Challenges Can Make You STRONGER! | Taraji P. Henson's | Top 10 Rules

If you don't fight after, go after with such tenacity your goals in life, what are you leaving a significant other to admire about you? If you hang out with somebody with a dark cloud, the rain gonna get you eventually. So you go over there somewhere with your little dark cloud, and, um, 'cause I like the sun. I didn't hear the naysayers when they were like, you're too old to go to California. If you don't hit by 25, you're not gonna make it. I will be 46 this year. I am just touching the surface.

She began her Hollywood career in several guest roles on TV shows before making her big breakthrough in Baby Boy. She's won a Golden Globe Award and has been nominated for 2 Emmy Awards. She also released a New York Times bestselling autobiography titled Around the Way Girl. She's Taraji P. Henson, and here's my take on her top 10 rules for success. Rule number 1 is my personal favorite, and I'd love to know which one you guys like the best. Also guys, as you're watching, if you hear something that really resonates with you, please leave it down in the comments below and put quotes around it so other people can be inspired. Also, when you write it down, it's much more likely to lock in for yourself as well. Enjoy.

What's the biggest risk you've taken that you feel has paid off? The biggest risk I've taken that has paid off— I want What's to say Cookie? I mean, I was very nervous when I received the script. She wasn't the most likable character. And I've played some pretty edgy characters, but this one was particularly a challenge because it was primetime network television. And I wasn't sure how people would receive her. I mean, she beat her son with a broom, even though he deserved it. She called one son a faggot. I mean, it was, it was scary, but I'm the type of artist that if the role doesn't scare me, I don't want it because it's not going to change me as a person. So I took a risk, and that's what you do as artists. You jump in feet first and you see where it goes. And I knew that we had something special. I don't just jump feet first for any project, I knew this was something special. I knew that what Fox was trying to do with Lee Daniels and Tani Strong were trying to do, and what I was trying to do, was shake up television. It's too safe. You know, life is not safe. And I think we did that with this show. So I'm so proud to be a part of this project, and I'm so proud that Fox believed in us and took a chance, because that's what art is about, isn't it? Taking chances, taking risks. I graduated college and I have this degree in fine arts and my dad saw me coming and going to work every day and he was like, what are you doing? And I was like, making a living, what are you talking about? And I was in a transitional period because my son and father and I, we had just broken up and I had this degree and I was just living. And my dad saw it and he was like, how do you expect to catch fish on dry land? And I was like, He always spoke in metaphors. I was like, can you just speak plain English? He was like, how are you gonna get acting jobs when they're not here? You need to go to LA where the jobs are. So my family threw a party. We were broke. They raised $700 and I moved to LA and I took my son in. My dad may rest in peace. He was like, maybe you should leave Marcel here. And I was like, I'm not leaving my son. It's my kid. Then I got out and freaked out. I was like, maybe I should send him back. And my dad was like, no, that's your blessing. He's your blessing. He's gonna keep you focused. You were right. Your instinct was right. You should have taken him. So $700, my son is now 21. He's in school now. He's in— He's a junior studying. Right, and look at me. Tell us about how well you were in the movie Benjamin Button. Yeah, and I don't want people to get upset. It's not that I expected to be paid as much as Brad Pitt or Cate Blanchett. I understand. I'm just— I'm new to the game. But what we were asking for didn't seem like an astronomical amount. You know what I mean? It was fair for me where I was that time in my career. And they didn't come back with that. We were heartbroken. But see, that's when you have to check your ego. Cuz if I'd let ego take control of that, I wouldn't have taken the job and I would have missed my moment. So I had to set pride aside, suck it up, and I had to bite my tongue a lot. And I just had to stay focused on the bigger picture. But that's smart business. Yeah. Do you ever get nervous anymore? Absolutely. I'm human. Absolutely. You look like you just go out there and you're not even— you're not even worried. Well, there's a moment where there's a fear that arises, and I check it. It's not that I ignore it. I go, OK, that's fear. And, you know, I'm a faith-based person. That's everything. I live in faith. High five. High five. So faith and fear can't— Yeah. They can't live together. So, when it comes up, you know, I just check it. I go, "Oh, okay, I recognize that, but that's not where I live." You're not gonna live by it. Fear is not an option. And that's what nervousness is. That's what that energy is. It's that moment to choose to give in to that nerve or to rise above, you know? So, we battle that every day as humans. I am human. I'm not a robot. I love that you realize that that's a choice. Yeah. Because everybody kept asking me, what does it feel like, what does it feel like? When you got the nomination, that little girl from Washington, DC, what did it feel like when you heard your name? Mine was a roller coaster ride. I was nominated for this and wasn't for that. So I really put it out of my head, cuz I don't really do what I do for the awards. Like you said, if you're passionate about your work, all of the accolades will come. You gotta stay focused on what God put you on earth to do. So that's number one. I finally get to LA, graduate, have a kid in college, and, um, I have to pursue my dream because if I don't, what am I teaching my son? So I moved to California with $700 in my pocket and my toddler. And I have to fight the good fight because people are telling me I can't. You can't do this. You can't. Are you crazy? You're moving to California with your son. You'll never make it. I was 26 when I decided to come here. There's the age thing. Oh, you're too old. If you listen to people and if you allow people to project their fears onto you, you won't live. What if I believed those people who told me that I— when I became pregnant in college, that I wouldn't finish? I walked across that stage with my son on my hip, and I collected my degree, my diploma. I didn't hear the naysayers when they were like, you're too old to go to California. If you don't hit by 25, you're not gonna make it. I will be 46 this year. I am just touching the surface. I am just getting started. Everything in life life that's coming to you is gonna come through you. It starts inside of you, you know, whether it's love from another, from a male, from whoever. That love has to start within you. If you don't know how to take care of yourself or care for yourself first, you know, how are you gonna— how are you gonna teach someone else to, you know? Um, if you don't fight off— go after with such tenacity your goals in life, what are you— what are you leaving a significant other to admire about you? It all starts with you. You know, you're the temple and you have control. You're in a bad situation, it's up to you to get out of it. You can't give another human the responsibility of your happiness. You know, my father told me a long time ago, he said life is choice-driven. And we're talking about a man who had a very rocky past. And, you know, once he had his epiphany in life, when he gave his life to Christ and, you know, he started seeing life in a more optimistic lens. And that's when he hit me with it. So, Raji, you know, life is choice-driven. I made some bad choices in life, but that doesn't mean I can't change. I can't change my mind to make better choices for myself. So that's something that I live by. You gotta have fun. You gotta laugh to keep from crying, 'cause there's a lot going on in this world. And I really like to laugh a lot. And I think, you know, people like, you look so young. I laugh a lot. I laugh at myself. I don't take myself too seriously. And like I said, I, I surround myself with good energy cuz energy is transferable. If you hang out with somebody with a dark cloud, it's the rain gonna get you eventually. So you go over there somewhere with your little dark cloud and, um, as I like the sun, I usually don't turn— I don't run from things that scare me. That usually means I should do it.

