14 Jan 5 Things We Can Learn From Celebs That Love Their Work

It’s easy to point to celebrities that love what they do as the exception rather than the rule. Some people are just luckier than others, right? Some people are just born knowing what they want to do, are naturally good at something and the rest just falls into place so seamlessly, right? Hmmm, not really. Although I see why you would tell yourself that.

The truth is, people that have found what they want to do in life are not superheroes. They’ve just approached life differently. And by reading up on their journeys, you can notice some common threads that have helped them get to where they are (lucky for you I did the reading so you don’t have to). 😉

1. They Try Different Things

Celebrities don’t go out and get a job at 16, fall in love with it and then set off on this one solitary career path. Actually, the road is a lot more fragmented and is filled with lots of different twists and turns.

Vera Wang designs beautiful wedding dresses, that’s what she’s known for. But did you know that she was a figure skater as a kid? She competed in the 1968 U.S. World Championships but pivoted to journalism (not fashion design) when she wasn’t able to make the Olympic team. She worked at Vogue for 17 years and later Ralph Lauren for 2. It was only at 40 years old that she pivoted again and went out on her own to start designing wedding dresses.

Lesson: What worked for you yesterday may not work for you today, and that’s OK to admit. Don’t be afraid to change course, because your fear will keep you stuck.  Stay adaptable and stay moving.

2. Money Is Important, But It’s Not Their Main Motivator.

You need money to live, of course. And the financial stability of our career choices is definitely a consideration. But when we look at celebs that truly love what they do, their journey is typically filled with stories of them grinding it out until they start to make headway.

Like Joe Rogan. Right now he’s a successful UFC commentator, stand up comedian and podcast host. But it wasn’t always that way. For the first few years comedy was his side hustle while he supported himself driving limos, delivering newspapers and doing construction. He has said that comedy was the first thing that gave him direction and that before he found it, he was nervous about his future.

Lesson: Don’t sell out. Do what makes you happy. Do what feels right for you. And trust yourself that you will figure out the rest.

3. They’re Not Afraid To Take CALCULATED Risks

There’s risk and then there’s risk. Celebrities know the difference and know when it’s time to take a chance.

Oprah was attending Tennessee State University on a full scholarship when she was approached by a TV producer. She was initially hesitant but chose to drop out and start a career in media after talking to a professor. Years later she was fired from a co-anchor position in Baltimore and chose to move to Chicago to host a dying morning talk show. A year later that talk show was renamed ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show.’

Lesson: Risk can be an opportunity to do something great and bring yourself closer to where you’re meant to be. You will never know 100% how it’s going to pan out so don’t wait for some guarantee. Just grab these moments when you can and soak every single drop out of them

4. They Try… And They Fail

When you try to do something that’s against the ‘norm’ of society, you’re going to have setbacks. That’s just the reality. Celebrities sometimes have colossal ones, but they keep trudging along.

I’m a huge Real Housewives fan, and Bethenny Frankel in particular is one of my favourites. She’s hilarious and doesn’t have time for BS, but what I love the most is the drive she’s shown to get where she is. She had both a pashmina business as well as a cookie business that failed, because she realised later she didn’t stick to a strong enough business plan. Later her talk show, which she said made her feel really constrained, ended after one season. She continues to grind it out though and come up with new products and projects.

Lesson: Just because you fail doesn’t mean you’re a failure. Dust yourself off, learn from your mistakes and keep going.

5. They Stay True To Who They Are

Everyone has their own idea of what you should do with your life. Celebrities don’t seem to forget though that it’s their life.

It’s not really a secret anymore that Katy Perry was raised evangelical Christian. Growing up she wasn’t allowed to go to co-ed parties or watch mainstream movies. What was surprising is that her Mom has still even recently expressed disappointment in how she’s chosen to live her life. Three platinum albums though doesn’t make you think she’ll be changing anytime soon.

Lesson: True success will only come when you are honest with yourself about who you are and how you want to live your life. Remember, you make the rules.

OK, so now’s the time to get straight with yourself. Can you honestly say you’re living true to all of these lessons? Cause if you’re not, if you’re living your ‘comfortable’ life with your ‘comfortable’ job that pays you that ‘comfortable’ paycheque, but daydreaming about what your life would be like if you were happy with what you were doing, then it’s time to stop and really think about where you want your life to go. Because it’s up to you, you get to decide. But no one’s gonna hand this shit to you. And it’s gonna be hard. But if you put in the work and go after it with full force, I promise you, you will get there.

Allison xo