The Oprah Winfrey show is one of the most popular shows to date. How popular? The Oprah Winfrey Show is the highest rating talk show in the history of television. The Oprah Winfrey show has had 8 million viewers per original episode and 4.5 million for repeats.

Oprah herself has been ranked the richest African American woman in history and the most philanthropic African American of all time. According to some, Oprah is the most influential woman of the world.

It's easy to see how Oprah is the most influential woman. Oprah has been known for the "Oprah Effect". The "Oprah Effect" is essentially the phenomenon that anything Oprah endorses will sell. This is basically similar to the historical myth about "The Midas Touch" only that everything Midas touches turns gold and everything Oprah touches seems to turn green- or extremely successful. "The Oprah Effect" goes for both products and presidential candidates.

However, long before the Oprah Winfrey Show is a rags-to-riches tale about overcoming the obstacles.  According to the Oprah Winfrey biography, Oprah Winfrey's childhood was a difficult one. She overcame both poverty, abuse, teenage pregnancy and the eventual death of her child.

What can we all learn from Oprah?

Oprah can be an inspiration to remind us that hard work leads to success and that it's possible to overcome difficult obstacles.