it’s just believing in yourself a
certain point you wake up you’re like
I’ve done a lot of stuff in my life but
what do I want to do like what what
movies do I want to make people just
want to be told what to do you know
sometimes they have so many decisions to
make they just want the decisions to be
taken away from them and just to go give
me the ball I’m not gonna disappoint you
I promise and I’m gonna work to the best
of my ability and I’m gonna work hard
for you need motivation watch the top 10
with belief nation what’s up at seven my
one word is believe and I believe in you
I believe you have an amazing gift
inside you that I want to see explode on
under the world so let’s get your
motivation to attend and get you
believing in you grab a snack and chew
in today’s lessons from a woman who went
from dropping out of Stanford to pursue
an acting career to winning an Academy
Award being one of Hollywood’s biggest
stars and launching her own production
company
she’s Reese Witherspoon and here’s my
take on her top ten rules of success
alright let’s kick things off with rule
number one my personal favorite believe
in yourself
if your politics the media the tech
industry working as an entrepreneur or a
teacher or a construction worker or a
caregiver you know the problems we are
all facing and I urge each one of you to
ask yourselves what do we do now
that’s a big question what is it in your
life that you think you cannot
accomplish or what is it that people
have said that you cannot do wouldn’t it
[Applause]
because I believe ambition is not a
dirty word it’s just believing in
yourself and your abilities
imagine this what would happen if we
were all brave enough to believe in our
own ability to be a little bit more
ambitious I think the world would change
remember to find your passion I know I
wanted to be an actor since the time I
was about seven years old and it didn’t
make any sense because I grew up in
Nashville Tennessee and my dad was a
doctor and my mom was a nurse and I just
I don’t know I just I ended up telling
my mom I really didn’t wanted to be an
actress and my neighbor was had a flower
shop and they did a commercial down the
street and then they asked me to be in
it and that was it I was like I have got
to do this and as a little kid from the
time I was seven years old
every Saturday I would go for four hours
of acting class every Saturday whoa and
I loved it I just left it till the point
with all the kids graduated and went on
to the other stuff and I started doing
adult acting classes and then I was in
the commercial classes and then I loved
like the hair and makeup classes and
just everything I just couldn’t go
enough rule number three think outside
the box there’s so many ways to get
movies made now which is exciting it’s
hard to navigate so it’s important to
try the right people but you don’t have
to get Abby’s material take it to a
studio get that development money like
there’s so many other ways to there’s
different funds that help develop
material there’s different programs that
are once you know so many writers are
you can ask them in a really super
passionate about it are are willing to
be partners with you to get something
made and push it to the next step so you
know just thinking outside the box but
there’s not just its A to B need to see
it’s just the whole world changes but I
love us and like I remember when I
there was just you know the TV it was
this thing and it was only the three
networks and now it’s it’s incredible
and wealth of opportunity makes things
their online content everyone use
content you know and great some great
stories like big little lies
we got a purchase to make it into a film
but it is it’s an eight part series so
it’s important that there’s no rules
anymore it’s you know the way people
consume content has totally changed
people don’t traditionally go to the
scanner as much which is kind of a
bummer sometimes but but it’s actually
really interesting to go okay instead of
thinking that as a negative like how can
we collaborate with some of these
companies and create interesting stories
and have them you know we’ll find an
audience in a different way so I think
it’s about I’m looking at things from a
new angle rule number four do what you
want
firstly give wild out of the studio
system because I didn’t want developed
down to like milquetoast right she’s
going on a day hike never done anything
things I’m dumb because in a certain way
you’re kept in kind of a wonderful
little gift I suppose Ari’s
yeah but I’m I was tired of doing that I
don’t that you know in a certain point
you wake up you’re like I’ve done a lot
of stuff in my life but what do I want
to do like what what movies do I want to
make what television shows mm-hmm I want
to put into the world because it’s a lot
of work it’s so I feel like I’ve done
all that other work I did a lot of stuff
for a lot of other people yeah but I
want to put something in it that is more
representative of Who I am as a person
ruin them at five be confident what was
your first reaction when you read Tracy
Flick and saw what she was gonna do it
but I have to do this part
have to fart and I remember going in I
read the script and I just thought it
was amazing and then my boyfriend time
Ryan said have you seen sis and Ruth and
I hadn’t seen Citizen Ruth so we were at
Sundance and he had seen an end during
Lourdes narro return and it was it was
called meet Ruth Stoops and then they
then it was out Xander pains first
full-length feature and I saw it and
y’all if you haven’t seen that movie it
is so good she and it’s it’s classic
Alexander Payne where it’s middle of
America but they’re dealing with both
sides of abortion pro rights and
pro-choice and you know and all that
stuff and then it’s it’s just great and
I was blown away and then I so I went in
to meet with him and I just looked at
him and he said hello he always wears a
suit on Tuesdays I know I what day it
was because he was wearing a suit and
hello and I said I just wanna let you
