Our editor carefully selected our featured products. We may earn commissions through the links on this page.

Oprah’s latest intentions were inspired by Will Smith, who said that his new book is "the best memoir I have ever read."

Every Sunday, Oprah will make plans for the upcoming week-specifically for Oprah insiders. Join us and think about topics such as friendship, letting go, and becoming more of yourself. This week's message about building the life you want "one brick, one tile" is inspired by Will Smith's new memoir, Will.

When things get tough — or even when you just need to boost your emotions — a good podcast can cheer you up and help you move forward. Thanks to a large number of podcasts, there must be at least one option to help you deal with any challenge you face, whether it's starting a new career quickly, recovering from an accidental breakup or loss, or improving your health and well-being. Previously, our five favorite inspirational podcasts. Full of tips and tricks to make any goal more feasible, they provide advice from people who really understand what they are talking about, such as research professor and author Brené Brown and Today co-host Hoda Kotb. They will inspire you to work harder, seize opportunities, and live your best life. Sharing Space with Hoda Kotb Through public dialogues with guests such as Iyanla Vanzant, Jenna Bush Hager, and Michael Todd, Today's co-host unravels important topics such as self-discovery and recovery from the biggest setbacks in life. Unlock us with Brené Brown using her years of experience in researching fragility and empathy, this famous research professor and best-selling author has a challenging and honest dialogue with artists, writers and comedians about the true meaning of humanity . Happier with Gretchen Rubin Hosted by our own "Oprah Daily" columnist and happiness expert, Rubin introduced her best-selling book "The Happiness Project" to this podcast, providing listeners with practical ideas and steps to let They can bring more happiness to life. This exciting podcast from The Good Life Project-from author and entrepreneur Jonathan Fields-with guests such as Elizabeth Gilbert and Austin Channing Brown will encourage you to deepen your connection and live with purpose . The super soul of Oprah. Our intrepid leader is to the world’s smartest promoters and thinkers (such as Malala Youssefzai, Malcolm Gladwell, Tarana Burke and Eck Hart Thor) conducted interviews to think about the biggest problems in life and inspire listeners to “connect to the deeper meaning of the world”.

As you move on, you will definitely encounter some setbacks and bumps in the process-you may miss the long-awaited promotion, some unexpected bills may force you to use savings, commitment to work and family It might mean that you have to press pause on that side item, and so on. But the thing is this: A study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that people who have experienced some adversity are happier and more satisfied than those who have not experienced adversity, and are better able to cope with life climaxes and Trough. However, the key is how we deal with these moments of disappointment and frustration. Oprah said: "Whenever I encounter a setback, I will try to realize what this experience has taught me-why it has made me grow." "And I know that anything that happens to any of us It is a means to help us develop into more people who we should be." In the future, some equally smart strategies will help you recover from the inevitable detours and setbacks in life. Feel how you feel. "Suppressing your emotions—whether it is anger, sadness, depression, or sadness—can actually enhance them," said Dr. Christine Neff, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. Instead, try to practice self-compassion by treating your pain with warmth and kindness (rather than judgment), and recognize that mistakes and pain are part of the common human experience. Be your best friend. "The main reason people are unkind to themselves is that they think they must be harsh on themselves in order to succeed," Neff said. But a series of experiments conducted by researchers at the University of Berkeley found that “taking an accepting approach to personal failure may make people more motivated to improve themselves.” So next time you feel overwhelmed, ask yourself: this time What will I say to my dearest friend at this moment? But also call friends. When we are depressed, we tend to isolate ourselves-but social interaction is one thing that reliably increases people's positive emotions. In fact, according to Dr. Angela Duckworth, the author of Grit, strong social relationships are every outstanding individual she interviewed or studied (such as four-time Olympic athlete Lindsay Vaughan). And the 13-year-old national spelling bee champion). "Courage sounds like you are in the role of John Wayne: you will not seek help from anyone, because you are a strong person who can overcome all difficulties to succeed," she said. "But in fact, there is a person in their lives who can confess their insecurity to them and express their anxiety. This makes me believe that strong people are those who have the courage to become vulnerable." Provide services. "Doing something for others is one of the best ways to make yourself feel better-especially in these times, the world never lacks people who need help," successful coach and author of "You Are the Badass" Jane Cinciro said. “Just going out and working to make changes for others will have a huge impact.” Consider having a meal in a nearby food kitchen, spending an hour playing with cats and dogs in a local animal shelter, and serving freshly-baked food. Surprise the neighbor, write a thank-you letter to the postman, or a friend who is busy running errands for a very important thing. Put together the routine of a mental gym. According to Sincero, when you want to improve your physical fitness, you go to the local gym-so when you want to improve your mental health, you need to go to the mental gym. "In essence, this is a list of things that are guaranteed to improve your mood, thoughts, and prospects," she said. "What music always keeps you in this area? Which videos make you laugh? Which books can really inspire you? Which podcasts can you listen to repeatedly?" In addition, you can also consider adding a few to your mental exercise. Minutes of meditation, journaling, making vision boards, repeating positive affirmations, and, yes, real, sweaty exercise.

