I really love reading, especially fiction. There’s something so therapeutic about taking a break from your reality and being transported into a story. However, recently I have become very fond of reading non-fiction, particularly autobiographies of female comedians.
Quite frankly, these non-self help biographies really do offer some great life and relationship advice. Here are some of my favorite tidbits, not courtesy of health and psychology professionals and researchers, but from some of our time’s most popular comediennes.
“Don’t waste your energy trying to change opinions … Do your thing, and don’t care if they like it.” –Tina Fey
Tina Fey’s Bossypants is chock-full of empowerment advice like this quote. I definitely relate to this quote and think that it is great advice to live by. What gives you happiness is individual. You can’t let anyone else tell you how to act or how to feel. Do what is natural and “right” for you.
“You have to care about how good you are and how good you feel, but not about how good people think you are or how good people think you look.” – Tina Fey
Happiness truly comes from within, and this quote exemplifies that. Being comfortable in your own skin is really all we could ever want out of life, isn’t it?
“Going from crying to laughing that fast and hard happens maybe five times in your life and that extreme right turn is the reason why we are alive, and I believe it extends our life by many years.” – Amy Poehler
Laughter really is the best medicine. It’s scientific fact, and we could all use a little more laughter in our lives. And, it actually does increase our lifespan, according to this study. But more than that, it encourages a life of positivity and optimism. Amy Poehler’s book, Yes, Please, definitely got this right.
“Later, when you’re grown up, you realize you never really get to hang out with your family. You pretty much have only eighteen years to spend with them full time, and that’s it.”— Mindy Kaling
Mindy Kaling’s book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, offers some excellent advice, particularly for teenagers. I definitely see this quote in a new light now that I have finished my first year of college. I value and cherish the time I do have with my family even more so now that I have grown up and lived away from them an extended period of time.
“I used to feel really bad that I didn’t have a boyfriend in high school and I used to spend a lot of time thinking about that –and thinking, ‘What was wrong with me?’ and that was a huge waste of time.” – Mindy Kaling
I definitely shared Mindy’s insecurities about not being in a relationship before college. But I have definitely grown more confident in myself and realized that it is not worth it to dwell on what’s missing in your life or what is wrong with you, but rather to focus on what you do have and appreciate it.
These comedians could quit their day jobs and become self-help authors. Kidding, we love them in their day jobs.
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