myself?”