Hollywood is one of the most competitive places on the planet.
Everyone wants to be there.
There is a ton of incredible talent willing to put in the hard work to get ahead.
That’s why I was just as surprised as everyone when Forbes announced that Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson is “the world’s highest paid actor.” (I would have never guessed.)
And, is this actually true? Forbes is pretty reputable. Maybe they meant the highest paid actor (of 2016). Or they meant the “highest paid actor (in America for the current month).”
I’ve heard the Chinese film industry is on fire, and there are some actors who are just making a killing on the global level.
No matter what, he has accomplished a huge feat.
I’ve done research on The Rock and I found that he wanted to join the WWE as a professional wrestler when he was young. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a 100-million dollar business built on fake wrestling and story lines.
He wanted to do so against the wishes of his father because back then, the WWE was tough to make money in. His father reacted in frustration when The Rock told him he made up his mind when he came of age. He thought the Rock was throwing his life away.
The Rock had decided on his passion against all the “practicality” that his father pushed forward. And it paid off. He became one of the most well known WWE wrestlers and then was one of the few to transition into the film industry.
He kept pushing hard in film, and years later, he’s the highest paid film star.
Now, I’m not suggesting that you should chase a passion that has no practical chance of making a ton of money. I just think it’s possible that what everyone else tells you is “practical” is sometimes wrong and wealth can come in strange ways.
What’s the most obviously incredible part about this is that The Rock isn’t the best “actor” in the world. When we think of the best actors, we think of sophisticated Academy Award winners who act out incredibly difficult, complex, emotional, off-the-wall characters.
The Rock does simple, family-friendly movies. A lot of action. A lot of simple lines. And he’s the highest paid actor.
A lot of people might look at this with negativity but I feel inspired by it.
I KNOW how competitive and tough the acting industry can be. It’s not easy. For him to beat out all the thousands of actors out there is no simple feat.
It’s motivating to know that you have a chance to reach such great heights even if you don’t have the most sophisticated acting skills. I’m sure he worked really hard for it. In fact, I know he did. I saw a YouTube video of him describing his diet for Hercules. It was incredibly strict: tons of lean meat packed in a container to consume.
The Rock posted an Instagram photo to his 59 million followers giving thanks and giving advice on success. It’s really worth the read:
Here’s what he said (repeated if you can’t read the embed):
“The wolf is always scratchin’ at the door” was the first thing I said when we found out from @forbes I was officially the world’s highest paid actor. Well, actually the first thing I said was “Aw shit!”, then I said the wolf part.
Receiving news like this will always serve as my anchoring reminder to continue to work even harder. We not only want to “embrace the grind”, but take the grind to new levels.
I learned a few invaluable lessons a long time ago that can help all of you guys out there succeed at whatever it is you’re doing.
Greatness is never achieved alone. Surround yourself with hungry, brilliant individuals who not only buy into your philosophy, but who are all willing to work just as hard as you. Power of teamwork.
And don’t ever forget where you came from. I was evicted at 14yrs old and completely broke by 23. Every day I wake up as if that eviction notice is right around the corner waiting for me.. which is why I always say, “the wolf is always scratchin’ at the door”. He’s scratchin’ cause he’s hungry and never satisfied.
We embrace and respect our past (even if it was f*cked up), but we never let it define our future. Let’s stay hungry and chase that greatness.
I will now jump in my pick up truck, go to work and figure out whether or not I need psychiatric therapy for this damn wolf that’s become my best friend.
What a great life advice quote about life!
I took a look at a Wikipedia list of highest paid film actors for a single film. I found it interesting that most of them were action, sci-fi entertainment movies.
One thing I do know is that there is something that ties all successful people together. I saw Jim Carey on that list and I smiled. Because I know he is really into self-development and followed a lot of his principles to get from a high school dropout receptionist to where he is now.
If Jim and The Rock can reach such heights from that far down, I think you and I can achieve our own dreams.
Is “Always Scratching” A Healthy Behavior?
My first reaction to this news and his Instagram response was a feeling of partial awe and partial worry and skepticism.
The awe part has been explained. But why was I worried and skeptical?
Because I do not think this is a completely healthy approach, nor the best approach. I listen to dozens of interviews of successful people every week and I have been doing so for a few years. I say this not to brag but to give context. You see, a common pattern I have found from these people is that many say that they wish they did not sacrifice so much family time or their own health in pursuit of money.
Brian Tracy is a great example. He is a multi-millionaire, peak-performing salesman, motivational speaker, and a thought leader in the personal development industry. Today, I was going through his book Flight Plan and he admitted that there were pros and cons to having a “poor person’s mentality.”
The pros were that you were more motivated, worked harder, and made more money. The cons were that you could not relax, have a good time, and take time for your health or family even when you have already made an enormous amount of money. This is because you are constantly worrying about money because you have been wired to do so since you have grown up without it.
Will Smith even went on Oprah with his family to talk about how he had to rid himself of this “scarcity mentality.” He made more money than he could ever spent but still went to sleep at night worried that he would be broke. It was illogical but the programming was still there.
Here’s what I will do and this is my suggestion to you. I have a sign up that says, “The Wolf Is Always Scratching” to remind me to keep on track and work hard. But I also make it a point to make sure that my health is in order, that I have an abundance mindset, and that I take time to relax on my own and with my family.
Conclusion
The Rock has been a motivational real-life legend. It’s a tough, competitive world, especially in Hollywood. There are so many actors and musicians that had one-hit wonders. I never would have expected Dwayne Johnson to be the one to persevere and become such a well-known brand. In fact, he is one of the most followed pages on Facebook.
Now, I want to challenge you. Will you do what I did right now and put the words “The Wolf Is Always Scratching” somewhere big so it will remind you to stay on track everyday? When you read it, keep working hard, keep moving towards a better feature, but make sure it does not ruin your health in the process.
