5 Things You Can Learn From Anne Heche

December 29, 2007

I know it’s hard to go for your dreams. What if you fail? What happens if people laugh at you? What do you do when it feels like everyone is against you?

My advice is to think of Anne Heche. Do you know who she is? If you haven’t heard of her, no doubt you don’t get out much, but let me share the short version of her very interesting life thus far.

Anne Heche is an actress. Most of us put her on the map when she was announced as Ellen Degeneres’s girlfriend. Before that, she was dating Steve Martin, and was even portrayed as a character in one of his wacky movies where her character suddenly becomes gay.

Anne then abruptly announced she was not gay. Then she took a wide detour into the land of crazy. Yes, you read correctly, CRAZY. She found herself out in the desert in someone else’s house telling people that aliens visited.

So at this point, you may be wondering…what on EARTH could I possibly learn from Anne Heche? Keep reading, there’s lots you can learn from this tale.

After the craziness that enveloped her life, she turned that detour into a tell-all book, I mean, a memoir called Call Me Crazy. Gloria Steinem even endorsed the book as one that can help us all. Hey, what could be bad about that?

So, like the phoenix rising from the ashes, Anne marries the ‘love of her life,’ has a baby, opens on broadway to rave reviews and easily enters back into mainstream. About five years later she is on TV again in a series and has fallen madly in love with her leading man, divorcing her husband. And that is where we pick up on Anne’s story and the lessons she has for you.

Nothing is the end of the world. Clearly, if Anne Heche can get jobs in Hollywood with all of the competing actors there’s little that can’t be forgiven in this world. Even crazy can be overcome!
If it’s not working, change it. Some people feel like every decision is one they are going to have to live with for the rest of their lives. If you try something and it’s not working for you, just know you can always change it – just like Anne.
Be who you are right now. I couldn’t think of a better example of this than Anne. We are evolving beings. Who you are changes with your many experiences. Have the courage to be who you are right now – warts and brilliance combined. Sometimes it helps to say, “This is who I am right now – maybe not next year, maybe not even tomorrow, but for now, this is who I am.”
Be a beginner. Anne has tried lots of things. Some worked well. Some not so well. However each was taking her along her journey toward who she was becoming. Is she done yet? Probably not. I don’t think we ever stop evolving. People often think they need to master something before they go for it. If you do that, you might end up mastering something that you don’t even want to do for more than a month or two. Begin where you are, try it out, live by your standards and do your best.
Have a sense of humor. Come on. I have to give Anne the ‘Best in Show’ award. Everyone thought she was crazy. She was the butt of many people’s jokes. But, Anne had the last laugh by poking fun of all of it and writing a book with Crazy in the title. If you can laugh at yourself and roll with life there’s likely very little that will get you down – or keep you down!

Whatever it is that is holding you back, consider letting it go. Just let it go right on out of here and make a commitment to go for it! Just like Anne did.

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