17 Sep Life Lessons from Joan “the great” Rivers

This week on Jacquie Straight Up, I’m paying a special tribute to the extraordinary Joan Rivers. Love her or hate her, there’s no denying that “Joan the Great” was an unstoppable force, and her sudden departure has left a rather gaping hole in an otherwise carefully managed, PR-sanitized, and decidedly inauthentic media landscape. (And no-one is going to miss her searing red carpet critiques more than me!)

Joan Rivers lived a remarkable life. She always had us talking, she demanded our attention, and as far as I could tell, she lived as authentically as she possibly could, embracing her flaws, plastic surgeries and all. My kind of woman!

Joan Rivers is an inspiration to me, and on today’s Jacquie Straight Up, I share the top three cage-rattling lessons her incredible life can teach the women of today, and future generations to come. Feel like you’re a bit stuck, lacking direction, or scared to make a move? You won’t want to miss today’s episode…click the video above to watch.

Joan Rivers can teach us a lot of things, but, in my opinion, the number one lesson to be learned from her legacy is this: Have tremendous courage and guts.

Just imagine how much courage it took her back in the 60’s and the 70’s to take the stage with the likes of Johnny Carson, and lay herself bare to criticism and rejection. She had the guts to challenge the status quo and to fly in the face of convention her entire life. And in doing so, Joan changed the face of television forever.

But imagine if she hadn’t? We would have never had the opportunity to learn from her and laugh with her. The key takeaway? Face your fears head on. Do what it is you know you should do. If you don’t, your life will be defined by regret.

Lesson #2 from “Joan the Great” is this: Do what you love.

To me, Joan Rivers personified the famous quote from Confucius: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Joan clearly loved what she did. She lived her destiny — it was her purpose to make us laugh. Most people just trudge through life hoping to make it to retirement. But not Joan. She died too soon at 81, but even in her eighties, she was working more than ever, and living and loving every moment.

Lesson #3: Be disciplined and dedicated. Yes, Joan loved what she did. Her career was her calling. But she didn’t sit on her ass waiting for stuff to happen. She worked hard, and she made stuff happen. Think about all those stand-up performances. All those TV shows. All those speaking engagements and early morning interviews. It’s all hard work! And let’s not forget that she authored 12 books and kept copious notes and records of all her jokes. And to top it all off, by all accounts she was an excellent mother, grandmother and friend. She was a incredibly productive woman!

Joan’s work ethic and dedication to her career, her family, and her friends were unquestionable. The key is to be disciplined enough to do the work necessary to fulfill your dreams. Joan did, and man, what a full and exciting life she led.

Joan Rivers was not perfect. She was human. But she had the guts, the courage, and the fortitude to go after her dreams. So I encourage you today to take inspiration from Joan, and have the confidence to pursue your own personal legend, so you can one day die without any regrets.

Of course, I am fully aware this is all easier said than done, but the key to finding this courage and confidence stems from the solid foundation of being your own soul mate. I’m thrilled to announce that I’m about to launch a online video program where I will teach you how to be your own soul mate so that you can live an extraordinary life of love, wealth, adventure and freedom. Yes! Being your own soul mate is a teachable skill, and it can be learned. I can’t wait to share it with you…stay tuned!

Thank you so much for watching today’s video, and for reading this posting. If you’ve liked it, please hit the like button and share with your family and friends.

I’ll see you next week.

Sending love and strength,
Jacquie
xo

P.S. I know Joan Rivers could be a polarizing figure…so, in the comments section below, let me know what you think Joan River’s legacy is. I’d really love to hear from you!