9 Pieces of Celebrity Advice That Will Inspire You to Succeed in 2017

9 Pieces of Celebrity Advice That Will Inspire You to Succeed in 2017Love them, hate them, or roll your eyes when you see them make news for ridiculous things, famous people have something in common theyre good at what they do, or you probably wouldnt know who they are. And while you probably shouldnt, say, take medical advice from George Clooney or legal advice from Justin Timberlake, its worth seeing what kind of celebrity advice they have to offer. As we look to the new year with its leer slate, lets also look at how some household names in business, Hollywood, and politics approach career, success, and life balance. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) On Finding Purpose and DirectionOne of the first things you should do in the new year is figure out what youwant yourgoals to be. To do that, its important to figure out what motivates you, and what you really want to be doing with your professional life. A new year is a chance to take a lo ok at what motivates you now, because that may leid be the same thing that motivated you in the past. Take the opportunity to look at who you are now, and what forces are moving you forward.Stop chasing the money and abflug chasing the passion. Tony Hsieh, CEO of ZapposMay the Force be with you is charming but its not important. Whats important is that you become the Forcefor yourself and perhaps for other people. Harrison Ford, actorOn Being Your Own Biggest AssetNot to get all sappy on you, but your best ally in this process is, well, you. Networks are important, but as you get ready to ramp up your career in the new year, make sure youre putting enough value and emphasis on the skills, experience, and expertise that you already have. 2017 should be a year of moving forward with confidence, not stalling out due to self-doubt.Dont discount yourself, no matter what youre doing. Everyone has a unique perspective that they can bring to the world. Just have faith in yourself and trust yourself. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of FacebookOn Achieving SuccessSuccess is not an instant result, no matter who you are or what you do. People who achieve that success have gotten there because they stuck it out, and threw everything they had at the process. CEOs, entertainers, thinkersthe version of success is different for each of them, but they have one thing in common effort + time.When I was 15, I left school to abflug a magazine, and it became a success because I wouldnt take no for an answer. Richard Branson, CEO of the Virgin GroupTheres no such thing as overnight success. Thats my concern with a show like American Idol. It encourages the false belief that theres a kind of magic, that you can be discovered. That may be the way television works, but its not the way the world works. Rising to the top of any field requires an enormous amount of dedication, focus, drive, talent, and 99 factors that they dont show on television. Its not simply about being picked. Which, by the way, is why very few of the anointed winners on American Idol have gone on to true success. Most have flamed out and gone away. That should tell us something. Malcolm Gladwell, authorSuccess is just a war of attrition. Sure, theres an element of talent you should probably possess. But if you just stick around long enough, eventually something is going to happen. Dax Shepard, actorDo the work. Out-work. Out-think. Out-sell your expectations. There are no shortcuts. Mark Cuban, entrepreneurOn Why You Should Never Give UpIf you give up on your goals because youre seeing too many challenges or it feels too hard, no one is going to run up to you, shouting, come back Just kidding, heres what you want. Once you figure out what you want to achieve and start devising your plan to get there, its crucial to stick to that, whether things get tough or are taking longer than you thought they would. Youre tougher than you think you are, so dont let setbacks deter you from those bigger goals.Im very gl ad my mother didnt let me quit piano lessons at age 10. She said I wasnt old enough or good enough to make that decision, and she was right. I remember at the time I was shocked. I did not like that my mother said those things to me. But when I got a chance to play with Yo-Yo Ma or more recently with Aretha Franklin, I thought, Im really glad she said what she did. Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of StateOn Seizing OpportunitiesIn 2017, be ready to size up and grab potenzial opportunities. Do research, talk to people in your network, and always keep an eye out for new jobs, new skill-building opportunities, anything that can help you along the way. If youre not proactive, youll either miss potential opportunities entirely, or watch them slip right by you and turn into someone elses chances.People ask, Whats the best role youve ever played? The next one. Kevin Kline, actorPut your head down and work hard. Never wait for things to happen make them happen for yourself through hard g raft and not giving up. Gordon Ramsay, chef, entrepreneur, and TV personalityIf I cant make it through one door, Ill go through another dooror Ill make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present is. Joan Rivers, comedianI feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity. Oprah Winfrey, entrepreneur and world dominatorOn Why Its Okay to FailNobody likes failurebut its inevitable at some point. You know that popsong Everybody Hurts, by R.E.M.? The career version of it is, everybody flops, sometimes. Its going to happen, its going to hurt, and you should be ready to take that failure and learn from it so you can keep moving forward. Dont let minor failures derail your year of progress.Failure is not the opposite of success its a stepping stone to success. Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington PostFailure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged. J.K. Rowling, authorOn Overcoming Career Obstacles2017 will have obstacles. Thats non-negotiable. But when youre faced with those challenges, dont let them stop your progress. Instead, ask yourself how they can factor into your journey.When faced with sexism or ageism or lookism or even really aggressive Buddhism, ask yourself the following question, Is this person between me and what I want to do? Tina Fey, comedian and writerOn Why Being a Lone Wolf Doesnt WorkIf you think your 2017 journey is all about you, youre mistaken. You are the most important piece of it, yes. But being a good team member, and knowing when to rely on others is a skill that you should start practicing as early in the year as possible. Its not just that others can help you directly (although many can) its just as much l earning what you can from others to apply to your own professional life.What I have discovered, is this You cant do it alone. As you navigate through the rest of your life, be open to collaboration. Other people and other peoples ideas are often better than your own. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life. Amy Poehler, comedian and writerI look for a positive attitude and are they easy to work with, are people gonna like working with them? Its very important to like the people you work with, otherwise life and your job is gonna be quite miserable. Elon Musk, entrepreneur and CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceXThe best advice I ever got is Youre the average of the five people you associate with the most. Tim Ferriss, author and entrepreneurOn Achieving Balance While Pursuing Your GoalsIf you have some aggressive professional goals in 2017 (new job, promotion, new approach to your existing job), dont let those crowd out everything in your life. Making room for your personal growth, development, and happiness is just as essential. This may involve some creative thinking and sacrifices, but when you get to the other side of 2017, you dont want to be thinking, I wish Id made time for things that make me happy.Believe you can do anything. This is important for everyone and especially for women. Dont let anyone tell you cant have both a meaningful professional career and a fulfilling personal life. When you hear someone say you cant do something, know that you can and start figuring out how. Ask yourself, What would I do if I werent afraid? Sheryl Sandberg, COO of FacebookAs you gear up for 2017 and the banner career year youre going to have (whether youre looking for new opportunities or working on growing in the role you already have), think about these bits of advice given by people whove reached the top of their fields. And more importantly, think about how you can make these recommendations wo rk for you, and seize your next great opportunity