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30 Days Of Genius Blog: Adrian Grenier
A common misconception about successful actors is they are extremely “Hollywood.” Superficial, egotistical, and elitist. But what if they weren’t? What if they were humble, caring, and hard-working, just like you? Then they would be like Adrian Grenier.
I have taken his interview on 30 Days of Genius with Chase Jarvis, extracted the information, and used it to answer common questions by readers just like you, who are looking to take their lives to the next level, or at least a different level than the one they are on.
Please enjoy.
How Do I Become Famous?
You don’t.
In fact, if that is your focus, please re-evaluate what you are doing. You should be looking at it through a more purposeful lens. Why are you doing what you are doing? What brought you here?
The promise of celebrity and fame is flawed. It’s empty. Everything you receive as a celebrity, enjoy and indulge in do not yield much fulfillment internally. It is all external happiness. To truly be happy you need to be compassionate. Do things for others. Be an advocate for things you care about: social change, the environment, etc.
One thing I have noticed with people that are trying to be the most popular, the highest paid, the biggest this or that, is once things slow down, or start to decline, they are on their own. All alone. I focus on being compassionate, connecting with a community, giving back, and being creative. The more community you involve yourself in, the more collaborative you are in your work, the more security you will have, greater friendships, and happiness.
If you truly want to be successful, and stay successful, you need to work with others. Learn from others, their mistakes, their wisdom, and their experiences. Cut the learning curve. Take their information, synthesize it, and build off of it. I have found humility to be a wonderful tool for growth in success, business, and as a human being. You will never be able to scale your abilities if you do it alone, and you wouldn’t be as happy, so you might as well build your machine the right way, with a team of people around you.
What’s It Like To Be On Top?
I don’t feel like I have succeeded in anything, ever. What is the top? I have been extremely fortunate, and I am humbled by my career to this point, but how do you define the top? I consider it as not learning anymore. You have nothing left to do. You are at the top of the learning curve. I feel like once you reach the top of the learning curve, you will just move to a different “curve” and be right back where you started.
I never want to stop learning. It is a lifelong experience, and the earlier you recognize that in life the better. You must learn on your own if you are going to develop and succeed.
Just as important, if you are looking to make the climb up the ladder, you need to be able to take rejection as nothing more than a rejection. It is nothing personal, it is just what the situation dictates. Once you reach a certain level, there are tiny nuances that determine being “chosen.” It is not about you, it’s about the project, or the job, or the vision of the creators. Be patient. Everything has its life and evolves. Learn to let things have their life and don’t sweat the small stuff.
Quotes
Your purpose has to come from you.
Always learn. Recognize that learning is a lifelong experience.
Adrian Grenier Links
Chase Jarvis Links
