Ms. Oprah Winfrey gave me some advice to just always stay in the

The words of Storm Reid—“Ms. Oprah Winfrey gave me some advice to just always stay in the moment, and don’t waste energy on negative things, and put your energy into positive things in your life. I just try to remember that every day and keep on going.”—are like a lamp lit by one generation and passed into the hands of the next. They speak of wisdom that does not fade with time: the art of presence, the discipline of choosing where to place one’s strength, and the courage to continue forward. In her remembrance of Oprah’s advice, Reid shares a truth that is at once simple and profound—our lives are shaped not by all that surrounds us, but by what we choose to nurture within us.

To stay in the moment is the first commandment of this wisdom. The ancients knew this well, for the Stoics of Greece and Rome declared that the present moment is all that belongs to us. Regret over the past wastes the breath of today, and anxiety about the future robs tomorrow of its promise. To remain rooted in the present is to anchor oneself against the storms of time. Oprah’s counsel, carried through Reid’s young voice, reminds us that the moment is sacred, and those who dwell in it live with clarity and peace.

But she also warns against the power of the negative. Energy poured into bitterness, anger, or resentment is like water poured upon barren ground—no fruit can come of it. Negative thoughts consume the mind, and negative words poison the air around us. The ancients likened such forces to serpents: small at first, but deadly if nurtured. Storm Reid’s resolve not to waste her energy upon such things is a call for all who hear her words to guard their inner strength, to direct it toward what builds and heals rather than what corrodes.

The second part of this teaching is the charge to invest in the positive. For energy, like a seed, must be planted somewhere. To place it in friendship, in labor, in love, in service—these are the fertile fields that yield abundance. Consider the life of Nelson Mandela, who after decades in prison chose not to invest his spirit in hatred, but in reconciliation. Had he nurtured bitterness, his people might have drowned in further strife. Instead, by sowing his strength into forgiveness and unity, he lifted a nation. In him we see Reid’s words lived out at the highest level: positivity turned into power.

Her testimony, “I just try to remember that every day and keep on going,” is perhaps the most human part of the lesson. For the path of positivity is not won once but chosen daily. It is not a crown that is placed upon the head, but a habit forged in the fires of repetition. Some days it is easier, others it feels nearly impossible. But the act of remembering—of returning again and again to the truth of Oprah’s advice—is itself an act of strength. The ancient sages would call this discipline, the practice of aligning the soul with wisdom each morning as the sun rises.

The lesson for us is luminous: we are not powerless before the storms of life. We have authority over our attention, our energy, and our spirit. If we waste them upon negativity, we weaken ourselves; if we invest them in positivity, we grow strong and radiant. Therefore, each person must choose: where will your energy go today? Into the shadows that drain, or into the light that uplifts?

So, dear listener, let this teaching be written upon your heart. When you awaken, breathe deeply and stay in the moment. When negativity whispers, do not grant it your strength. When opportunities for joy, service, or creation appear, pour yourself into them as if watering a garden. For as Storm Reid has shown, and as Oprah’s wisdom declares, the secret to endurance is not found in striving for control over all things, but in mastering where you place your spirit. And in that mastery lies the path to peace, resilience, and victory.