How to Stay True to Yourself While Chasing Success | Jessie J

I don't ever disregard the fact that however hard you work, you know, it doesn't always guarantee it's gonna happen. I will never ever base my career on success or number ones or awards. It's about being happy. My mum and dad would never let me put posters on the wall because they were like, "Be you, be inspired, but don't become anyone else." Yeah, yeah.

She's an English singer-songwriter recognized for her unconventional musical style. She's the first British female artist to have 6 top 10 singles from a single studio album. She sold over 20 million singles and 3 million albums worldwide. She's Jessie J, and here's my take on her top 10 rules of success. Rule number 2 is my personal favorite, and I'm curious if you're grow— which one you guys like the best. And as always, guys, if you hear something that really resonates with you, please leave it down in the comments below. Put quotes around it as well so other people can be inspired. Also, when you write it down, you're much more likely to lock it in for yourself as well. Enjoy.

I don't ever disregard the fact that however hard you work, you know, it doesn't always guarantee it's gonna happen. And that's the thing that you have to just believe. If you don't believe in you, no one else will even bother to look at you. And I shoved myself around any open mics, any gigs, anything. The amount of stuff I I've probably done, even up to now, 80-90% of all my gigs for free. Surround yourself with people that you can trust. Surround yourself with people that let you be you. Don't ever compromise, but don't ever, you know, lose what makes you you. Write from the heart. Stay happy and always remember there's always someone worse off than you. And there's always someone that's working harder than you as well. When you're asleep, there's someone grafting. And that's what you have to remember as well, that for every 10 CDs you send off, there's someone sending off 100. Just get yourself out there as much as you can and film everything. It's one thing I've learned. I'm glad that I did footage from years ago that when people say to me, "Oh, you've copied so-and-so, you've done this, you've done that," I'm like, "Go on YouTube, and 5 years ago I was singing the same songs with the same haircut." It's just, you've got to have fun as well. Write it down. Make sure you write it down. Take pictures and make sure it's a journey, and the journey is way more important than where you end up. And that's what you have to remember. If you want to be a fireman, go and do it. If you want to be a ballet dancer, then go and be a ballet dancer. If you don't believe in yourself, then no one else will believe in you. Yeah, it's an important— it's so important for me to people to understand that I want to be an inspiration. I was bullied, as kind of 9 out of 10 children are, and I want it— I want to be a role model. And I think now I'm in the kind of limelight to go, it's okay. And it's the special people that are bullied, you know, the ones that have something magical. And it's something that you can turn into a positive and not let it eat you away. And there'll always be someone that says you can't do it. There'll always be someone that says I don't believe in you. There'll always be someone that says I do believe in you. And there's always someone that says you can do it. And that's the people that you I have to focus on. However much people try and put me down, which they do, and they say, you know, every time I hear your song I want to burn my ears, I say, who's laughing now? I will never surround myself with people that tell me I'm perfect because I'm not and I don't want to be. I'm 23 and sometimes I sing out of tune and sometimes I lose weight and I want to gain weight. Sometimes I say stuff that I shouldn't and sometimes I'm going to make mistakes, but life would be boring if you lived it like it's going to be written in the paper and you don't want it to be. So I will And then I said, yes, it was out of tune and it was pitchy, but I've never mimed and I'm proud of that. I like to read reviews. I don't take them in as facts because one person's opinion isn't, you know, the epitome of life. It's not the definiti of my work, but I'm very, very interested to see what people think because they notice things that I may not have noticed. You know, I've listened to this album, you know, 70 times in the last months. So I'm not hearing things that people, other people may notice, you know. So that's always important for me to always try and better myself, but listen to the right people. I have my dream list and I've ticked a few things off and I add things on every day. I think life's about dreaming big and I think I've realized if you put your mind to it and you kind of— a lot of people I think seem to think I popped out of nowhere and I've been signed for 7 years and there have been a lot of times that I was like this isn't gonna happen, you know, and it gets really tough. And "Who You Are," songs like that made me carry on. And I will never ever base my career on success or number ones or awards. It's about being happy, and I just need to make sure that I'm happy, which I am. So we're all good in the hood. Okay, if you're, if you're a teacher at school and there's 30 teachers in the what's it called, the teacher's room, what's it called, staff room, yeah, the staff room, and there's one teacher that hates you, that's going to play on your mind. Any normal person wouldn't just be able to go, all these people like me, but there's that one person that's giving me evils, that's not giving me a biscuit, you know, that it is not— it's a normal human thing to want to be liked by people that you don't know why they don't like you. But I've realized that I can't keep everybody happy, and that if everyone was the same, then everyone would agree with the way I live my life, but they're not, and that's something you have to accept. And they're successful, so they should just enjoy the people that are supporting them. Yeah, always. Yeah, everybody deals with criticism in their own way. I just have to remember that a lot more people have an opinion, but everyone feels the same. Like, if somebody came up to you in the street and was like, oh, look what you're wearing, I hate you, you wouldn't go, thanks, lovely to meet you. Your instinct would be like, wait, but you have to remember that there's no point in wasting your energy on that. And one of the reasons I honestly wrote "It's My Party" was to almost verbally try and give those people a hug, because the people that need that criticism all the time, that's constantly pushing the hate on everyone else, are the people that need a hug. People won't know what I went through between the second and third album, of the fear that was implemented in me. Even though I knew I was talented, I have to be confident in what I do. And that song was one of the first songs that I recorded for the album, and I was actually going to call the album "Masterpiece," and I just It doesn't make sense. If people hear it on its own, it just sounds like I'm being an absolute asshole. But for me, I've never made it. I've never finished my painting. Until the day that my eyes close and I don't wake up, I feel like I'm still putting towards my masterpiece, and I want to work hard, and I'm okay to say, "Hey, I've messed up." I do things, I say things, I wear things, I date people I shouldn't, but I'm human, and we're all building on something that we hope can leave a— standing of the test of time. And I think that's what that song means to me, and I really, really put it towards all the people that have gone, "You can't do this," or lied about me and said I'm difficult, or this and that, and called me a diva, and when I'm not, I'm passionate. No, there's a very, very— when people can't deal with how passionate you are, they attack you, and that's the same within any— anyone. Just make sure that you surround yourself with people that you see in your future that were in your past and are still making an effort to be in your present. Does that make sense?

