I actually like Britney’s music. No, I don’t own any of it, but I’ve enjoyed several of her hits starting with “Baby One More Time” through “Oops…I Did It Again” and several others. I thought “Toxic” kicked butt as a radio hit and have to mention that Nickel Creek does a pretty mean rendition too – “Toxic” on mandolin, who knew?
My only fear from the beginning was that Britney would turn out like, well, like she has. But my wife and I had a hunch she would and I’m saddened but not surprised by the latest turn of events. On yesterday’s Foxnews.com, in a piece spotlighting a judges decision to deny Britney visitation with her young children, Roger Friedman writes:
“What Spears is not understanding is that she’s killing not only her relationship with her kids, but with her fans. Her single “Gimme More” is dead at radio, where it’s languishing at the bottom of every chart, according to Radio & Records.”
I disagree with Mr. Friedman. I think Britney is killing her career on purpose because she never wanted to be a star.
15 years ago I was hired to play drums on a custom project for a girl from Arkansas (it wasn’t Britney, btw). At the recording studio, I met a mom and her 18 year old daughter. After we recorded the first track, I had the following conversation with the girl:
Me to the girl: “So, where are you from?”
Mom: “We’re from Arkansas.”
Me to the girl: “How long have you been singing?”
Mom: “She’s been singing since she was 5 years old” followed by 15 minutes describing her daughter’s achievements that concluded with the statement “I just KNOW she’s going to be a star!”
I eventually managed to get a few feeble words out of the girl, but the mom dominated the entire day. It was painfully obvious to everyone there (except mom) that the girl did not want to be a star. She couldn’t sing – zero pitch and zero rhythm – and she KNEW she couldn’t sing.
I’ll never forget the sad, hollow look on her face all day. This was a girl who felt powerless to fight her MOM’S dreams of stardom. It’s a look I often see from Britney.
Britney Spears is failing because she doesn’t want to succeed at what she’s doing. She doesn’t want to FAIL, she just doesn’t care about succeeding as a pop star anymore. How else can you explain the recent MTV awards’ fiasco? Being unprepared for the most important gig of your career is not the behavior of someone who wants to succeed. Unconsciously or consciously, it’s sabotage. I just hope she escapes with her life.
So what about you? Are you unconsciously or consciously sabotaging your career?
Look at your actions. What are you doing? How do you spend your time? Who do you hang around with? There’s a reason for the cliche “actions speak louder than words.” What are your actions saying?
I’m not saying this to discourage you. Quite the opposite. I hope to encourage you to live a life that will make you deeply happy and satisfied. I’ve quoted Howard Thurman before, but it fits here:
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
The world does not need Britney Spears to satisfy its needs for pop stars. If she quits tomorrow, there are a thousand other girls ready to take her place. What the world DOES need is a young woman named Britney Spears living the life she was meant to live.
And we need the same thing from you.
