burned by the spotlight

[Chronamut 355]

So in reference to season 24 of mlp where a superstar ends up not becoming who they are inside and eventually realizes this and casts it off, how many of you have been burned by the spotlight?

 

How many of you have found some sort of fame, either online or in real life, and you start by simply enjoying whatever you do - and it's like you're surfing, and all is good, and suddenly.. you are noticed.

 

Suddenly you find your focus shifts away from what you were doing, and focuses to all this attention you are getting - the surfer realizes he's surfing on choppy waters way out in the water

 

Then these people start spreading rumours about you, and taking things you say out of context, and you fight simply to allow people to see you how you want them to be, and not believe the lies - the surfer struggles to maintain control of the choppy waters

 

Now this can go on for years, affecting your performance in whatever you do, or stressing you out as you try to maintain this "elevated" state you think you have, where everyones eyes are on you and you are enjoying the exposure, or the money, or the adulation.

 

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Eventually you realize those people paying attention to you don't care about you - they care about what they think you ARE. They might think you're hot, and stick around for that, or want some of your glory, and stay with you in hopes it rubs off on you, or more likely than not - they are jealous and want to do whatever they can to make you fail.

 

This can go many different ways - usually it begins by changing you - your ego inflates - you become prideful, narcissistic, and slowly you start to actually think that people are less than you - that you are entitled to more. Your ability to see this becomes less and less as you sink deeper into it and the longer it lasts. 

 

Or you can be aware of it and the negativity from others just makes you want less and less to do with it, and you gradually fade away, and in your mind you feel they win - they dragged you down for shining too bright.

 

Or it can go that rare way where you simply ignore everyone and just keep doing what you do - you either  revert back to yourself, or stay yourself, or you simply stop on your own and say "this isn't me, I am going to now focus on what it is I actually want to do" - and whatever people say is not a reflection of who I am.

 

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I feel in this period of time a lot of us are casting that off. We are waking up and looking around and going "wait a minute, why am I DOING this? Why am I friends with this person? Why do I care what these people say?" and are saying - "you know what? NO"

 

we are learning to say NO.

 

Saying this - have any of you gone through this, or are going through this, where you are elevated by the spotlight, and then the spotlight starts to burn you and you struggle under it, unsure of what to do? 

 

Post your thoughts here

[EpicEnergy 23,247]

I've never been in the spotlight before, so I don't know.

[Dreambiscuit 11,342]

I used to be in a kind-of spotlight. But I never thought of it as anything personally glorifying. It always felt like a responsibility and the people I was doing it for were the sole purpose of it. If I didn’t do it right I felt bad and self-critical. Sometimes you only have one chance to make the best impression possible and live up to the hype others place on you, so you have to make it as perfect as possible. Honestly, that can be exhausting even when it is enjoyable. As far as what others see in someone famous, or want to get from them, is all up to the individual and no one can live up to every expectation, nor do they need to.