Becoming A Celebrity Is Easier Than You Think
by: RickLondon
Total views: 82 | Word Count: 833
I turned on the tv early last night and then went into the kitchen and couldn't see the screen but I heard a voice that I remembered always sent chills down my spine. I walked into the living room and sure enough, staring me in the face, swastika on forehead, cigarette in hand, Charles Manson, probably one of the most notorious figures of our lifetime.
I had to look twice. I shouldn't have been so surprised they had given him yet another Andy Warhol 15 minutes; I worked in news for nearly two decades before saying "enough is enough" as I saw it going in a direction in which valuable camera-time was being handed over to the infamous, rather than the famous; and often the famous had worked hard and been productive all their lives to get where they were. In other words, sensationalism was winning out over positive broadcasting. I am not saying stories of such notorious characters should not be mentioned or remembered. It is important to remember the Holocaust. It is important to remember Hilter; and for obvious reasons. It serves the educational process. Media can have a powerful effect on teaching a government, a citizenry, an entire nation on how not to repeat the errors of the past.
After accepting what I was seeing, I said to myself, "Okay, maybe it is time for Charlie to show his mug to remind us what we don't want to be. The problem I had with the program was he was given an entire hour of nothing but his predictable rambling. He was having a blast. The media was showing the world, "Look, doing something crazy like brainwash people into killing other people, and you two, a half century later, can still be a big celebrity." And that is exactly what was happening. I kept thinking to myself, why couldn't this cable news program dedicate a full hour to a captain of industry such as Bill Gates or Michael Dell or the founders of Google who do so much good in the world. I could have even tolerated another Donald/Rosie fight over Charlie's mug; or pretended like I cared about "Barbara Walter's torrid sex life" now being broadcast from here to eternity due to her new kiss and tell book. Barbara's love life will be remembered for a month or two to come until someone else writes one better and more graphically.
Would you believe Charles Manson almost became a Monkee? I mean the sixties singing band. He actually tried out. They didn't accept him however.
When Warhol wrote about his fifteen minutes of fame that we all eventually get and deserve, I don't think he had Manson in mind as a path towards it.
Are you still waiting for the Andy Warhol promise to happen to you? Freud felt something drives everyone. What drives you? Maybe it is not fame. Maybe it is money. Maybe it is doing good in the world. Maybe it is having money and doing good in the world with it. Whatever it is, you are probably bright enough not to sit around and wait for it, but to work for it.
I am a writer/entrepreneur/and cartoonist, worked hard, and I have had way more than my 15 minutes, and I am grateful for it. I have been able to help other people, animals, and environmental causes, and do things I never thought possible. I am an average guy, so I know if I can do it, you can to. Maybe not in the same arena, maybe so, but whatever your dream, take the simple steps and do it. One need not be notorious, like a Manson, to achieve fame, remember, that is infamy,which is the opposite of fame.
The steps to fame or success or both are fairly simple, but hard work.
Have a dream. A dream can't come true unless there is a dream with which to begin.
Make a plan. Work that plan. Take lots of notes. Things will change. So will you. Find people who have achieved similar dreams. Do not be afraid to ask questions.
Use modern technology like the net to accelerate that dream. Andy Warhol and his friends Marilyn Monroe and so many others did not have the luxury of the Internet. Norma Jean never had a blog and Andy did no social networking. You can. You can learn article marketing. Do it. Don't stop with just a few articles. Blog, write articles in online magazines. Learn about quality back-links. Learn all you can. Keep working daily even when you don't feel like it. Success happens when you are not even aware.
Learn this work habit and repeat it daily. Don't slack up when you see a little success come your way. Work that much harder. Suddenly you are a name brand. You should pat yourself on the back. Hard work but well worth it, eh?
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