That's good advice.

I think it's really important. I think don't ever base your friendships on the past. Don't ever think people should just stay in your life because you went to school together. Everyone changes and you grow up, and just make sure you surround yourself with people that are making the effort to love you for who you are today and who you are tomorrow. Don't become like a cult. Like, don't just like me. Be a fan of everyone. You can like Rihanna's music and mine and Gaga's. It's okay, you don't have to be like, "I'm a Jessie J fan." You know? And my mum and dad would never let me put posters on the wall because they were like, "Be you, be inspired, but don't become anyone else." Which is why I think as an artist I was very, very— The one thing that I was very proud of was when I first came out that no one compared me to anyone. I think you can tell when someone's idolised somebody sometimes. And I think it's good to be inspired, but— Don't become somebody. Be yourself. Just always be yourself. Always. Whatever people say about you, whatever people believe that is true, that isn't about you. Trust me, life is not worth living feeling sad and down and lonely. Just always be true to who you are. I'm about to give myself heatstroke and make myself look like a complete donut in public. But it's all for a good cause. Everyone's got their cameras out.

Oh yeah!

Alright, let's do this! Hello. Okay, so this is— I can't even say.

This is my Gorilla gig in my Gorilla outfit, and I'm gonna sing a song that I wrote called Stand Up.

Ready?

If you surround yourself with negative people Yeah, you'll never feel settled in or become an equal, no. Yeah, they'll suppress you of your spirit and rinse you dry of smiles. So reach deep and release your inner child. Yeah, yeah. So stand up for the love, love, love. So stand up, yo, for the love, love, love. Stand up for the love, love, love.

Yeah, thank you guys so much for watching. I made this video because Shahrook A 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 what did Jesse J say that had the biggest impact on you? What lesson are you gonna take from this video and immediately apply it to your life or business somehow? Leave it down in the comments below and I'm gonna join in the discussion. Finally, I want to give a quick shout out to Charlie Funk. Charlie, thank you so much for picking up one of my t-shirts, actually two of my t-shirts, and posting that picture on Twitter. I hope you're enjoying the shirts, they look great on you, and thank you again for your order. So thank you guys again 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.

Price Tag is more about remember that when you don't have money, you don't need to go to a 5-star hotel and dinner and be in a Jean Paul Gaultier dress and all this to kind of feel amazing. Just have a little picnic in your front room, you know, and just remember that your morals, your beliefs, and the people that are around you are more important sometimes than how much money you've got in your So did you—

was there— was a time when you were like, I don't know if this is ever gonna happen?

Yeah, I feel like everything— every time I took a step forward, like my foot broke or this happened, or did it— I had a stroke when I was 18 just as I got signed. And like, it's always kind of— there's been moments where I'm like, oh, but nothing that's ever kind of stopped me. But I felt like obviously my second album didn't get released in the US, and that was a big knockback for me because it just didn't feel right here, which is fair, and it wasn't my choice. But again, it's frustrating because you want all the fans to grow with you, even if it's not what you feel they might love. But I just feel like where I'm at right now, I'm very appreciative. Like, even what's happened today, like, I never ever thought I would see my name at the top of the iTunes chart in the US ever. Like, so I'm feeling pretty—

Feeling yourself today?

No, I'm just— no, I'm just— I feel really like like 1% of artists get to release a third album, you know? Like, only one person can sit at the top, like, for that moment. And so when you have it, you just have to enjoy it and have to appreciate it.