Miley Cyrus

Though in a previous blog post I extolled the virtues of new love and keeping that high in your everyday life to propel you forward with energy, I fully recognize that is something of a pipe dream. After all, every one of us experiences doubts and down periods. In fact, often it is because of the bad times that we so thoroughly recognize and enjoy the good ones. But, you can’t let the bad times keep you down.

Take Miley Cyrus for example (I know, you never thought I’d mention, let alone use, her as an example … but, keep reading). The New York Times published an article called “The Blurred Lines Boomerang,” in which it dramatically pronounced, “The Robin Thicke-Miley Cyrus reverse trajectory proves you can’t keep a good bad girl down.” I’m sure you recall the fiasco in which Miley provocatively twerked on stage and showed the world she was all grown up and, in the process, alienated many. But, only a year later, she had more than recovered. In fact, she won the Video of the Year for Wrecking Ball, which has been viewed more than 715 million times on YouTube. Not only that, she’s been on the covers of Rolling Stone and Harper’s Bazaar to name just two examples.

Now I realize that we are not Miley (nor would most of us want to be) but we are real people who suffer ups and downs. Maybe we can learn a little from Miley and other celebrities who are the subject of scandals, poor ratings, unpopular opinions and disdain. Maybe from their ability to pull themselves up again, we can gain some insight into how we can pull ourselves out a bad situation, even though we don’t have publicists and millions of dollars to back up our efforts.

The actual lyrics to the song Keep on Keepin’ On put us in a place of despair or discouragement and then provide us with the answer to how to lift ourselves up again:
Sometimes you get beat up good
Drive yourself crazy bein’ misunderstood
Sometimes you wanna throw the towel in
But you come out swingin’ like you just might win
Yeah! You gotta keep on, keep on keepin’ on …
Push on down the road …
Keep from getting further behind …
Just keep on

Ironically, it wasn’t until after I named and started doing some research for this post that I was made aware that a movie by the same title premiered to 5-star reviews. In the movie, we are taught about how two men with real barriers and hardships overcome them by their fierce determination and by relying on their strengths and talents. They simply do not let anything stand in the way of success and making the best of their lives. You can read about the movie but, at its essence, it’s the story of how a black man became a star and role model and used his success to cultivate the talent of a blind Jazz prodigy. These two friends confront and overcome the toughest challenges of their lives.

Let’s say that their problems were a lot worse than Miley’s and probably much worse than ours as well. If they can pull themselves out of the doldrums, overcome negativity, find a way out of challenging situations and find success, so can we.

In my world, aside from positive thinking and remembering how blessed I am, coaching provides me with strength and determination. It gets rid of the thoughts, both conscious and unconscious that are holding me back. It helps me explore what it is that prevents me from my potential, the potential that includes making each and every day count in a positive way.

What do people like Miley, the stars whose lives are highlighted in the movie, and others like them, have in common: grit, perseverance, goal orientation and the ability to look into the future and see something better for themselves. With determination, a strong will and the real desire for success, you too can “Keep on Keepin On”.