I’m not a huge Hollywood follower, but the Golden Globes got my attention this year and not because of Angela Bassett in that dress (although, wow!).
Three women, each over 60 years old, taking the stage and accepting one of the industry’s highest honors–THAT is what got my attention.
Three women who never gave up.
Three women who’ve been riding the roller coaster of disappointment, rejection, success, redirection, praise and critique for a very long time.
But, as I think about it, this is the ride that we all get on when we make the choice to pursue our passion and dreams, isn’t it?
The truth is, I love easy. I love the fantasy of “overnight success” (Hey Universe! Still totally up for going viral over here!). But how many times and in how many ways do we need to be reminded that, with the very rare exception, realizing our dreams is a product of doing the work. Of being committed. Of putting one foot in front of the other while keeping our sights on our north star. Turns out, I need to be reminded of that a whole heckuva lot.
Thank you Michelle Yeoh, Angela Bassett and Jennifer Coolidge for the fiercely beautiful reminder.
Whether you love or hate Hollywood, I believe that Golden Globes stage sent a message that we can all celebrate.
And, if you’re up for a few more reminders, here are a few that helped me, and I hope they help you too:
1. Stop waiting to feel “special”- Here’s the deal, the people who are out there living their dreams are special. Yep,that’s right. They were born with this super fantabulous specialness chip, and you simply didn’t get it. Sorry. You’re out of luck.
How ridiculous does that sound?
When we look at the people who we admire; the people who are using their unique gifts in a way that fills them up and makes them shine from the inside out, we aren’t looking at some kind of alien from the Planet of Specialness of which we don’t belong. Those people don’t have anything you don’t have —except maybe the realization that they didn’t have to be “special” before they started pursuing their dreams.
Take the pressure off of yourself to be “special” and allow the flawed, imperfect, brilliant, unique, authentic you to put one foot in front of the other.
2. You aren’t “lazy”– A mentor of mine once told me, “I don’t believe in lazy”. She went on to explain her belief that there is always something deeper behind a person’s laziness— Maybe it’s a fear of failure. Perhaps it’s disbelief that you really can be happy; or that you deserve to be. Or, maybe, you have no tolerance for the discomfort and hard work that comes with leaving your comfort zone. The next time you blame your “laziness” for not pursuing your dreams, I encourage you to look deeper. Examine it.
Don’t let yourself believe in lazy.
3. You gotta be an acorn– You’ve probably heard the analogy about how every beautiful oak tree once had to start out as an acorn. But, I mean, who the heck wants to be an acorn?! We want to be big, beautiful, strong oak trees, darn it!
You have to be willing to be an acorn.
It’s okay to have big Oak Tree dreams. But, you can’t skip being an acorn. And, honestly, you don’t want to because it feels pretty darn good.
So, what is holding you back from pursuing your dreams? I really hope you’ll take the time to search for the answer to this question.
The world is waiting to receive what you have to offer.
Need some help staying motivated and focused on your awesome, yet scary, goals? Let’s chat about how I can help.
