One of the most important things you can ever do in your life
is to learn about yourself, who you are, and to love yourself.
Hollywood is a feeding frenzy for those who are seeking to
“make it,” whatever they think “it” is,
and belong. But what they find out the hard way is that
“it” is never enough. One A-list person recently even
stated that he was reluctant to make it to the top, because then
he knew that there was only one way to go – down, since
they couldn’t go any higher. A better attitude is to strive
for the top in all we do no matter what, and to know that we can
stay there, and know that there will be ups and downs along the
way, no matter what. It’s a part of life and how energy
works.
Other stars have complained that they worked their whole career
to get on stage at the awards shows, and then realized that it
lasted only about 19 seconds, and questioned if their whole life
mission could be summed up in those matters of seconds. One
A-lister here wisely learned that it was not just the end result
of that goal that was his mission, but his journey along the way.
If you win a game, that feeling can last a little while and may
make you feel great. But if you play that game and during the
time you are playing, you are miserable, or only thinking about a
distant future result rather than succeeding each second, you may
be miserable. I know too many people that spend their whole lives
working at a job they hate, saving for retirement, so they can
then travel or do what they really want to do. That to me would
be a living hell. If you don’t love what you do each
minute, then don’t do it. Sure, at times we have to
sacrifice doing some things we don’t prefer, in order for a
bigger payoff in the end of something that will be worth the
sacrifice. But if that sacrifice is a gamble of years of your
life, then you better make sure you have a safe bet.
So many are longing for the approval of others so much, that they
don’t even know who they are. Many are in such pain from
their own mind that they try to escape from it through drugs and
alcohol. Psychiatrists allegedly have the cure for all of your
troubles, and it comes in a shot or a bottle and will cost you
dearly. Casey Johnson, Michael Bryan, son of Marie Osmond, and
actor Corey Haim are but a few of the tragic losses we know of
that may have been caused by so called solutions that are
actually the problem to human suffering, not the fix.
If you are not happy with yourself, with your own mind, head,
heart, and existence, regardless of who loves you, regardless of
how much money you have, and regardless of how many or how few
people know of your existence, then you owe it to yourself to
spend the next week, month, year, or decade, whatever it takes,
getting happy, before you try to pursue much of anything else.
Because if you are not happy with yourself when all else is gone,
you will be a miserable soul. And in the end, we will not be
carrying our dollars, our gold, our awards, or even our friends
and family, at least not in this form, with us.
Examine yourself, what motivates you, what your purpose is, and
then go after it. And love yourself, despite all your flaws and
weaknesses. Forgive and love yourself, because then, and only
then will the biggest things you achieve in your life really
matter. And when you do chase those dizzying heights at the top
of what you seek to do, remember, savor every breath and every
moment along the way, because sometimes the trip is as exciting
as the destination. Living is not just the grand finale of life;
it’s all of those great steps along the way.
The Hollywood Sentinel, © 2010.