Yeah.

If I feel too confident, it's like I could do this with my eyes closed, then I'm not servicing my fans, the script, the project, or the character. Why do it? Somebody else out there more hungry might Bless it better, you know? So I, yeah, I love challenges. What I love about art is you have to take risks, and that's the work that sticks out, the stuff that's not so safe. I sang about pimps and whores at the Oscars. I did. I sang, "It's hard out here for a pimp." Yeah, they won. My manager calls and he's like, "I have this script," you know? And I was like, "What is it?" And he's like, "It's a pilot." I was like, "For TV?" Didn't I tell you I'm done with TV? So he's like, read it. I read it. I'm like, this is stupid. Hip hop. The dumb dumb. The dumb dumb. Oh, oh. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. And then that fear thing comes up and it's like, okay, well clearly this is a challenge. Oh my God, Cookie, we're gonna piss so many people off. And then once I wrapped my mind around how to deal with Cookie, tell her truth, you know, tell the why she's this woman, why she hit her son with the broom. If you stick to the truth, people will love her. They set up a Skype session with Lee. Well, yeah, I knew Lee, but I didn't— I never worked with Lee. Because, you know, the last time we met was in the audition for Precious, and he wanted me for the teacher. And I was like, well, I want to play Precious. That's the role. I mean, he thought I was crazy. But I was like, look, you turned Charlize Theron into a monster. But yeah, so that was the last time I saw him on a job, you know, a potential job. He probably still was thinking, "Oh my God, this bitch is crazy. I don't even know if I should call her." But so he's in Japan and we have a Skype session and, you know, I'm not tripping. I don't care. I don't have to go back to TV. I'm waiting for my big movie. Spielberg is gonna call me for sure, I know. I'd say to him, "I really like this script. I think it's amazing. I think it's game-changing. I think, you know, if I can't do it with Terrence, I'm not interested. I didn't even have the job. And the Skype session, he was like, this bitch just cookied me. Cookie is the American dream. She started from nothing and now she's at the top. Started from the bottom, now we here. I mean, that's like, I'm the American dream. I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth, you know. I had a passion, I had a dream, and I dived I dived in and I went for my dream and here I am.

Thank you guys so much for watching. I made this video because Aaliyah Turner asked me to. So if there's a famous entrepreneur that you want me to profile next, leave it down in the comments below and I'll see what I can do. I'd also love to know which of the clips that you heard today had the biggest impact on you. What lesson are you gonna take from this and immediately apply to your life or your business? Leave it in the comments below and I'm gonna join in the discussion. Finally, I want to give a quick shout out to Celia Lopez. Celia, thank you so much for picking up a copy of my book. For the book, Your One Word, and for taking that picture and tweeting it out as well. I really, really, really appreciate it, and I hope you're enjoying the book. So thank you guys so much for watching. I believe in you. I hope you continue to believe in yourself and whatever your one word is. Much love. I'll see you soon.

I never really was the actress that said there was no work or the luck, 'cause I— look at my resume. I really can't complain. I've been in amazing amazingly— I'm just an extreme optimist. That's how I was raised. I mean, I came from the hood. You can't be a pessimist coming from the hood if you think you're going to make it out. So I just never thought about how bad it was. I was thinking about how can I make a difference? How can I make a change? And that's what I focused on. I never thought about, whoa, it's me, it's so hard, no one gives me a job. You're going to give me a job. Let me in the room, and eventually you'll pay attention. And I think That's what people are witnessing now. I've been doing this for a long time, and I stayed in my lane. I never hated on anyone. I think there's room for all of us, and I think that's what people are witnessing, someone who waited, waited, waited their turn.