How to Stop Chasing Perfection and Start Living Happy | Zendaya’s Advice in 11 Minutes

There's so many people that you see, they're in this industry or just in life in general, that are going through their days and may have everything they could ever want, but they're not happy. Confidence is the best. I think you can literally rock a trash bag if you have confidence. And I don't need to cuss and whatever, I don't need to do that to make a great song. Michael Jackson never did it, so I don't think I gotta do it either, you know?

She's an American actress, singer, and dancer. In March 2016, she was cast in the Spider-Man film Homecoming as Michelle. She began her professional career as a fashion model for Old Navy and Macy's. She's Zendaya, and here's my take on her top 10 rules for success. Rule number 1 is my personal favorite, and make sure to stick around all the way to the end for some special bonus clips. Also, as she's talking, if she says something that really resonates with you, please leave it in the comments below, put quotes around it, so other people can be inspired as well. Enjoy!

What's your message for viewers out there about following their dream? I would say, uh, if you truly believe in something and you really have a passion for something, then go for it. I think there's a lot of obstacles that you have to go through and nothing's ever given to you and it takes a lot of hard work and dedication, but if you really believe in it, then you should do it. Confidence is the best. I think you can literally rock a trash bag if you have confidence. Literally, Lady Gaga does it all the time. She can rock whatever she wants because she has that confidence that makes you believe that it's just the coolest thing ever. And I think that that's awesome, you know, when you see a confident woman, there's— I think there's nothing more attractive or fabulous about a confident woman because you know that she loves herself and is in her own skin. And I think that's the best— it's the best accessory, it's the best outfit, it's confidence. Well, the best thing I've learned, um, and advice I could give maybe my younger self is really to focus on happiness. You know, happiness is the key because there's so many people that you see either in this industry or just in life in general that are going through their days and may have everything they could ever want, but they're not happy, you know? So you have to focus on what makes you happy and make decisions, um, in your career, in your life that make you happy. And so I've been trying to do that and it's working, you know? And, and Saying no to things that are negative and saying no to things that you don't want to do, you know? So I think that that's my biggest piece of advice. Something I do, or I try to do every day, is I try to make someone, whether it be in my team or my life or whatever, just happy. Or I try to make them feel good or feel comfortable or feel loved, whatever it may be. It could be the littlest thing. It could be just saying, oh, you look really pretty today. Or it could be something even smaller than that or something bigger than that. You know, it doesn't really matter, but it's just making a conscious effort to make someone feel good. And that could be a stranger or it could be your mom, you know? I'm not pretending to be something that I am not or pretending to be this goody two shoes or whatever. I'm just being myself. And I think that, you know, then nobody can be disappointed in who I am as a person, or I don't feel like I have to hide or pretend because I'm not, I'm not, I'm just being Zendaya, you know? And I'm just going through life and learning out, you know, learning how to be a young woman. And it just, you know, and I have that responsibility. I think it's a responsibility. Is it a little bit of a weight sometimes? Absolutely. But it's a responsibility that I feel like I need.

I love that.

You know, if you don't get the part, it wasn't yours to begin with. So, and that's the truth. It wasn't meant for you. I feel like if the opportunities and what's meant to happen to you is gonna happen to you, and you just have to trust that and you have to work hard. So what I did is I just, I knew, I knew something was going to happen. I didn't, it wasn't a matter of if, it was a matter of when. So I just worked hard until I got there. And I had the goal. I had— I knew what I wanted. And so when I came into LA, things happened a lot faster for me because I had my goal. I was ready to go, and I was a new face. So it worked out, right? That's right. But of course there was nos. Of course there was nos. But at the end of the day, my eye was like, it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen. I've been taking a long time to like, you know, those 4 years since Replay and everything like that, and— or 3, or however long it's been— just taking the time because, A, I've been— I've grown as a woman, you know what I mean? You learn who you are, you come into your own, you find out more about yourself, and that's a big transitional period, you know what I mean, when you're growing into literally becoming a woman. So my thing is, was how I translated that and turn that into the music, you know what I mean? How do I translate my maturity and my growth and let people connect through that and make it a little more real? And also, on the same token, is this is, you know, I'm finally getting a chance to like really do the music that I want to do, you know what I mean? And There is no sacrificing anything. There's no, you know, giving in. There's no, you know, people have opinions, you know, behind the scenes of like what lane I should go and what I need to do, but I know what I want. And that's my number one piece of advice for anyone who's doing anything in life is you have to stick to your vision and stick to your gut. You know what I'm saying? You got that Olivia Pope gut, go with it. It works every time, you know. Acting, singing, and dancing, I think, are all things that came to me naturally, but they're all things that I tried to challenge myself on. So I'm always trying to push myself in every area of the arts, whether it be acting, singing, or dancing. It's about either— whether it be perfecting the dance that you already know or learning a new style of dance, whether it be trying to hit a note that you never thought you could hit or play a character that is outside of your range, then, you know, that's something I want to continue to do and continue to, to grow. I think if you you stop challenging yourself, then there's no more, you've stopped yourself. But there's no limit to the things that you're capable of, so I think I'm gonna continue to challenge myself. [Speaker] Here's my thing is I'm always very careful about how I do, like especially when it comes to topics on music, it's like you can talk around things, I just am not gonna say what, you know what I mean? You can talk around things so it's like really it can mean whatever it wants to mean for whoever's listening to it, you know what I'm saying? It's up to you to decide what that means to you. And that's why, like kinda how I wanna keep it, and I think that's kinda the greatest in the world, like Michael Jackson, you know what I mean? He talked around all kinds of things. Even the song Creep itself, like, I remember listening to it, I didn't know what it meant. I had no idea what it meant. It's literally like someone creeping. Exactly. It's what you put into it as well. Exactly, it's what you want to make it, and I think that that's the way, that's kind of like the loophole. That's the way to have edgy music and allow my older fan base or whatever to enjoy the music and understand it, and also have young people listen to it because they can, it doesn't have to be that, and I don't need to cuss and whatever, I don't need to do that to make a great song. Michael Jackson never did it, so I don't think I got to do it either, you know. So, um, it's just, I think it's a balance, you know what I'm saying? It's a way to be edgy and push the limits but do it at the right pace. That's all this whole kind of transition into womanhood is all about— pace. Taking my time, making the right steps and the right moves when it needs to be made, you know, not going too fast. I have decided that I want to do what makes me happy for as long as it makes makes me happy. So if that means— and this is something my parents have always told me— if that means I wake up tomorrow and I decide that none of this is making me happy, it's not fulfilling me, it's making me a miserable person, I don't feel good inside, are you gonna go do something else? What? I don't know, but like, what? We'll decide when we get there.

