

Steve Harvey Shares Amazing Message: 'A Mistake Doesn't Define The Rest Of Your Life'
There is a reason why the term "Dying of Embarrassment" exists- because quite often humiliation can kill our joy, spirit, and motivation.
If you've recently or have ever been a victim of your own pride, you may want to listen to these words of wisdom by Mr. Steve Harvey. As many may know, last month Steve hosted the Miss Universe 2015 and made the ultimate mistake of calling out the wrong winner, resulting in the 2.5-second crowning, and un-crowning of Miss Colombia.
After Miss Philippines was named the rightful queen, Steve offered up more than a few public apologies; however, they got lost in the pool of public backlash, scrutiny and being the butt of all social media memes and jokes. Some even went as far as to accuse the humble host that he pulled a PR stunt, which Steve denies couldn't be any further from the truth. It's safe to say that most assumed it would be a while until Steve would recover from his pageant blunder.
Guess again. Steve, still having a job to do and a full daytime talk show to host, used his platform recently to turn his mess into a message. He recently spoke on having to work through our mistakes, regardless of feeling shamed:
"Whenever something has happened in my life, every time I was elevated to a new position, something seemingly tragic happens along the way. Not so much tragic, but let's just say challenging. And people have so often times asked me, 'How do you keep looking at the positive? Why do you think there is some upside to this? Weren't you embarrassed? Didn't you feel humiliation?' Ok, I guess so. I guess there were moments of all of that.'But I wasn't raised to allow a mistake to determine my future or to erase all that I've done in my life [just] because you've made a mistake. And none of you should do that. None of you should allow a mistake to define the rest of your life. So what [if] you made a mistake? Get up and go again. Go again!"
He went on to say that his biggest lesson in life was from his mother, a Sunday school teacher who made sure Steve was strong in spirit and the word:
"My father taught me to be a man. My mother, though, taught me an equal if not more valuable lesson. She was a Sunday school teacher. She taught me about faith. So listen to me: Don't let anybody shake your faith. Because it was the only thing that got me through all of this!"
Preach Pastor Steve!
[Tweet "When your confidence is low, sometimes you've got to 'faith' it til you make it!"]
When all else fails in terms of confidence and courage, some times you just have to "faith" it until you make it, and move forward off the strength of knowing that even though things aren't ok now, they will be!
If there is one thing I've learned in life about pride, is that only we give power to the people and things we allow to shame us, humiliate us or make us feel lesser than. At the end of the day, embarrassment is an emotion like any other. The same way you can choose whether or not to let a person or situation get you mad, sad, happy, etc, is the same way you can choose whether or not you want to react, or even care, about people laughing at you or attempting to succumb you to a place of indignity. No seriously, ask yourself:
[Tweet "If no one built you, then who can break you?"]
Before offering up an amazing lesson on moving forward, Steve also had Miss Colombia on the show, to which even she herself added a little humor to the horror of that evening. When asked about how she felt about the moment Steve revealed the error of his ways, she responded:
Ariadna: I was laughing [when they took my crown away]. If you see the videos, I was laughing because I thought you were going to make a joke.Steve: That would've been the worst damn joke I would've made in my life.
Ariadna: I was like- 'No, he's going to be again in the mood, making people laugh and he's join going to make some joke.' You know? Like Oprah (throws hands up in air) "You're Miss Universe, you're Miss Universe. Everyone's Miss Universe!"
Class act! At the end of the day, the ladies that are blessed to even make it as far as Miss Universe has successfully beat out thousands of other hopefuls to make that stage, and have all exemplified etiquette, tact, and humility. The training incurred in these competitions does not simply go out the window at the first sign of trouble. Clearly, all of these women get where they are for a reason, and are winners in their own right.
A modest goddess who keeps it humble between mumbles. I'm a journalism graduate with a HERstory in digital media, print and radio. Roll the credits: Power 96, VH1, xoNecole, EBONY, SOHH. Deemed "Top 20 Women in Media" by Power 105. Bronx made me, Broward raised me.
Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushing…and that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne’s Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and you’ll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it”? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you aren’t doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. That’s because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesn’t let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly don’t want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, you’ll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession — a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.
Oprah Winfrey On Never Experiencing Imposter Syndrome: 'I Had To Look It Up'
If you’ve ever wondered what type of mindset it takes to reach icon status like Oprah Winfrey, it’s probably best to start by knowing which one she’s managed to avoid over her long-standing career.
And let’s just say imposter syndrome didn’t make the cut.
While promoting her new book, Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier, with her co-author Arthur C. Brooks, Oprah shared in an interview with People that when it comes to imposter syndrome, it’s one emotion she hasn’t experienced.
"I don't have any of that imposter feelings that so many people have," she says. "I didn't even understand it, I had to look it up."
According to the acclaimed talk-show host and media mogul, she attributes this to her early life experiences, specifically the impact of her father's influence as a child. "I remember as a young girl being a strong orator in the national competition for speaking and winning the local championships, then the state championships. And then placing, I think it was No. 3 or something, in the nationals," Winfrey shares.
"And I remember after every contest, the families whose kids were just in the contest were going to celebrate and their families were all excited. My father's thing was, 'Get your coat.'"
She continues, "I learned, in all these years, every exciting thing that would happen to me it was always, that's good, get your coat. Get your coat. I don't know if that was ingrained in my personality or I just learned that nobody's going to be excited about it, so you might as well just get your coat and go. I don't have high highs and I don't have low lows. Which is a good thing, because no matter what I'm going through, I know I'm going to come out of it and be okay."
Impostor syndrome, also known as impostor phenomenon, is a psychological perspective of persistent self-doubt and the feeling of being a fraud despite evidence of one's competence, skills, or accomplishments. People experiencing imposter syndrome often believe that their success is due to luck or external factors rather than their own abilities and fear that others will eventually discover that they are not as capable or knowledgeable as they appear to be.
With over 40 years of accolades and history-making impact, it’s clear that Winfrey doesn’t shy away from the fact that her success is due to her hard work and diligence, with everything in her life being that of what she earned — which she finds deep value in: “the ability to live in the space of true appreciation for a life, not just well lived, but well-earned."
From coming from the lineage of an enslaved great-grandfather who earned 80 acres of land in exchange for labor, to becoming the first Black woman billionaire in the world without the foundation of generational wealth, Winfrey beams proudly at her ability to shift her and her family’s legacy for the better.
"I didn't have a grandfather, a great-grandfather who could give me land. But now...I am able to have my own and to know that I work for it. And it wasn't a husband that did it. It wasn't a brother or an uncle, or whatever did it, but I did it," Winfrey says.
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Featured image by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images