Taylor-Leighfame
fām/noun
- the state of being known or talked about by many people, especially on account of notable achievements.
“Winning the Olympic title has brought her fame and fortune.”
Do you wanna be famous? For people craving a simple life, that’s a hard no, but for others, it’s all they dream about. According to the Oxford Dictionary, fame is defined as being a result of “notable achievements,” but does that ring true today? Let’s bring a large part of most people’s lives into the picture, and see how it affects the notion of fame: social media.
Social media users have this infatuation with being seen, liked, and followed. I mean why do we post on social media at all? Whether it’s for friends and family members or to extend our reach to the rest of the world, I think we can agree that social media is for other people to see our lives, and to see others’ in return. But I’ve noticed that especially, but not exclusively, with the younger generation, the goal with social media is to become famous. The cool thing about the modern era is that anyone can be famous on the internet. But is the internet causing us to seek the unfulfilling satisfaction of fame, or is becoming famous the result of making a meaningful impact on the world?
My own story:
As a young dancer, what I “wanted to be” when I grew up, was a professional dancer. In my mind, I saw myself onstage with bright lights, in front of crowds of people. I guess you could say, I wanted to be famous.
Moving through adolescence, I committed myself to dance. It was what I spent most of my time doing; what I knew the most about, and loved more than anything.
When it came time for college, I didn’t exactly have a choice, according to my parents. I was going. But choosing dance as a profession felt different than it did as a dreaming kid. As a naïve teenager, my plan leading up to college was just to see how “good” of a dancer I would get (I know, cringe). But when it came time to make some decisions, I couldn’t see myself doing anything else; dance had been my life.
Five and a half years of uncertainty, a community college and a university, and eventually a BFA in Dance & Choreography later, and I am technically a professional in the field of dance. But unfortunately for my younger self and fortunately for all of us in the performing arts world, there are many avenues to take besides waltzing down 42nd street and onto the Broadway stage.
I’m not famous, and I’m not sure I want to be, thanks to Jim Carrey,
“I wish everyone could get rich and famous and everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that’s not the answer.”
In fact, chasing that dream can have adverse affects, as “your need for acceptance can make you invisible in this world.” Simply because everyone is doing it.
I think many people can kind of look at this quote and agree that they probably won’t be famous, maybe not rich either, but they can still have, and perhaps have even more of a meaningful life. Like the quote says, being rich and famous is not the answer.
But when I think about this wondrous technological age, I notice that our actions don’t uphold our belief in this quote. On social media, the up & coming generations are searching for likes & views and are only satisfied when they get more and more. But the satisfaction is temporary, surface level. Ask kids what they “want to be” and you’ll hear things like “YouTuber,” and “Content Creator.” I’m not dissing these things, and I know they can be very impactful careers, but if kids really aspire to be these people, it’s important for them to understand that what matters is the value-bringing content that their work is about, not the “fame” that social media may bring.
These days, deep work, or “distraction-free concentration that push[es] your cognitive capabilities to their limit,” as coined by author Cal Newport, is hard to come by, and the shallow, or superficial work runs rampant. No wonder levels of ADHD and anxiety have skyrocketed in our kids. But what are they creating content about that will make them famous, viral, well “liked” anyways?
While listening to The Minimalists podcast episode featuring former actress turned creator and director Jeanette McCurdy, a thought was expressed that became my greatest takeaway: Is fame the goal, or the byproduct? In other words, are we trying to think of ways we can somehow reach stardom, or do we have that thing, that passion, that purpose, and fame may or may not be a result of our reach, our impact? If fame is the goal, why do we want to be famous anyways? According to Jeanette, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be, and there’s a reason why she quit acting- mostly due to the negative impact on her mental health.
I think back to both when I wanted to be a famous dancer, and when I thought I would just “see what happens,” and now I’m at a point of reconciling the two.
If you have a goal, a dream, an aspiration, it’s common to hear the advice “work as hard as you can for it, and don’t stop until you get there.”
I only wanted to be a famous dancer because I loved it so much. Therefore, fame would have been the byproduct of being in alignment with my truest, highest self. And seeing what happens, was my way of not having attachment to the outcome.
Today, it’s easy to be swayed by all the perfection and competition we see in a somewhat artificial world. The best thing I’ve learned to do is to spend more time deeply working on what truly fulfills me, rather than shallowly working on what I think will be momentary satisfaction.
Adding value to the world, and most importantly to my world, is a “notable achievement” in my book, whether fame is in the cards for me or not.
What do I want my legacy to be?
What do you want to be known for?
One more thing from Mr. Carrey- “Don’t let anything stand in the way of the light that shines through this form. Risk being seen in all of your glory.”
Here she is; it me, Taylor-Leigh. I dance and move and write about intentional living. I listen to, & read many inspirational podcasts, videos, & books, and often feel the need to philosophize about them. Yes, I am a millennial, but I think social media is a peculiar beast that I analyze and check myself on often.