You Are WRONG About Failure | Cara's Powerful Advice

I have so many girls come up to me and tell me that they want to be models, which is fine. It's not a bad thing. I just think there's so much to do. There's always going to be people that don't want you to succeed or doubt you. But again, like, I didn't really care. My biggest fear was failure, and it's ridiculous because again, the imperfections of humans are what makes us so great. We need to celebrate those things.

Need motivation? Watch the top 10 of Believe Nation. What's up? It's Evan. My one word is believe. And I believe in you. I believe you have an amazing gift inside you that I want to see explode out onto the world. So let's get your motivation to a 10 and get you believing in you. Grab a snack and chew on today's lessons from a woman who grew up with depression and dyspraxia, which is a neurological disorder that made it really hard for her to excel at school, to becoming an award-winning fashion model and actress. She's Cara Delevingne, and here's my take on her top 10 rules of success.

Enjoy!

All right, let's kick things off with rule number 1, my personal favorite: dream bigger.

Uh, there's a lot of things I want to do. I always wanted to be a director. I think as well, I have so many girls come up to me and tell me that they want to be models, which is fine. It's not a bad thing. I just think there's so much to do. I just went to a wonderful talk about genetic engineering and neuroscience, and this man who was giving the talk explained these, like, 10,000 kids from the age of 7 to 13 who are doing neuroscience. They do these competitions and wonderful things, and they're doing things in neuroscience which haven't been— which weren't done by him until he was, like, 30. Like, how quickly things like that are changing, and but they're not— there is an awareness for it. It's cool stuff like that. Like, that sounds way cooler to me than being a model, but like, no one really knows about it. And I just think there are just so many things. I always say to girls, just dream, just dream bigger. Go for president. Just keep going up. Astronauts. I don't know.

Rule number 2 is don't chase numbers. Are you guys, um, like, curious about box office numbers, and do you use that to inform, um, the size and scale of the movies that you choose to to take the projects that you take going forward?

To me, well, you spend— well, with Valerian especially, you spend 6 months making the film. The afterlife of the film, of course, you want people to enjoy it. You want people to come— but again, for us as actors, we don't have much control of what happens to the film. To me, the most important bit really is the learning, what you learn, how you grow, the experience of it, what you kind of take away as an actor. Who cares about box office numbers, right? Someone does.

Rule number 3: give your all.

Models who've wanted to be actors, it's been a hard transition sometimes. And I mean, it's been said that— in fact, some people have said, I want to see her tapes before we, you know, we'll appear with her. Did you find that snootiness a little bit depressing? I mean, how did you prevail? Again, yeah, sure, like there's always going to be people that don't want you to succeed or doubt you, but again, like I didn't really care because I knew how hard— I know how hard I can work and I know I'd give it my all. So as long as I do good work, I know that that's all that matters. And like, you know, Charlize Theron, there are so many amazing actresses who have been models and like, you know, like her in that movie Monster. Those are the kind of roles I want to play. Like, I want to be real and raw and just like ugly, but not in a way— just like everything.

Rule number 4 is learn to say no.

I had no concept of saying no to anyone. Ever. And this is one of the most important show business lessons, actually, learning how to say no. Have you learned yet? Yes. I think life, you should always experience things, but you should not— you should say no. I mean, it's more about being in control and not being a puppet is what the most important thing is, and not doing anything out— not doing anything for anyone else apart from yourself.

Rule number 5: Don't take yourself seriously.

My question was about modeling. Do you feel like you can take it seriously? That's like saying, can you take yourself— I mean, no, it's just— I find it hard to— I mean, in modeling, I find it hard sometimes to take it serious— take myself seriously because it is that thing of like— and after about 10 times of doing that, I have to go, ugh, I feel like a weirdo. Like, do it. I like a little bit of drama. I think the most important thing, though, is to laugh at yourself because— Yeah, obviously. I mean, there's a lot of shit going on. We better start laughing. We have to laugh. Laugh is the medicine of the world.

Rule number 6 is find your voice.

I just want to inspire people, young people especially, to follow their dreams and to be who they are and to work hard and that they can do anything they put their minds to. I'm glad that I had a part in models being seen differently, but it's that choice of how they want to be seen. I wanted to have a voice and I wanted to be able to make statements and stick up for things I believe in, and I never wanted to just be a model anyway, so that's, you know, that's how I I kind of live my life, those are the rules I kind of stuck by.

Rule number 7 is run on instinct. Is Margot someone that you can relate to and how?

