Jameela Jamil argues that chasing external success—awards, social media metrics, prestige—leaves you hollow and alone. Award-winning actors go home sobbing. The real cost is sacrificing the relationships and experiences that actually make life meaningful.
The thing I most wish for my enemies is that all their dreams come true. Why? Because there is nothing lonelier or emptier than if you are someone who has given everything up in your life for success, relationships, love, cuddles, travels that you wanted to take, places in the world you wanted to see. If you give all that up for this tiny little statue that you think will equate your worth. I don't know anyone who's won that statue who then felt like, Yeah, this is totally worth it. In the moment, we see the euphoric moment when everyone's clapping and the lights are there and you're in shock and you're kind of in fight or flight and you've got adrenaline and they look so happy and you're like, oh, that's the moment I want. That moment goes away immediately. You hear most actresses or actors go home and they sob the night of the Oscars. Really? Yeah. It's just like, what is this? We're not wired for this. This is so existential. This doesn't mean anything. It's surreal. It doesn't mean anything. It's just a little statue or it's just a certain number on Instagram or a position on the Forbes magazine.
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