Outstanding One of the things that makes you uniquely Chris is your personal shares which are very honest and deeply insightful I always have to remember if I want something someone has I have to take all of it. It is not about the 1000 people you didn't impact today but the one you did
I've been a film critic for 40 years (as of last December), and have published 11 books and am currently working on my fifth novel. I am not Pauline Kael, I am not Stephen King, I am unknown to most people. But I take my philosophy from George Burns who said the secret of success is to find out what you enjoy doing and get someone to pay you for it.
There will always be people more successful than me, just as there will be people who aspire to what I have achieved. As Woody Allen said, 80% of success in life is just showing up.
What was it - 18 moths ago? - you had NO SUBSTACK SUBSCRIBERS, and you were beating yourself up for being a failure by being fired from CNN.
So, I don't see you thinking you were a fired for being a failure any more, so that's good. And you have been pretty happy with the growth of your subscriber base. Hint: if you weren't good at what you do, none of us would pay a minute's attention to you, let alone give you money; so just on that, you are a success. My Substack has far fewer subscribers than yours, but it makes an important contribution to my survival, so I think it's successful.
In my experience (since I like so many others have done this stupid shit too), feeling you have to prove your worth, your success, by comparing yourself to others, means that at some point in your very early youth, you got the message that you were not a "good boy" from someone you considered an Authority Figure, and you (and people like me) have been trying to prove that idiot wrong ever since. I found that doing (quite a bit) of work on myself, that I was able to find a different POV. And that is that NOBODY else can do what I do the way I do it. Nobody else is or can do what you are doing the way you are doing it. And they never will! I found that was a pretty good foundation stone on which to build a positive self-image. I think you could, too.
Look at all the stuff you do well - despite telling yourself you aren't - and tell yourself that you are always doing the best you know how. When you know more, you'll do more.
I admire you for saying all this in front of 13,000 strangers. That's a bigger crowd than I had for my public confession.
Look at the number of subscribers Heather Cox Richardson has, and realize it took A DECADE to get there. And she did it by Being Herself. Surprise surprise, when we Act As Ourself, it turns out we can be attractive to others we're glad to include in our life.
It’s actually very helpful to hear that a guy I consider a giant success is even more neurotic than I am. I guess what I’m saying is that I’m now counting on your crippling self-doubt to keep me feeling good about myself.
Anyone who is feeling bad about their relative position in life would benefit from reading a book or two written by the Dalai Lama. The Buddhists have a lot figured out, and most of us could benefit from being more like them.
This is exactly what I needed to read today. Thank you for being so open and honest. I’ve read almost everything you’ve written for 5 plus years now and this is the first time I’ve had the guts to comment. You matter more than you know! Thank you.
If one has a larger number of subscribers than you, it may be the case, using myself as an example; I subscribe to a number of substacks but after reading a few of their postings, I don't read them anymore as they are of no interest to me (but I don't unsubscribe). Your postings are quality and for the most part interesting to me. It is the old quality over quantity of readers. You are doing a good job!!
Even sadder are the people who think you SHOULD feel bad in comparison to other people. I feel sorry for anyone who needs to make other people feel bad. You are the opposite of that, Chris. As you make positive discoveries, like this one, you reach out and share with all of us. Thank you!
From my vantage point of closing in on eight decades(!!!), my thought is: if we can start each day with the intention to be kind, and (pretty much!) succeed, we are leading successful lives. Your kindness, earnestness, curiosity, desire to inform your readers shines through.....keep that up. I always look forward to your writing! A grateful reader.....
The posts I enjoy the most are the ones where you share personal insights, experiences and help us to become better people. Thanks for sharing. I realize that being "in the media" comparisons are frequently made and sometimes direct the path you are on. When comparing your metrics to those of others, you also need to consider, how long have they been at this? What other aspects of their work may be driving readers to their posts?
I always enjoyed reading your pieces that I would find in my news feeds. Then one day, I realized I hadn't seen you in a while and went looking. Now I'm a happy subscriber reading everything you write. If I hadn't gone looking, I wouldn't have found you. Keep posting and more will find you!
Thanks, Kathy. And you are right: I am not writing super partisan stuff that people will read to have their views affirmed. I know my growth plan is therefore slower. Thanks for the reminder.
Thanks for sharing Chris. Like my wife's grandmother used to say when the grandkids would look at others in awe and sometimes envy "I bet that person can't even do the dishes...." Her grand mother lived a modest life and passed away in her late nineties. Her parents are still alive at 93 and 91 years old. And like grandma we all live modestly as middle class families. My wife's parents have been married for over 70 years and we have been married for almost 48 years. So that alone adds value to life that immeasurable.
Outstanding One of the things that makes you uniquely Chris is your personal shares which are very honest and deeply insightful I always have to remember if I want something someone has I have to take all of it. It is not about the 1000 people you didn't impact today but the one you did
Thank you.
I just wanted to say how much I appreciate and enjoy your personal essays.
Thank you!
I've been a film critic for 40 years (as of last December), and have published 11 books and am currently working on my fifth novel. I am not Pauline Kael, I am not Stephen King, I am unknown to most people. But I take my philosophy from George Burns who said the secret of success is to find out what you enjoy doing and get someone to pay you for it.
