Why Humans Want to Be Famous

Personally, I’ve always wanted to be famous. Always. Whether it was a famous actress, singer, model, YouTuber, author. I just want people to know my name. Admittedly, I let numbers define not only me but other creators. Oh, they only have 300,000 followers. They only have 50. I only have 400, so I must not be good enough.

It’s not uncommon to feel this cycle of wanting to be famous and not feeling good enough because we’re not famous. Fame seems like a desirable thing:

We’re recognized everywhere we go

- People are invested in your life

- You get opportunities that the average person literally only dreams of

- You are your own boss

Robert W. Fuller wrote that the world puts people into the categories “somebodies and nobodies”, which is in other words, “rankism”.

It’s been implemented in society for centuries, but in the current era, I feel we especially struggle with the desire for fame.

How do you overcome the need for fame? Especially if you’ve wanted it for so long?

While it is clear that obsession could well lead to dysfunctional and unhealthy experiences, it is clearly not black and white. Although these thoughts can send us into a hole of self-pity, they can also lead to incredible productivity, achievement, and success. We are motivated to work harder and put ourselves out there. We feel a sense of achievement when we get x amount of views, likes, or followers. This system of hard work and reward seems normal, buts it an obsession.

Our thoughts spiral into this obsessive-compulsive nature, which deteriorates our self-worth and sets our expectations too high. People with this mindset of needing fame may never experience true fulfillment, only “well this could have been better” or “so and so has it way better than I do”.

To be completely honest, it’s exhausting.

But what we have to remember is, as cliche as it sounds, fame is not always what it seems. Sure, I don’t doubt the trips celebrities go on and the PR packages they receive aren’t glamorous. But in my very unprofessional opinion, I think it gets lonely. And if not lonely, I can’t even imagine the amount of pressure and stress people with a following face every day. Knowing what to say and who to trust, its a lot. Everyone makes mistakes, but as a celebrity, one mistake could set your career back for years.

It’s hard to try and not want something so bad. It seems so fun and glamorous that you can only focus on the fun and glamorous, not the other hand. But the need for fame can get to an unhealthy place and quickly.

Unfortunately, I don't have all of the answers. I just try to realize these things:

1. There is more than one side to every story.

2. Not every circumstance is 100% enjoyable.

3. Numbers don't define a person, whether it's the amount of followers they have or the number in their bank account.

Fame is attainable, but it's not the only option.