President Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” That was over 120 years ago. Before radio, before TV, and certainly before social media. Unfortunately, it’s human nature to compare oneself to others – whether it’s in business, finances, physical looks, or popularity with others.
In the age of social media, the opportunity and temptation for comparison with the TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram famous has never been stronger or more overwhelming than at any time in our history.
On a recent episode of Influencers Radio with Jack Mize, mental health expert Dr. Donna Rockwell the Founder and CEO of Already Famous with Dr. Donna discussed how she is helping women to stop comparing themselves with the social media famous and reclaim their inner celebrity.
During the interview, Dr. Donna explained the impact social media can have on mental health, saying, “The statistics talk about women and girls in particular, as giving away their internal way of seeing themselves over to this larger media entity. When I went to college, we looked at the role that advertising played in overtaking our mental faculties. ‘Why do I want to smoke Marlboro cigarettes? Because there are a million commercials on TV about it… So, media has always had this power over us, taking us in and making us actually want to buy this color or brand of lipstick and that kind of clothing line… Women and girls in particular and boys too, even though it’s to a lesser degree, keep comparing themselves to this device that is glued to our hands now… When it comes to the power that media, now social media we call it, has over us and how we think about ourselves. Are we kind to ourselves? Are we self-punishing? Is she thinner than I am? So many of these images are colored by filters that take out this line and that line and make us look different. And the whole thing has become like a fallacy and a fantasy, where we are hungering for something that doesn’t even truly exist.”
As a clinical psychologist for 20 years and the author of the only published peer-reviewed study on fame and celebrity, Dr. Donna is quoted in major print and social media and regularly appears on TV, radio, and podcasts on topics ranging from fame and celebrity, the benefits of mindfulness, to mental health and well-being.
Sharing how her wellness movement for women and girls, Already Famous with Dr. Donna, cultivates self-confidence, inner worth, and meaning in life, which are the most important components in achieving happiness, Dr. Donna said, “I started Already Famous with Dr. Donna just to reach out with some of these wisdom, tidbits and understanding of how do I live a life where I feel fully embodied, meaning that I am enjoying my living existence, that I find meaning in what I do, that I can connect with other people, and have compassion for them because I’ve already developed it for myself… If we’re going to be happy in this life, we have to reclaim all the good stuff we had when we were young. When we were doing cartwheels on the front lawn, if that was the fortunate and privileged life we got to live. The joyful past times that just made us feel happy to be alive, we’re being robbed of all that natural joy and that natural joie de vivre, as the French say, that love of life itself. And so I think it’s just so important that women and girls have a place to go. I’ve started a Facebook group called the Already Famous Sisterhood because I just want to have a community where we can talk about what’s really important in life, and how; Yes, we are already famous in all the ways that really matter. It’s our life, our particular existence, our fertile ground, our family, our futures, and what we contribute to the earth to leave it a better place. These are all the activities that lead to fulfillment and joy. So that at the end of the whole thing, we can turn around and say, I did it ‘good’. I did it right. I did it in a way that I feel fulfilled. And I think that’s what we’re looking for. That’s the best we can offer ourselves in this life.”
Dr. Donna’s message is loud and clear: “You are ‘enough,’ and you are already famous in all the ways that really matter.”
Rather than focusing on external validation, Already Famous helps women and girls reclaim their innate power and actualize their inner celebrity. Instead of feeling like they are “not enough,” Already Famous leaves women feeling empowered, unique, and significant in their lives.
Listen to the full episode at https://InfluencersRadio.com/dr-donna-rockwell
To learn more about Dr. Donna Rockwell and the Already Famous with Dr. Donna, visit https://www.donnarockwell.com