There will always be people more successful than me, just as there will be people who aspire to what I have achieved. As Woody Allen said, 80% of success in life is just showing up.
You're a success. :)
Burns was absolutely right. I'm doing all the things I enjoyed doing at age 10, and people are paying me (well enough) to keep doing it.
What was it - 18 moths ago? - you had NO SUBSTACK SUBSCRIBERS, and you were beating yourself up for being a failure by being fired from CNN.
So, I don't see you thinking you were a fired for being a failure any more, so that's good. And you have been pretty happy with the growth of your subscriber base. Hint: if you weren't good at what you do, none of us would pay a minute's attention to you, let alone give you money; so just on that, you are a success. My Substack has far fewer subscribers than yours, but it makes an important contribution to my survival, so I think it's successful.
In my experience (since I like so many others have done this stupid shit too), feeling you have to prove your worth, your success, by comparing yourself to others, means that at some point in your very early youth, you got the message that you were not a "good boy" from someone you considered an Authority Figure, and you (and people like me) have been trying to prove that idiot wrong ever since. I found that doing (quite a bit) of work on myself, that I was able to find a different POV. And that is that NOBODY else can do what I do the way I do it. Nobody else is or can do what you are doing the way you are doing it. And they never will! I found that was a pretty good foundation stone on which to build a positive self-image. I think you could, too.
Look at all the stuff you do well - despite telling yourself you aren't - and tell yourself that you are always doing the best you know how. When you know more, you'll do more.
I admire you for saying all this in front of 13,000 strangers. That's a bigger crowd than I had for my public confession.
Look at the number of subscribers Heather Cox Richardson has, and realize it took A DECADE to get there. And she did it by Being Herself. Surprise surprise, when we Act As Ourself, it turns out we can be attractive to others we're glad to include in our life.
and CNN is dying by a 1000 little cuts every day. "So What" is on the rise!
It’s actually very helpful to hear that a guy I consider a giant success is even more neurotic than I am. I guess what I’m saying is that I’m now counting on your crippling self-doubt to keep me feeling good about myself.
Ha! I do what I can. ;)
Anyone who is feeling bad about their relative position in life would benefit from reading a book or two written by the Dalai Lama. The Buddhists have a lot figured out, and most of us could benefit from being more like them.
Oooh. That is a GOOD idea. I need to do that.
I was going to suggest Richard Cory. Either the poem or the Simon and Garfunkel song.
This is exactly what I needed to read today. Thank you for being so open and honest. I’ve read almost everything you’ve written for 5 plus years now and this is the first time I’ve had the guts to comment. You matter more than you know! Thank you.
If one has a larger number of subscribers than you, it may be the case, using myself as an example; I subscribe to a number of substacks but after reading a few of their postings, I don't read them anymore as they are of no interest to me (but I don't unsubscribe). Your postings are quality and for the most part interesting to me. It is the old quality over quantity of readers. You are doing a good job!!
I love this, Chris. A favorite quote of mine is by Anne Lamott: "Never compare your insides with everyone else's outsides."
Yes. I love that! And will do my best to remember it.
Even sadder are the people who think you SHOULD feel bad in comparison to other people. I feel sorry for anyone who needs to make other people feel bad. You are the opposite of that, Chris. As you make positive discoveries, like this one, you reach out and share with all of us. Thank you!
Others have said this better than I can, but I find your vulnerable pieces so inspiring. Thank you for sharing!
Good points, Chris, so very true!
From my vantage point of closing in on eight decades(!!!), my thought is: if we can start each day with the intention to be kind, and (pretty much!) succeed, we are leading successful lives. Your kindness, earnestness, curiosity, desire to inform your readers shines through.....keep that up. I always look forward to your writing! A grateful reader.....
"Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to go on that counts." - Winston Churchill
Keep on going, Chris!
Awesome, inspiring, beautiful piece, Chris. Thank you!
Thanks for reading!
The posts I enjoy the most are the ones where you share personal insights, experiences and help us to become better people. Thanks for sharing. I realize that being "in the media" comparisons are frequently made and sometimes direct the path you are on. When comparing your metrics to those of others, you also need to consider, how long have they been at this? What other aspects of their work may be driving readers to their posts?
I always enjoyed reading your pieces that I would find in my news feeds. Then one day, I realized I hadn't seen you in a while and went looking. Now I'm a happy subscriber reading everything you write. If I hadn't gone looking, I wouldn't have found you. Keep posting and more will find you!
Thanks, Kathy. And you are right: I am not writing super partisan stuff that people will read to have their views affirmed. I know my growth plan is therefore slower. Thanks for the reminder.
Thanks for sharing Chris. Like my wife's grandmother used to say when the grandkids would look at others in awe and sometimes envy "I bet that person can't even do the dishes...." Her grand mother lived a modest life and passed away in her late nineties. Her parents are still alive at 93 and 91 years old. And like grandma we all live modestly as middle class families. My wife's parents have been married for over 70 years and we have been married for almost 48 years. So that alone adds value to life that immeasurable.