You've never thought about it? Like, what else you would do?

I wanna like— I would probably want to go to— go to school or go to college. I'd want to maybe— probably for like, um child psychology, something unrelated. Who knows? I might wake up and say, you know what, I want to be a doctor. You know what, I want to be a this, I want to be that. I don't know what the future holds. As long as it makes me happy, I gotta find a passion, you know? But for now, this is making me happy. Yeah, I'm gonna keep doing this. Especially if you're young in this industry, you get doubted and people like to not listen to you.

Yeah.

And so I just— I'm not one of those people that cannot be heard, you know what I'm saying? So yes, you know, I think it's very important that people exercise their, their, their voice and, and what they feel is right. Your gut and your instinct, especially if you're in this industry as a young person, you have to follow your heart and do what you think is right.

Thank you guys so much for watching. I made this video because Roames asked me to. So if there's a famous entrepreneur that you want me to profile next, leave in the comments below and I'll see what I can do. I'd also love to know which of the rules had the biggest impact on you. What did she say that left a profound mark that you're going to immediately apply something to your life or your business? Leave it in the comments and I want to see what you to say. I also want to give a quick shout out to John Carter. Thank you, John, for picking up a copy of my book, Your One Word, and tweeting out that picture of you at the beach holding it. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for sharing the love, man. I appreciate it. So thank you guys again for watching. I believe in you. Hope you continue to believe in yourself and whatever your one word is. Much love. I'll see you soon.

And I myself have taken a break. Everyone needs to just hold off and not be on their phone because we get so caught up in the negativity of social media that we forget to use it for a positive thing, you know what I mean? Like, when I use my Twitter to say anything or to do anything, I'd use it to make messages that I think are important or to get out things that I think will make people laugh or funny, you know what I mean? Or won't— you know, I never— I'm not gonna tweet something negative or hurt somebody's feelings. That's just not who I am, you know what I mean? And sometimes we get so wrapped up in like, oh, it's funny, or oh, this is how I feel. And I, and you know, you're allowed to express how you feel, but at the end of the day, we're all human beings. Like, gosh, you know, we all have, you know, we all have feelings, but you have to be loving of yourself and get in touch with yourself and be happy with yourself first. I think it's less about other people and more about like, I have to do better than myself. Like, if I feel like I reach a level, then I have to work harder. You never, you never, you know, the best. You can always get better. There's always room for improvement. That's in every area. That's not just as, you know, artists or whatever, but that's human being. I constantly try to become a better person. Like, I'm like, even if I like let negative thoughts come in my mind or I think some type of way, I'm thinking petty, I'm just like, dude, like, you're better than that. Like, you're Zen, chill. Like, I'm good, you know what I mean? Me, I've been making children's programming for a long time, and for me, a lot of people ask me like, why are you still on Disney Channel? Why do you still do that? And to me, it's because I still have a responsibility as this young person that I am to to create positive programming for these young people. I have little kids that look up to me, and I think of that as a responsibility. And I know there's so many parents that come up to me, and just hearing them say, "Thank you for being that for my daughter or for my son," and being that inspiration for them, that is— that's everything to me.