Anyone who loves books knows that a great story can open your eyes, touch your heart, and change the way you see the world—perhaps there is no better example than a memoir. It takes great vulnerability and courage to open your heart to tell your deepest fears, lowest valleys, and hardest moments, but when you share your life experience, you also share your life lessons. "Whether you are born to like writing and have this talent, or you just want to express what is important to you, I am sure: everyone's story has power and meaning," Oprah said. "This is the power of words-a story told so well, you will be magnified by its meaning." With this in mind, we asked Leigh Haber, the book director of Oprah Daily, and Wadzanai Mhute, the book editor, to recommend a few books. An exciting memoir about living step by step. The Yellow Room, Sarah Bloom, winner of the 2019 National Book Awards, tells the unforgettable, true story of the author's family and their home in the run-down area of ​​eastern New Orleans for a hundred years. Issues of class, race, inequality, and family ties are unearthed with talented insight. The stone house, owned by Anthony Shadid Shadid’s great-grandfather in Marjayoun, Lebanon, was abandoned for a long time and fell into disrepair when an Israeli rocket hit the top floor in 2006. Shadid returned to reconstruction in 2007. He tells the story of his ancestors, his family immigrating to Oklahoma, and his life as an international journalist. Go there, Katie Couric writes, Going There’s narration seems to be about to appear in the male-dominated world of Internet TV, and it reads very much like what you thought the former today’s anchor The memoir will be-spicy, smart and curious, when she looks back on the past and tries to understand it all. "Just Kids", Patty Smith's exhilarating memoir masterpiece won the 2010 National Book Award, it is no wonder: it records the youth and love (with Robert Mapelthorpe) in New York City at the time Feel, all the gritty and romantic details. What does it take to become an artist? She also captured this.

In his new memoir, Will Smith touched on everything from his father's abuse to his unconventional marriage with Jada Pinkett Smith. So what motivated him to become so personal-and write the pen on paper? "At this moment in my life, I can feel that I have my own views on mistakes, mistakes and wrong ideas," the actor said in the latest episode of the Apple TV series "Oprah Dialogue." "I think I have enough perspective to share useful things... I want to have the freedom to say,'Hey, this is me.'" Based on more than 1,000 studies, this is just one of many ways to write yours Thoughts and emotions can benefit your physical and mental health. (FYI: It can also improve your mood and sleep, reduce stress and anxiety, and keep your mind sharp.) This is because whether you are looking back at key moments of childhood or looking forward to the goals you are trying to achieve , Or simply jot down your current thoughts, writing gives you space to organize your thinking, deal with complex emotions and experiences, deal with conflicts-and finally find clear ideas. "I have been writing a diary since I was 15 years old," Oprah said, his actual diary entries are shown above. "It's amazing to be able to track your own evolution-who I used to be and who I am still becoming." So the next time the task at hand is daunting, an achievement may seem out of reach, or life is just Feel, well, a lot, take a few minutes to record your true thoughts and feelings. This will not only help you become more aware of any habits or behaviors that might help (or hinder), but it will also help you understand the truth and determine the best next step-so you can move on, brick with bricks. "If something stressful happens in your life, the diary will train you to stop, react, and understand it all," Dr. Elizabeth Gilbert, head of research at PsychologyCompass, told Oprah Daily. To help you on the path of "writing", here are some tips and tricks to help you start your own diary practice. Create a routine that suits you. There is no suitable writing time, so please find the time that best suits your schedule. Just like any other habit, the point is to make it a part of your life, so try a few different times during the day—first thing in the morning, in your daily commute, during your lunch break, in Before going to bed-see what leads to the greatest consistency. In other words, if you miss a day or two or don’t want to write, don’t be nervous.

Allow yourself to write badly. If you pay too much attention to whether your writing is good or whether each word is used and spelled correctly, it may be difficult for you to actually write anything on paper. Remember: your diary is only for you, so it does not have to be full of groundbreaking ideas and deep insights. Instead, try to jot down anything that pops into your head—don’t proofread or overthink. Use guided logs. Feeling stuck? There are many instructional journals full of questions, hints and quotes that will excite you. Our Oprah's "The Life Planner You Want" is partly a weekly planner and partly an intention diary, which includes the following reminder: "This week brings me happiness..." "I want to change me What is one thing in my life?" and "What am I most grateful for in the season of my life?" Make a new list every day. Diaries can be whatever you want-sometimes this means keeping it simple and staying away from lengthy paragraphs. "Lists can be non-threatening. They don't think you are writing an article or telling every detail of something," podcast Micaela Blei told Oprah Daily. Instead, she recommends listing "10 things I feel good about" or "10 things that worry me." You can also take a page from Oprah’s script and write down five things that you are grateful for every day. Use tools that inspire you to write more. Your diary does not need to be luxurious-a simple notebook or a spiral notebook will do. However, if a beautiful diary and a beautiful pen make you want to write, then please consider it a worthwhile investment.

