Put Your Strengths to Work

In October 2007, Oprah invited Marcus to Chicago to hold a special workshop for 30 working women to help them rediscover the passion in their careers. "Most of you in this room are not living a second-rate version of somebody else's life," Marcus told the group. "Most of you are living a second-rate version of your own. And what we have to help you to figure out how to do is to find your life within your life."

During the workshop, Marcus asked the participants one very important question: Do you play to your strengths during a typical day? Their answer was shocking. "We had nobody saying they played to their strengths most of the time," Marcus says. "When we asked them, 'Do you think you're the best judge of your strengths,' nobody said they're the best judge of their strengths."

The workshop also busted a common myth that led to many aha! moments—just because you're good at something doesn't mean it's a strength. If what you're doing completes you, it's a strength. If it depletes you, it's actually a weakness.

Ultimately, Marcus encouraged all the women to find something they are passionate about. "This is about contribution. It's about performance. It's about doing more and making it last," Marcus says. "If you're going to make a lasting contribution, then the activities that you're filling your job with have got to feed you."