If you could do anything in the world without failure, what would it be? Would you become an astronaut, a cardiologist, or a talk show host? What is keeping you from following your dreams? Comedian, successful television personality, and a household name, Ellen DeGeneres has done the “impossible” and is a prime example on why facing your fear is a good thing. Although everything may look effortless as she enters her 15th season of The Ellen Show, making a name for herself was a struggle.
A yogi by the name of Sadhguru once said, “Fear is simply because you are not living life, you are living in your mind. That means your fear is always about that which does not exist. If your fear is about the non-existent, your fear is a hundred percent imaginary.” Before DeGeneres was a big time talk show host she starred in a sitcom called Ellen from 1994 to 1998. In 1997, she did something courageous she stopped hiding her true identity and by coming out and saying she was gay on national television. Mind you, this was during a time when people did not discuss sexuality, gay marriage was far from being legal, and there were a few openly gay actors.
DeGeneres says, “I didn’t do this because I was fearless, I did it in spite of the fact that I was scared to death…it made me really proud of myself and made me realize I wasn’t as weak and pathetic as I thought.”
Can you imagine what it’s like for someone to judge you simply because you refuse to live a lie? Many people admire Ellen for her honesty because in life you will always be faced with things that scare you, but it is up to you on how you choose to let “fear” affect you. Ellen lost her career for three years, lost all her money, and had to start all over. There might a time in life when most of us will hit rock bottom. You will either let your “failure” consume you, or take that opportunity to start over and get back on your feet.
As Ellen once said, “The bad things are our biggest teachers.”
After being inspired by Johnny Carson, Ellen herself wanted to attempt her own talk show but once again was fearful because her thought was, “Who is going to watch a gay woman in the middle of the day?” Now 15 years later the show is doing more than okay!
The path to success is not a straight line and if you truly want to live your purpose and maximize your full potential you must live without fear. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, take risks, and be unapologetic for your personality. Nothing happens over night, I once heard Oprah say, “l don’t believe in luck, ‘luck’ is when preparation meets opportunity.”
No matter how outlandish your dreams may seem, it’s possible, remember in 1997, people thought Ellen would never be able to show her face in Hollywood again.