Growing up, and being one of the few lines from the song that I can recall, a verse that would often crossed my mind, and at random times, might sound familiar to fans of Cypress Hill when they hear, “So, you wanna be a rock superstar? And live large. A big house, five cars, you’re in charge. Comin’ up in the world…” Now, I sometimes wonder if that had some deep subconscious psychological effects as it would often make me want to imagine what life would be like as a rock superstar.
The fame, the money, the power that we often associate with those famous individuals who seem to be living the live we dream of. But a word of caution to those unfamiliar with the song, as the following line of the chorus ends with, “…Don’t trust nobody got to look over your shoulder constantly.”
Yet in looking up the lyrics to the song to make sure I got the words right, a certain feeling of irony fell upon me as I read the first verse which stuck out like a sore thumb:
“I remember the days when I was a young kid growing up, Looking in the mirror, dreaming about blowin’ up…make money, chill with the honeys, sign autographs and whatever the people want from me…”
While the emphasis on whatever the people want from me is hardly apparent, that seems to be the life of an entertainer. “You gotta give the people what they want,” as the saying goes in the world of showbiz. Yet counter intuitive to that, we hear from other more successful people than ourselves advise us, of those pursuing similar dreams, that, to differentiate ourselves in what seems to be an oversaturated world of live-streaming content creators, we should be ourselves and we will grow a community of followers who enjoy us for who we are and not some image we try to hold up and portray.
It’s a belief that seems to affirm, but more subtly suggests, that true happiness comes from within. Because what’s more or less inferred but often unrealized is that in doing what you love and what makes you happy, you should theoretically be content with whatever result that brings because you are allowing yourself the freedom to be who you are and maybe, though not much a real part of the advice, you might come to realize it wasn’t the fame you wanted, but just people who you could relate with and be friends to.
Conversely, those focused on obtaining wealth and fortune through a means of creating live-streaming content, needs to understand and have it be made clear that this is a different focus from those who may initially start out seeing it as a source of income for doing what they love. To more simplify this, take these two statements for example and see if you can understand the difference:
I love making people laugh and if it’s possible to make a comfortable living off it, I will start considering quitting my job and pursuing that career.
VS.
I want to be famous and live the kind of life where people treat me like I’m special. Live-streaming is a lot easier than trying to get into Hollywood and seems more likely to produce my desired results, so I’ll quit my job and figure it out because if they can do it, I can do it!
While one is motivated by the sudden awareness that what they enjoy doing can replace their current stream of income, the ladder is vigilantly trying to pursue a financially rewarding career that they, perhaps even subconsciously, see as most easily achievable in obtaining that visionary pursuit. This helps provide some understanding to why some advise resonates better with others while some do not because it speaks to a certain type of person based on their motivation for their pursuits of the same end. This article itself is no exception.
But, to challenge yourself and to help you find advise that’s more suitable for you and your needs, or at the very least, create some higher level awareness so that you can be ever more true with yourself (a necessary quality of anyone hoping to overcome great challenges), it’s important to ask yourself: What is fame worth to YOU?
Is it not so important as making enough income to support your needs or is it an absolutely necessary level of achievement in what you’ve come to understand as success for yourself?
Does the goal of fame correlate with what exactly and specifically it is that you want or is it more the rewards and promises we believe fame will bring us when we achieve it?
I’ve asked myself these and other similarly phrased questions when I’d find myself doing things just for the attention and maybe less so when doing things just to be funny. And, that helped me realize that I might be a mix of both. But to better discern who I am and what my own intentions are, I had to stop and realize which one left me feeling empty inside afterwards and which one left me enjoying the rest of my day. Hopefully the answer is obvious, but if it’s not, let me know your thoughts or what fame means to you!