Sadly, people are being a little hard on the guy for his recent appearance at the César Awards. There are some really out there theories.
But I’m not here to discuss that. I’m here to talk about something he said years ago–something that really resonated with me. This post below I wrote probably circa 2017, lol, but better late than never.
So without further ado, here is the post I wrote many years ago.
Following Your Inner Voice: Take Advice from Jim Carrey!
Jim Carrey recently gave a speech to graduates. In my opinion, it was an incredibly insightful and beautiful commencement speech. Jim Carrey’s words of advice were “you can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.” This concept really struck me.
He explained that his father decided to take on a job that was the “safe” route, and was still fired. This was a great lesson to him. Carrey stated, “I watched the effect of my father’s love and humor and how it altered the world around me, and I thought, ‘That’s something to do. That’s something worth my time.'” So, instead of going the conservative route, Carrey took a chance on being a comedian.
I wish I had had this advice many years before. Six years since my college graduation, no job, and countless nights of “where did I go wrong” later, and I only now realize that I should have listened to my inner voice. Also, it’s ok to fail. And it’s a beautiful thing to push past the fear of failing again and keep going, regardless of your goals. Choose to go for what your inner voice pushes you to do. You know what I’m talking about. Maybe you’re not really sure of where you belong (believe me—I get it), but there is usually a little, tiny feeling inside that nudges you in some kind of direction.
It’s Okay to Try Something Different
Jim Carrey’s father was just like me! I decided to ignore my love of writing in favor of a more traditional, “safe” career path (which, turned out…was not a safe career path after all. You can want something so much that you will push yourself to great lengths to get it—but it may just not be the right path for you. It turns out, in my situation, I wasn’t being true to myself, either.
At this moment in time, I am a person only beginning to accept the fact that you can ask the universe for something, even if it does seem to be asking too much. What right do I have to ask from the world (or God, for that matter) if I could reach out to hundreds of others through my writing? What right do I have to hope that someone somewhere may have gone through something similar to me and is in need of hearing these words, and learn that they are not alone? Am I supposed to go into this lofty goal believing that I will be successful, or must I be happy, regardless of the outcome—regardless of success or failure? In addition, what exactly would qualify as being successful?
The short answer to this is…I don’t know.
I am afraid of failure, especially now that I have experienced it firsthand. I am scared I will put everything into my passion and not be successful. Choosing fear is easy, especially if you know what defeat feels like. I certainly do not wish to feel it again, especially in something I am truly passionate about. But, if only one person read this article—so what? That’s one person that I wouldn’t have shared my incredibly beautiful knowledge and infinite wisdom to previously. Ha ha.
I’ve found that it’s ok to fail at things—especially if it’s something you really care about. It is important to always go into a project believing in success, but if for some reason things don’t turn out the way you’d hoped then…it’s ok. Further than that, it’s a wonderful thing. Just give it a chance…take that leap of faith. Failure is an option, but it’s not so bad. You just move on, no matter how long it takes you to do so, just make sure—when you are ready—to get back up.
Here is a link to the speech.
Note: I watched the entire speech again, just now, and still find a lot of value in it. I don’t agree with it 100%. For example, I believe in God less than the universe (although some view those as interchangeable). I also see, like Carrey, where the ego can create obstacles. To me, God is the solution to this problem, though.
A lot of my concerns in life stem from this fear that I’m not good enough. I recognize, even as I toil each day as you’ve seen on this blog (lol), that I am loved by God. Despite always feeling unworthy, God’s love makes me inherently pretty wonderful. He cares for me even when I’m not so sure about myself.
Leave a Reply