know I’m the right person with this part
you can cast somebody else but you’ll be
wrong oh that’s so Tracy Flick all right
I don’t even know why I did it I was
just like so in the character and about
a week later I got the call on I got the
I feel like a lot of the times people
auditioned and I know this is a
reflector so it’s important for I say
this to actors all the time people just
want to be told what to do you know
sometimes they have so many decisions to
make
they just want the decisions to be taken
away from them and just to go get me the
ball
I’m not gonna disappoint you I promise
and I’m gonna work to the best of my
ability and I’m gonna work hard for you
you know and sometimes that just such a
relief to someone who has to answer 200
million questions a day you’re there to
make their life easier
yeah I was like I got it don’t worry
about it I got it rule number six stand
out from the crowd how does that thing
that you may see in somebody that makes
them stand out whether it’s a submission
through a resume through your site or an
email or an in-person meeting is it just
something that you know their character
strikes you and their energy of working
with that person what do you look for
what’s your advice
I mean point of view actually reading
was I mean I’m not and also having
diverse interests you know like if I say
to you it you have you read the books
that we have great what hasn’t ghosting
reading yet
what was your favorite movie this year
how many a filmmaker I haven’t heard of
that you think is awesome you know also
it helps generational I like your
different generation I hear you on that
like it’s great you need to hear more
about what’s interesting to you what
what do you like I think I’m always
looking for people with a sense of
opinion I think an opinion that’s
important you know I just think it’s
only going to be true and excited like
optimistic passes that sometimes that’s
the difference between us hiring one
writer or a different writer we can feel
the passion we can tell when people
aren’t prepared it’s a bummer when you
wait for valiance we’ve only under
mainly hormones we carve out time well
instead of something and they’re not
passionate about anything or they
haven’t read the book or they and if it
still happens and how’s this this week
somebody came in handed me the material
and it’s like okay well I’m not saying a
second meeting you know this is all you
got you know and you can’t fake it with
smart people I hurt maybe this
opportunity arose
you can’t fake it do the best you can
like you know what’s up although
patterns new means where did you start
what is the favorite thing you know and
and it’s important instead so I really
need a research rule number seven make
things happen which are the two movies
approved gone girl and wild Wow oh
that’s trying to saw your name on that I
thought yeah good for her yeah Wow
well like about three years ago I got
really frustrated I mean mainly just
frustrated myself complacency I just got
bored with what I was doing and I kind
of realized I was making movies that I
thought other people would like yeah
instead of movies that meant something
so I started a company with a woman an
Australian producer and we just bought
with the first two books we bought were
gone girl in wild Wow good for you just
to create more interested in roles for
all women yeah
leading roles rule number eight leave
your comfort zone so we have to end with
my favorite movie of the year wild let’s
talk about the pack because from what I
understand that was quite a heavy like
you were going for realism there with
that backpack well I was not oh I was
from movie fake startled people yes dry
cleaner and you know stuff and newspaper
stuffed in there and then Cheryl was
sitting on set Cheryl is there every
single day and she leaned over John Mark
is just like the pack doesn’t look
having enough hmm and so he came over to
music what sends it back
he’s french-canadian and I said
newspaper or somehow and he said okay we
need to other backpack could we need the
one that’s heavy with all the equipment
in it
yeah but I have to what I have to walk
all day with this on my back and you’re
not he doesn’t cut he just shoots
digital so there’s no putting it down
there’s no breaks there’s no sitting
down there’s no like there’s no one in
the bathroom going bananas and there’s
no other actors to cut to right you know
when the other actor that you can just
kind of relax a little bit and take off
the pack it’s stretch a little bit no
there was nothing there was a little the
front of me in the back me so and nobody
and sit and he just walked away and he
was like okay action and that was it for
the rest of the movie he was he really
challenged me and I’m so appreciative of
everything he pushed me to do he was
like I won’t you wear no makeup and I
was like well but just like a little
private no make that none I love your
face I just want to see this woman
stripped of everything I want to I want
to feel like she’s lost everything and I
was like okay but that’s gonna meat off
its got like awful and he made me be
brave and may he made me do it and I’m
so appreciative to him pushing me
outside my comfort zone and and because
I feel like you would have seen it and
it would have been fake and it and I and
after a while it started to feel like
you know I was in a documentary about
Cheryl Strayed life because I couldn’t
stop rule number nine staying for
something are the other things that you
said that struck me was that you were
really really sick this is how you were
quoted of all of the other young blonde
starlets in Hollywood who think that
it’s cute to act stupid okay I was
misquoted but second of all you know
it’s it’s not necessarily starlets I was
talking about this sort of new movement
amongst young women that is cute to be
dumb cuz I have a little girl and when I
see her looking at those women who I
know are not really that dumb they’re
just pretending to be done I think I
think that no they’re really not that
dumb yeah they’re not I need these girls
