Most people with a public persona tell you that the downsides outweigh the upsides.
The reason for that is something calledthe survivorship bias.
Evenmy own writingis guilty of this.
Diego PH
I tell stories about Rockefeller and Grant and Alexander the Great.
I dont talk about the people who were talented but had a better sense of what wasenough.
This is true ofthe Stoics too, who I have helped to popularize.
Fathers, mothers, businessmen, diplomats and blacksmiths.
It might also be said that the ones weve never heard ofthose were the lucky ones.
It wasnt fun to be the head of state.
It wasnt fun the be executed by a head of state either.
It wasnt as fun as you think to be Rockefeller or Kennedy or Lance Armstrong.
Too much depends on his every move.
Then they have to raise the money for their own monument to their own honor, the Presidential Library.
And its all downhill from there.
Listen to a CEO answering dumb questions from shareholders during conference calls with resigned disdain.
See the endless reunion tours and un-retirements of athletes and artists who just cant walk away.
What does this have to do with you?
Isnt there someone whose status and success you envy?
And when we think of these people, we think, Oh, theyre the lucky ones.
They got what I should have gotten.
But is that really true?
Maybe the lucky ones are the hidden figures.
Most people with a public persona tell you that the downsides outweigh the upsides.
They have a target on their back from critics.
They have less creative freedom.
They feelirresponsiblewhen they turn down opportunities because they know other people would kill for the chance.
Its not all bad of course, but there are real problems that go along with fame and fortune.
You know the song lyric: Mo money, mo problems.
But the same is true for other forms of success.
A mayor doesnt usually see their hair turn grey as fast as a president.
A working character actor doesnt have to deal with being typecast.
This is not to say you must be poor or a failure.
you could still be extraordinary.
You just dont have to be themostextraordinary.
Because what is that actually worth in the long run?
Do you think youll appreciate your fame and money after you die?
You think Alexander the Great knows that Alexandria is still standing?
So thats the recalibration.
There is a big difference between having enough that all your needs are met and being a billionaire.
Between being Taylor Swift, the global superstar, and Sia.
And those differences are not all good.
In fact, many of them are objectively not good.
Is it really bad luck?
Or has Fortune done you a kindness?
On the contrary, the life just below that top, the middle class life, the just-enough-success-but-not-too-much?
Thats the real blessing.
