Oprah, Oprah, Oprah

I look up to Oprah Winfrey for so many reasons. First and foremost, she uses her life to help others and encourages others to do the same. Oprah believes in education and reading, and I agree that you need both of these in order to ensure your own success no matter what your profession is. Her show is a platform that she uses in a very positive way; she informs us on matters of the heart, gives us information that can change our lives, and allows so many to experience a world that they may never see.

Most importantly, Oprah is an example of how you can make others happy, bring them joy, and teach them to grow in every area of their lives, no matter how successful they are.

LaShaun Brown-Glenn, Nails Naturally Hand and Foot Spa, Chicago, III.

Praise for a Pastor

I look up to Joel Osteen, pastor of Lakewood Church. He is the most positive, optimistic person I know. Over the past five years his ministry has helped me to focus on the positive and what really is important to my daily living.

Audrey Wiggins, AJ’s Spa Millennium, Beachwood, Ohio

A Gifted Gabber

I loved to read Erma Bombeck’s articles in our local newspaper for years, even before I became a wife and a mother. Her sense of humour with a touch of sarcasm made me chuckle and also learn to enjoy the simple things in life. She began her column after walking into her local newspaper office and telling the editor she wanted to write for him. Her simple honesty and charm won her the job for three dollars a week!

Her quotes are timeless: “Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died.”

Ms. Bombeck passed away in 1996, but I have always admired her courage and drive for women to show that everyone has the same problems and that you just have to laugh.

Diana Bonn, Identity Salon, Muncie, Ind.

Ode to Oprah

I look up to Oprah Winfrey because she came from nothing and because of the great African-American woman that she is today. Anything she sets her mind out to do, she does it three times over. I also like the fact that she discussed her childhood abuse and is responsible for the “Oprah Bill” and is responsible for the national database for convicted child abusers.

Dorothy Ware, Nails by Bam, Detroit, Mich.

Winning Winfrey

Like a million other women in this industry, I would have to say Oprah is the powerful person who I look up to. She is just a good role model for everyone. She respects people for not what they have but because they are people.

She gives as much as she can whenever she can, and she uses her fame and power to better people’s lives across the world. I have always looked up to and respected her for her good deeds.

Codou Morris, Dolce Salon and Spa, Chandler, Ariz.

The Not-So-Average Rock Jocks

After an awful lot of thinking, I’d have to say the Backstreet Boys are the powerful people I most admire. Going way beyond their great music and inspiration, they are dedicated to their causes.

Kevin Richardson promotes colon-cancer awareness. It took his father’s life, and both of my parents and my mother-in-law had colon cancer. Howie Dorough is the head of the Dorough Lupus Foundation. He started to raise money for lupus, a disease that took his sister, Caroline, just as the Backstreet Boys were starting out. Brian Littrell founded the Healthy Heart Club for kids before he underwent open-heart surgery, and AJ McLean worked to raise awareness about juvenile diabetes, which my daughter has. Nick Carter helps an ocean campaign called “Heal the Bay” that tries to preserve the Southern California coastline and beaches from pollution.

Even though they are five individuals, I think of them as one. They support each other and their causes and individual projects.

Kathleen M. M. Wood, Shampoo Hair Designs, Pleasant Valley, N.Y.

Chanel No. 1

I have read many books on the life of Coco Chanel. It amazes me that she took herself from nothing into international-icon status before her death. She came from a more-than- humble beginning, but because of her talent, brains, and guts, she became a legend.

When I am feeling overwhelmed about being a country girl in Kansas, I have to remember that all great things come from humble beginnings. So, I get up and go another round and end up doing something beautiful on a client, or I teach a class that inspires someone else.

Inspiration comes from giving of yourself without judgment. You will never know how great you are until you try.

Lesa Beamer, The Beauty Mark Salon, Oakley, Kan.

Who Helps Me Focus

Outside of my family, the two people I admire the most are Jesus and Buddha. Some people will laugh and say they are incompatible, but for me, the teachings of both work together to help me be a better person.

Focusing on what is larger than me and larger than my concerns or irritations helps me to be a more positive person. Letting go of unproductive feelings and the fear of the unknown helps me take chances and be courageous. Focusing on the things for which I am grateful—from the smell of spring flowers to the success of my salon to the blessings of family and friends — keeps me happy.

Michelle Phoenix, Wet Paint Nail Spa, Cambridge, Mass.

A Mind-Blowing Mayor

My friend, Stacey Seidl, hasbeen the mayor of a near by city, Princeton, for the past twoyears. She should be sainted!

Stacey cleaned up the “dirty city officials” and spent all of her time changing “the good ol’ boys’ network” into committees who actually care about their city. Stacey is also a devoted wife of 18 years and has three wonderful children, all of whom spend most of their time helping others — a trait they picked up from mom. Stacey is forever helping others — whether that means driving out of state to take a friend to visit a family member or cleaning out a local rental cabin for a friend who lives in California.

She is very well known in Princeton for her volunteer work and mayoral job. I am in constant awe of her. I only hope she rubs off on me someday!

Teresa Brinkman, Personal Best Spa and Fitness Center, Princeton, Wis.

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