Only the Strong Survive
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade…
It’s not how many times you get knocked down that is important, it’s how many times you get back up again…
When the going gets tough, the tough get going…
How many times have you heard the above quotes? 10? 100? 1,000?
Heck, they even made the last one into a hit song that was used as the soundtrack in the movie blockbuster “The Jewel Of The Nile”!
So just how much “truth” is in a “truism” like these ones?
And why are these particular truisms important from a business context?
Let’s turn the spotlight on Brooke Shields to see…
“The truth is that I have never written myself off, and I think that is the most important part of the whole puzzle. I never allow myself to be stopped.”
After commencing her profession performing life under the direction of her mother when she was just 11 months old, Brooke Shields has survived an industry that is notorious for chewing up and spitting out its young stars.
Written off and ridiculed, Shields has survived the child star label and the kinds of setbacks that could sink even the most motivated of stars: battles with a stage mother who dominated her formative years, the early exposure to fame and prodigious fortune, a film career that tanked, being mauled by the critics, controversy, troubled relationships, and a very public descent into postpartum depression.
Born in 1965, Brooke’s first appearance was in an Ivory Soap commercial in 1966. Modeling before she could walk, for over 25 years Brooke was a constant feature in print and television ads. She appeared on the front cover of Vogue, becoming, at 14, its youngest ever cover girl. But as indicated, it wasn’t all a bed of roses for her.
1978 saw her star in Pretty Baby, in which the barely adolescent Brooke was cast as a child prostitute. It created a blaze of controversy and public protest due to the subject matter and nudity. Audiences were scandalized. Two years later similar controversy erupted over her role in The Blue Lagoon, (this time leading to a Congressional inquiry!), which was later eclipsed when she became the provocative jeans model that would “let nothing come between me and my Calvins”.
Shields was an international star, but at times her fame was due more to the controversies surrounding her than the quality of her work, and she found it almost impossible to be taken seriously as an actress. But unlike many of today’s “celebrities” who crave notoriety more than recognition for the quality of their work, this wasn’t good enough for Shields.
So she studied for a degree in French literature at Princeton University and eventually headed for the bright lights of Broadway. There she started to turn in the kind of performances that had critics searching for superlatives, and fans queuing up for more. She stunned audiences with her acting, singing, and dancing when she was cast against type as tough-as-nails Rizzo, the leader of the Pink Ladies in the mid-nineties revival of Grease.
Her guest appearance on Friends, which aired on Super Bowl Sunday, was edgy and unrestrained - one of the most remarkable performances of her career. It was this performance that led to the hit series in which she starred, Suddenly Susan. Gary Dontzig, former executive producer of the show said in an interview with The New York Times, “She was just so funny. She took chances no one would have expected.”
After two Golden Globe nominations, Brooke decided to take more control of her destiny and fired her mother as her manager. During this time she married tennis ace Andre Agassi, but within two years the relationship had collapsed. Then her close friend and cast member David Strickland committed suicide. A short while later Suddenly Susan had run its natural course.
But the always inventive Shields was not to be beaten. In 2001 she delivered a barnstorming performance as Sally Bowles in the long-running Broadway revival of Cabaret. She also received glowing reviews for her portrayal of a lesbian who has a baby with her lover in the TV movie What Makes a Family, and in 2004 took the lead in a revival of Leonard Bernstein’s Wonderful Town where she was again cast against type.
But her personal life and the list of celebrity boyfriends she enjoyed was still fodder to the feeding trough of the tabloid press. In 2001 she married and concentrated on trying to have a family, struggling for more than two years to conceive - eventually giving birth to her first daughter, Rowan.
Finally she was a mum, but all was not well as she found herself sliding into despair. She chronicled it all in her book, Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression. It was an extraordinarily candid account of the crippling depression she suffered after Rowan’s birth.
Recovery was a long process, evidence of the severity of the condition, and it involved therapy and medication. She did not shy away from the horrific moments, and by bravely making her most private battles public she helped raise awareness of a condition that mothers had been uncomfortable talking about through fear or shame. Shields’ second daughter, Grier, was born 3 years later.
Professionally she has since enjoyed guest starring roles in a number of TV shows and the lead in Lipstick Jungle (not a ratings winner and the series was cancelled after just two seasons). She also had a children’s book published.
It could be said that Brook Shields has had a life of many disappointments, but these have not fazed a star who arguably has suffered more career setbacks than most. She acknowledges that her sometimes troubled past has shaped her, but it has not defined her. She has beaten the depression that nearly destroyed her life, and blossomed into a fine and charismatic actress who is still sought after by TV, movie, and theatre producers.
One final quote from her:
“Don’t waste a minute not being happy. If one window closes, run to the new window - or break down a door.”
Brooke Shields’ story shows that even those we think have gifted or privileged lives have their own share of challenges to face.
So how is this relevant to you and your business?
Well, no business owner could deny that being in business is full of challenges – relating to staff, the marketplace, financial, technological, production etc., etc., etc.
But of course, you already know that it’s how you react to these challenges, and to your circumstances, that makes all the difference. You also know that “your attitude will determine your altitude” and that you should “never give up!”
More truisms? And is a truism just a tired cliché? Or is it a fact?
One definition of a truism is a truth that is so obvious or self-evident, as to be hardly worth mentioning.
Yet sometimes we all need a reminder of the basics, don’t we?
“The Jewe l Of The Nile” starred Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner & Danny
DeVito, 1985. Song performed by Billy Ocean. For younger readers, it was re-recorded in 1999 by Boyzone – Here is a link for the fabulous video - it will make you smile.
When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQz-gccETLE&feature=related
Written by Wayne Braithwaite, Willy Head, Barry Eastmond, Robert John “Mutt” Lange and Billy Ocean. Aided by a video featuring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito as lip-synching backup singers. The song became a major international hit. The Irish boy band Boyzone recorded a cover version for the 1999 Comic Relief telethon. Their version was also a smash hit sold over 670,000 copies. Their video included Graham Norton, Jo Brand, Phil Jupitus, Mel Smith, Harry Hill and the cast of Emmerdale.
