“I wish everyone could become rich and famous so they could realize it’s not the answer.”
– Jim Carrey
Have you ever fantasized about being famous? Rich? Important? Admired?
Ever dream of the ability to buy just about anything you want without a single concern?
Ever dream of effortlessly swiping a credit card over anything you want or opening a big-ass brown briefcase full of hundred-dollar bills? (Who said you had to be legally rich?)
In my opinion, because I know you care about my opinion, one doesn’t make it to the level of ‘let me just casually purchase whatever I want’ without exploiting at least a hundred people in the process).
Or have you ever lost sleep over the deep desire to be famous?
Ever wish you could slip backstage to meet your favorite band or step out of a sleek, black limo and onto a ridiculously long, red carpet? (Why does it have to be a red carpet by the way? What if you were famous and color blind, then you might think you’re walking down a green carpet, or maybe that’s not how color blindness works. I don’t know because I can see the color red, but you get my point).
You’d also be lying if you said no. Now I’m not calling you a liar unless you are of course, what I’m saying is that everyone who is a human being has struggled with these unfortunately hyped illusions at some point in their life.
You might be asking me, what the hell is this guy talking about? Fame and riches aren’t bad things, they are the paths towards success and wealth.
But then you are reminded of the age-old truism, that happiness is not predicated upon the amount of money you make or the number of people that do and don’t care about what you wore to dinner last night.
Happiness is found right here and now. There’s no place you can find it nor any price you could pay for it.
But if you can have fame, fortune, and true happiness all at the same time, then you, my friend, have cracked the code.
If you’re famous, you lose the careless stroll down the street to a nice, local coffee shop or fireside chat with a stranger at a pub in Edinburgh.
If you’re rich, you lose the meaning of value and what it means to be content with what you already have, because there becomes a price for everything, and people should definitely not be measured that way.
If you’re truly happy, well you don’t really lose anything, I was just on a roll there for a second.
Studies show, don’t ask me which studies damn it, that after a certain amount (say $70,000 in the US of A), a greater level of income does not equal a greater level of happiness.
In fact, more income often increases your levels of stress and responsibility, which in turn decreases your personal time and energy.
Fame too comes and goes with time, it’s notoriously unstable and unpredictable (Heath Ledger, Robin Williams, MJ, Prince, Lindsey Lohan).
Okay, she didn’t die, but she did disappear for a long time and I’m pretty sure many people thought she had died.
Look, the point is that fame is a horrible idea to put stock in. It has the worst return on investment in the world (other than DuPont or Dogecoin, of course, but they’re due to fame too really).
I encourage you to try and observe the rich and famous of today.
Do they seem content? Do they look happy? If their life is on display, what surrounds them?
Then ask yourself, are you content, happy, and present? What makes it possible or nonexistent right now?
Link It Up Baby
- Jim Carrey Leaves the Audience Speechless
- The Long List Of Stars Who Died At Age 27
- Divorces of the rich and famous: a 1% solution or the start of a trend?
Thank you for your time and attention in reading this post. It is a rare gift these days. Feel free to leave a comment or share this post. You can also Buy Me A Coffee if you feel so inclined!