If you are like most people, you may remember that you got your first job—not to mention stress, anxiety, or even the frustrating moments that led to your first job. For Gail, that was when she really learned to deal with things “brick by brick”. As a young and ambitious reporter, she is committed to doing her best to get her first broadcast performance, which includes developing an orderly, step-by-step process. Here, Gayle explains how a series of small steps and great patience paved the way for her success in Kansas City and other places. "Whenever you apply for a job, the last thing you want to do is to make another resume on the pile of resumes that someone has already overflowed. That's why when I try to find my first broadcast job, I use My head, a phone, a map of the United States, and radio yearbooks have made my own system, which is a directory listing all TV programs. And radio stations in chronological order. Because I’m just starting out, I know I can’t expect to enter One of the top 10 markets in the country-but I also know that I don't want to be one of the bottom 10 markets either. So I focused on those ranked 20 to 30, and then I sat down and looked at a map of the United States. Ideally, I want my new city to (a) be close to the east coast so that I can be close to my mother, and (b) have a sports team because it gives it a certain energy. If a station meets both of these As a condition, I find out the name of the stationmaster and their number two, and then I find the name and number of that person’s assistant. At that time, I will call and say, “Do you have any vacancies? Because if you don’t, It doesn’t make sense for me to apply. That’s why I found my first job in Kansas City. Kansas City is not only ranked 26th, but also has-wait-three sports teams. This means that my system is already working. , As a result, I got what I wanted, whether professional or personal. I was very very happy there, and even there I met my ex-husband. We finally broke up, but this did not affect my The view of the city. I still like it to this day. In fact, since then, this is how I deal with any problems or obstacles. I am a very strategic person, so the first thing I do is to ask Myself, what is the best way to fix it? What can I do to fix it? From there, I developed a step-by-step strategy—and then started working."

Have you ever had "Aha!" for a moment? One of the unforgettable, coherent moments when you observe the situation and even the world through which the lens suddenly changes dramatically? As Oprah shared in a video by Merriam Webster, she sometimes said, "When I sit down and talk to someone, what they say makes me look at it in a completely different way Life or situation, I said,'Aha! I get it!'"

This is the beginning of a wonderful new week. For this week’s intentions, I was inspired by another book, Will Smith’s Memoirs. I tell you, this is an amazing achievement. It is so honest and full of so many wonderful life lessons and aha moments. However, it sounds like Will’s voice, because he wrote it.

One of the life lessons that really impressed me was that he told his childhood story about building brick walls when he grew up in West Philadelphia. Yes, a real brick wall. He was 11 years old, and his father needed to build a new wall in front of his shop: a 12-foot-high, 20-foot-long wall to replace a crumbling old wall. His father—the family call him Dadio—assigned the job to Will and his brother Harry. First, Daddio demolished the old wall, leaving this big hole. Then, Will and his brother Harry built a new one brick by brick.

Now Will describes the task. He said it seemed unstoppable and endless. Their father doesn't care about rain or cold, or his son doesn't want to work that day. Week after week, they tried to rebuild that wall, but they didn't feel that they had made any progress. So the little boys now work during holidays, holidays and weekends, throughout the year. They mixed concrete and walked back and forth with what seemed to them like millions of bricks. If they are in a bad mood, or are sick, or have a test the next day-Daddio doesn't care. That wall must be built. As Will described, one day they were in a very "stinky" mood, and they protested to their father that the job was impossible. It is impossible for the two little boys to be asked to build this wall, and it will never be completed.

So this is where the aha moment comes: Will's father was tired of hearing his sons complaining, he threw away his tools, walked to the future wall and said, "Don't think about that damn wall anymore! Nothing! The wall. Only bricks. And your job is to lay this brick perfectly. Then move to the next brick. Then lay that brick perfectly. Then the next one. Don't worry about not having a wall. You only care about one brick."

Will said it was sunk. He wrote: "When I focused on the wall, I felt that this job was impossible. It was endless. But when I focused on a brick, everything became easier. A few weeks passed, the bricks Once installed, the hole has become a bit smaller. I began to understand that the difference between a task that feels impossible and a task that feels feasible is only a matter of perspective. Have you paid attention to the wall? Or are you focusing on the bricks?"

So when life feels overwhelming, when the task at hand is daunting, when you look to the future, you think, oh no! Too much! I can not do it! , You can accept Dad’s suggestion and consider things brick by brick. I just like this analogy. One brick at a time. If necessary, one small step at a time. So if needed, it's half a brick. Will wrote: "Every day, no matter where you are going or what you experience, there is always another brick in front of you, waiting to be laid. The only question is: Do you want to get up and lie down?"

So this week, everyone, do things one by one. Before you know it, it feels like a wall that you find impossible to build, the kind of sadness that you think is unbearable, the kind of achievement you think is out of reach-you will suddenly find, yes, you have built A wall. you succeeded. One brick at a time. I wish you a pleasant week.

Click here for more content, exclusively for Oprah insiders!