As I grew up, Goldie Hawn was one of my favorite actresses. But, it wasn’t her acting ability that won me over (although fantastic). It was her authenticity, her unfiltered spirit that seemed to shine through in whatever she did. From her famous giggle to her serious work in teaching mindfulness to children through the Hawn Foundation, her life, to me, has been like a neon sign that flashes “Be who you are!” And, even though I was terribly self-conscious and anything but my authentic self for much of my young adult life, I still could identify with what she had and admired it as a true path to happiness and fulfillment.
So, today I thought I’d just pass along some of the lessons in authenticity that I have gleaned along the way in watching Goldie (and what an appropriate name, don’t you think?):
1.) Be your authentic self
To me, the most obvious thing about Goldie’s success is her trueness to herself, her passions and her values. For instance, she dropped out of American University, and started teaching ballet and go-go dancing to support herself. She had to know this might concern or worry her parents, but she was listening to what was inside her. You can see this throughout her life. She didn’t marry Kurt Russell, but instead held fast to the idea that if it is love, it will last. So many times we make decisions out of fear. It takes tremendous courage to have faith in your inner voice and follow your authentic path.
“The only thing that will make you happy is being happy with who you are, and not who people think you are.”
― Goldie Hawn
2.) Live in the moment
If you’ve ever watched interviews with Goldie, it is obvious that she is in the moment. In her book “A Lotus Grows in the Mud” she says her life goal was always just to be happy. And, what better way is there than to be present for each moment. Here are some quotes from her on the subject:
“Why not just live in the moment, especially if it has a good beat?”
“It is the simplest things in life that hold the most wonder; the color of the sea, the sand between your toes, the laughter of a child.” – Goldie Hawn
3.) Do what you love
Hawn went from dancing, to acting on T.V., to movies, to producing and now to running the Hawn Fo
undation which teaches mindfulness to children in schools. So many actresses stick with the formula that made them successful. I think Hawn loves stretching and growing. She hasn’t let fear stop her from trying the next thing, changing lanes, and experimenting with life.
4.) Devote time to your spiritual practice
Years ago, I heard an interview with Goldie in which she discussed her spiritual practice. She has a space set up at her home, specifically for her meditation practice and has been a long-time practitioner. Devoting time to the inner, has given her balance – probably the life balance needed to be become the success she is.
“…meditation is training your brain. It is a scientifically proven fact and there’s quantitative evidence. Meditation helps people balance and calibrate their left-right brain. It also strengthens the pre-frontal cortex or the cortex itself and the corpus callosum, which connects the two brains and, therefore, the connectivity between the two brains thickens. That means that meditation is no different than lifting a weight. If you’re going to train your body, it would be a really good thing to also train your brain.” – Goldie Hawn
5.) Cultivate Compassion & Be an Empathetic Parent/Person
Part of Hawn’s curriculum for children teaches them compassion and empathy. These are strong values she maintains that she cares enough to want to pass on to our next generations.
“The key is to learn to respect and honor the complications of other people’s lives”
“Every day you can ask yourself, “Have I helped my children understand their gifts and talents? Did I empathize with their feelings enough? Is there something I can do or say now to help strengthen our connection?” – Goldie Hawn
6.) Let the journey be your teacher
If you have read “A Lotus Grows in the Mud,” you know that Hawn is a student of life. She lets it teach her and has compassion, and forgiveness for herself in missteps and mistakes along the way. She works with life’s flow and is thus incredibly resilient. Here’s some of her quotes on the subject:
“Life is a dance with the cosmos.”
“The lotus is the most beautiful flower, whose petals open one by one. But it will only grow in the mud. In order to grow and gain wisdom, first you must have the mud — the obstacles of life and its suffering. … The mud speaks of the common ground that humans share, no matter what our stations in life. … Whether we have it all or we have nothing, we are all faced with the same obstacles: sadness, loss, illness, dying and death. If we are to strive as human beings to gain more wisdom, more kindness and more compassion, we must have the intention to grow as a lotus and open each petal one by one. ”
“Your fate is often on the road you take to avoid it.”
― Goldie Hawn
As always, I love your comments. Be blessed!
Sandra M Bell
Author of “Lunchtime Joy Magnet”
Recent Comments