Everybody’s Got One

I’ve read a couple of entertainment autobiographies recently. Both about comedians - Rob Brydon and Paul O’Grady - and both very different.

But the one thing both men had in common was the sheer tenacity they demonstrated in pushing through the hurdles they faced. None of these hurdles were insurmountable in themselves. But piled up one after another for years on end, it is remarkable how they managed to achieve such successful careers.

It’s easy, watching from our armchairs, to be sniffy about anybody who “reaches the top”. It all looks so easy after it’s happened. “I could do that”. Well maybe not THAT, but my version of it.

But it’s not at all easy. I know that I couldn’t do what they did. And, of course, I was never meant to.

It’s good to hear the story though. Everybody’s Got One. It helps to make some sense of the outcomes, and to put it all into perspective. Not just for the STARS, but for each of us.

But it’s also useful to look at some versions of what we call “success”, and consider whether it is really THAT kind of success which we are seeking.