they are not that dumb you know you
can’t be they’re smart enough to be
marketed to help lastly yes and you
can’t be that dumb to be that market it
yeah my name
point about all of it is that our our
mothers and our grandmothers and the
women came before us fought so hard to
overcome the stereotype of women being
not smart enough to vote not smart
enough to go to higher education not
have great jobs and to sort of
single-handedly go out in a very public
way and say you know it I don’t really
care about what they achieved you know
I’m just gonna be stupid and that’s cute
I just think that’s kind of I don’t know
I just don’t think it’s a good message
for young women annual number 10 the
last one before some very special bonus
clips is have fun there here we thought
would play a few rounds of never have I
ever it’s a really fun game and it’s a
it’s a great way to find out you know
who we really are right okay your side’s
alright so you have to be honest so
that’s the whole point of using yep you
do okay otherwise you’re a liar and no
one will trust you ready all right never
have I ever received or given a lap
dance to a stranger Oh straight I mean
really yeah yeah of course you have yeah
that’s like your thing no no I’ve
received that not given received yeah
yeah who did you receive a lap dance
from I don’t know them – never get to
Douglas Channing Tatum oh yeah I know
that’s a good person to get a lap dance
from never where do you sign up for that
yeah
you host a talk show never have I ever
faked an injury to get out of something
oh oh come on I haven’t that you were
sick or something mm-hmm because you
didn’t want to go to somebody’s birthday
party or something no no I went to
somebody’s birthday fight all right so
whenever have I ever done it done it in
a public place done it this is easy what
is it don’t it yeah maybe but would it
anything anything it’s yes you know the
subject matter all right I’m not
I have no follow-up question I’ve never
done having the answers a public place
like what was the public park at a park
a park and yours I said no follow-up
question never have I ever snooped
through my significant others phone
without them knowing all the time oh
come on pretty sure he knows no changes
a lot yeah the code changes a lot so you
never have I ever gotten a tattoo I
regret I have lots of those I I don’t
have any any 10th is if you don’t get a
tattoo you can’t regret it never have I
ever gone topless at the beach such a
prude
what Beach are you like that never have
I ever hooked up with someone else while
now I’ve got two very special bonus
clips some Reese Witherspoon around how
to seize your moment and how to connect
with people that I think you’re really
gonna enjoy but first I want to know
what was a single biggest lesson from
this video what change you’re gonna make
in your life for your business as a
result of watching Reese go through the
ten leave it down the comments below
when you write it down it’s much more
likely to actually happen for you so put
it in the comments thank you guys so
much for watching I believe in you I
hope you continue to believe in yourself
and whatever your one where it is
much love I’ll see you soon and enjoy
in the paper in Nashville and said do
you want to be in a movie and I was like
yeah I – I thought I was just gonna be
to be an extra and I just went down to
this like blind audition and there were
all grown-ups and then me at the very
end my dad dropped me off his deadline I
think I was 14 and I ended up standing
in line for a couple hours and I finally
got in there and they said who dropped
you home I was like my dad dropped me
off he’s gonna come back and pick me up
she said well can you can you act I said
yes I can
he said well can you read these lives is
that okay and I remember I remember the
casting director our name is sherry
Rhodes Wow and um she and I didn’t hear
anything about a month later they called
me out to LA to do a screen test and
with Robert Mulligan who directed to
kill a mockingbird which was
unbelievable and and I got the lead of
the movie where after my screen test
which was crazy so when did you start
kind of having the fantasy that you
could actually get this part was it
before you got the callback or not until
the moment you heard you had that
callback um you know I think I learned
to mitigate my expectation so even a
like doing the commercials actually
helped because I understood that there’s
a lot of rejection you know and I
started understanding that from the time
I was about 12 and I was determined
anyway like that to me as an actor is
like you can you get the Darin show you
like I’m gonna do it anyway yeah well
that might be the definition of crazy
it was kind of a thing okay but no and
then I don’t know I don’t I didn’t hear
from them for two months and then out of
nowhere they called and I remember
walking in from softball practice and
picked up the phone they were like you
got the part
I’m an instagramer but I’m not I don’t
do anything I know I don’t really have a
big interest but I find it really
interesting and I think it’s a great way
to connect to people in a way that I I
want to be you know I love sharing I
mean what’s the point of being an artist
if you don’t want to connect to people
Yeah right right building this bridge to
our audience and it’s a way to not have
it filter through anyone else but
yourself
that’s true right yeah gives you more
control I try to think of it as like wow
taking the power back a little bit raise
your standard Apple at the core its core
value is that move that people have
passion and not one drop of most
self-worth depends on Europe it’s
supposed to mean
I don’t ever give up I’d have to be dead
or completely incapacitated hey believe
nation if you want to see my all-time
favorite top ten rows of success I have
a very special secret video for you
these are the individual clips that I
have personally learned the most from
and applied to my life and my business
check the link the description for details