When I was in my early twenties I despised celebrities. I couldn’t understand other people’s obsessions. Shallow people with no lives of their own are the ones who get obsessed with famous people, I thought. I was bigger, better and more intellectual than that. Other than Julia Roberts – I barely knew any celebrities names and I wore that as a badge of honour.
But recently things started to shift. It started with Amy Schumer. I think someone posted her acceptance speech at Glamour magazine on Facebook and I saw it.
I started watching her stand-up and interviews on Youtube. She was talking about the challenges of being single and having sex in a direct and funny way. It was funny, but it was also frank. And she was talking about topics I was too scared to discuss even with close friends. It was brave.
So Amy was my gateway celebrity that led to me watching interviews with Chelsea Handler, Jennifer Lawrence, Melissa McCarthy, Stephen Colbert, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jimmy Fallon, Kristen Wiig and of course Julia Roberts.
And I’ve learned a few things…
Persist
In the interviews, rejection often comes up. In one interview Jennifer Lawerence says, “Yes, of course, like anyone in this field I’ve been rejected 1000 times.” In another interview Gwyneth Paltrow says sarcastically, “No one has ever said anything bad about me before.”
It’s helpful for me to remember that people who I see as very successful have to go through a lot of rejection. When I get rejected, sometimes it makes me want to give up. Knowing successful people face it, helps me to keep going.
Be Yourself
Jimmy Fallon plays a funny nerdy awkward guy. He doesn’t try to be a macho man. Stephen Colbert says he wasn’t a very good student in high school. Now he goofs off for a living.
I want to accept and embrace who I am more.
These people who I used to scorn, I can now see in a similar way to professional athletes. People at the top of their game. People who can make me laugh or make me cry, but also teach me something.
Do you want to:
- Be more of yourself?
- Stop feeling so drained?
- Have more time for what you love?
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YES, I WANT TO BUILD A LIFE I LOVE!
Take care of yourself!!
Bryn
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Bryn Bamber
Career Burnout Coach
The Courage Compass
bryn@couragecompass.org