Very much so. I think that's why I got the part because a lot of the stories that she went through in the book and all those kind of things, I've been through before and a lot of the lines that they've actually written in the script I've said before. She runs on instinct, she just, she does what she feels in the moment, doesn't really think about the consequences.

And you're like that too?

Yeah.

Rule number 8: Don't fear failure.

I feel like my example and the thing that I try and inspire is to be yourself. Is again, the thing with Instagram and social media, it does become very contrived and controlled. And I think the most important thing is again, to post that thing of me falling over flat on my face because we all do it. It's, you know, it's okay to make mistakes. It's okay to fail. My whole thing, my biggest fear was failure. And it's ridiculous because again, The imperfections of human are what makes us so great. We need to celebrate those things. What were you worried about failing? Life? Never being good enough, or, you know, trying to please— I'm a major people pleaser. Really? Oh, yeah.

Rule number 9: Surround yourself with great people.

I found yoga, which was a huge thing for me. I didn't cry a lot. I thought emotion as a kid was a weakness. I thought that if you are emotional, that— Like, you know, that's like a pan— like just a silly thing to feel. And when I went to yoga, I went— I started yoga as a superficial thing because I was like, I want to be flexible and fit, you know, like cool yoga people are. And I went in to my yoga— meet my guru yoga person, and he was like, why are you doing this? And I told him why, and he sat me down and we just started chanting. And I was like, are we not meant to be doing like whatever? So I was chanting. I got so angry with myself. "No God." And I broke through something, and I burst into tears, which I hadn't done in years. And I looked at him, and I was like, "What the hell is wrong with you? How dare you? You're a monster. Why would you do this?" And he was just laughing at me. And I was like, "You're a crazy man. What is wrong with you?" And he said, "If you hadn't have cried, I would have been very worried." And I was like, "Okay." He was like, "And also, you realize that this is the first time you've actually looked at me in the eye." And the reason why is because I knew when I looked in his eyes that he saw through me, and he knew me, and it freaked me out. But till this day, I've been seeing him a lot. It's like finding— finding people around you who have your best interest at heart. I had a lot of people around me who were just after what I gave them, not like, you know, after like looking after you and stuff. So it's about finding people who care about you and support. And again I've now become and been able to be a support for other people as well so in turn that kind of goes around.

And rule number 10! The last one before the bonus— beatbox!

Mexico! Mexico!

Paper town! Paper town! Paper town!

Paper town!

Papertown!

P-p-p-p-p-down! Down— Nice! Hi, I'm Annie Georgia Greenberg. Skills? Wow, that's amazing. Mm-hmm.

Now I've got a special bonus clip for you from Cara, but before getting to that, my question of the day today is around her rule number 1, dream bigger. Do you dream big enough? Do you have a big dream and is it inspiring you on a daily basis, or are you thinking a little bit too small? Let me know, leave in the comments below. 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 and enjoy the bonus clip.

Through growing up, what I've discovered is that this world is a very vast, a very wonderful and beautiful one, and there are so many things to discover. But the most important journey I think all of us will go through is the journey in ourselves. To find our truth, to find who we are and what makes us happy. And in our culture, we are told that if we're beautiful, if we're skinny, if we're successful, famous, if we fit in, if everyone loves us, that we'll be happy. But that's not entirely true. I'm going to start with a poem that I wrote. When I wasn't very happy. I actually wrote this a year ago, but again, as if you know depression, it comes back. It's a recurring thing that you can't really swat away. Anyway. Who am I? Who am I trying to be? Not myself. Anyone but myself. Living in a fantasy to bury the reality. Making myself the mystery. A strong facade disguising the misery. Empty but beyond the point of emptiness. Full to the brim of fake confidence. A guard that will never be broken because I broke a long time ago. I'm hurting but don't tell anyone. No one needs to know. Don't show or you've failed. Always okay, always fine, always on show. The show must go on. It will never stop. The show must not go on, but I know it will. I give up. I give up giving up. I am lost. I don't need to be saved. I need to be found. Basically, it's kind of just the same recurring thing of, yeah, not knowing who you are. So let me give you the one word secret to happiness. One word. This is all you need to be happy.

The most important word ever.

If you had to think of one word that's most important to you or that sums you up or that would be kind of like a little beacon.

Hey, Believe Nation! If you want to know what the most important one word is for Tony Robbins, Gary Vaynerchuk, Oprah Winfrey, will.i.am, and Howard Schultz, I have a very special secret video for you. Check the description for details.