I was watching the Tonight Show with Jay Leno a few weeks
ago and one of the guests was Chris Jenner, the Matriarch of the Kardashian
family. Apparently, Jenner is slated to begin hosting a new daytime talk show.
In promoting her new show, Jenner said they would be sponsoring a content in
which the winner will get to spend a whole day with the Kardashians. Oh joy.
Leno quipped that maybe the prize should be not having to spend a whole day
with the Kardashians.
Fast forward a week or so down the road and in a local
promotion for the same contest, a 13 year old girl was asked why she wanted to
win the contest and spend a day with the Kardashians. Her response; because
they are beautiful, rich and famous. Unfortunately, she is not alone. A year or so
ago, I received an email promoting a television show entitled “The Next.” The
logo graphic’s tagline was “Fame is at your Doorstep.”
We live in a culture that pushes fame and fortune as the
key to the good life, the key to happiness. We buy it hook, line and sinker.
Whether we are Kardashian Krazed or just celebrity crazed in general, we hang
on every word, every outfit and every move celebrities make. We dream of being
just like them.
It is hard not to believe that being rich and famous is the
answer to happiness when society in general and the entertainment media in
particular bombards us with that notion 24/7. The problem is we are buying off
on a big lie, a myth.
In Don’t Seek Success – Be Happi, I document in detail how
fame and fortune, in and of itself is not the answer to happiness and argue
that we will only be truly happy once we discover are passions and true purpose
in life. When you discover passion and purpose (the fifth and sixth core
principles in the Be Happi model) and combine them with Belief, Enthusiasm,
Heart, Attitude and Imagination, you do not need to seek success, success and
happiness will find you!
Leslie
Carrara-Rudolph, street artist, performer and Sesame
Street puppeteer is a perfect example of somebody who is living the Don’t Seek Success – Be Happi model. Leslie says, “You can
only really measure success by what you contribute to the world.”
Leslie
is the creator of "fairy-in-training" Abby Cadabby and the puppeteer
behind the Sesame Street character. In a profile and video interview for Yahoo Shine, Leslie says that she started “cartooning and
drawing when she was a child with a big imagination. She even told her sister
that she was moving to Sesame Street, because she knew she belonged there. But
when Leslie was 11, her brother was killed in a motorcycle accident. After, she
says her family dynamic changed, making the arts even more important to her.”
Leslie
designed her own major at San Francisco State University in Child Development through
the Arts. After college, Leslie worked at a street artist and performer
before landing the gig with Abby Cadabby on Sesame Street in 2006.
Leslie
explains to Yahoo Shine, that shortly after she came up with the idea
for "fairy-in-training" Abby Cadabby. “Sesame Street was looking for a strong, female role model
who could have a different perspective on what it's like to be new on Sesame
Street. Leslie, a fan of fairies, put on the puppet and knew exactly who she
was. "Well, I'm a wish fairy," says Leslie as Abby Cadabby.
“She
is actively involved in Sesame Street's outreach programs that focus on
problems kids face. Leslie says she's helped kids with everything from divorce
to food insecurity. "It's an honor to be doing what we're doing," she
explains. "The way your characters reach is beyond what we could possibly
imagine.
Leslie
is also working on a side project called Wake Up Your Weird, featuring a puppet
named Lolly Lardpop. Lolly deals with self-esteem issues and bullying, Leslie
says. She recently took Lolly to visit a high school. Nervous to pull a sock
puppet out in front of a group of teenagers, Leslie says Lolly received a warm
welcome; the teens took it as a "permission slip to feel joy and empathy."
(Yahoo Shine.)
As a
result of her bothers fatal motorcycle accident, Leslie has learned that
everyday counts. She believes one person can make a difference and Leslie is
doing exactly that with her passion, creativity and imagination. She says, “I'm
really grateful that I've found a place that I get to keep giving."
Leslie
Carrara-Rudolph may not have the degree of
fame and fortune of a Kardashian, but through passion, purpose and an amazing
imagination, she has found the true key to happiness and fulfillment.
For
more on passion, purpose, imagination, see Don’t Seek Success – Be Happi.
Be
Great!
MB
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