Its complicated. While theres a history of resistance to gay marriage at many black churches, other factors could explain Buttigiegs lack of success with African-Americans, some of whom surely look at him and see what many white critics of his also do: a charmed 37-year-old on the kind of glide path to greatness (Harvard, a Rhodes scholarship, a stint as a consultant with McKinsey) that defines privilege.

In a Gallup poll published in May, 83 percent of Democrats and 82 percent of independents said that theyd be willing to vote for a gay presidential candidate. That leaves a significant percentage who wouldnt. A Reuters/Ipsos poll published the following month showed that among all voters, 34 percent were less likely to vote for a gay candidate. But that figure was lower than the 48 percent who said they were less likely to support a candidate over 70 as Trump, Biden, Warren and Bernie Sanders will all be in November 2020.

Buttigiegs sexual orientation, along with his age, definitely gave him an initial hook for journalists that other contenders didnt have. It gave his candidacy a voguish aspect reflected in the passion of his younger supporters and the robust Twitter following that his husband, Chasten Buttigieg, quickly amassed.

It also drew donors. Gay Money, Democratic Secret Weapon, Comes Out for Buttigieg was the headline on an article in Vanity Fair by Peter Hamby this year. Buttigiegs fund-raising haul of more than $51 million through Sept. 30 places him behind only Sanders and Warren.

And while being gay obviously disqualifies him for a sizable group of Americans 36 percent of whom, according to Gallup, still oppose the legal recognition of same-sex marriage what fraction of them were likely to vote for a Democrat, anyway? Besides, didnt Trumps election prove that many voters could and would overlook elements of a candidates personal life if he gave voice to matters they cared about?

Could the ranks of the Buttigieg-resistant be offset by Americans eager to send the kind of message about their values and their desire for change that a vote for Buttigieg would? Obama benefited from that impulse. When a candidacy seeks to make history as Buttigiegs does and Obamas did it can stir extra excitement.

Buttigieg told me that when fans approach him at campaign events, its not unusual for someone to be in tears just because the fact of our candidacy is so unbelievable to them as something they would see in their lifetimes.

Read more from the original source:
Being Gay Hurts Mayor Pete. It Helps, Too. - The New York Times

Finding the best person for the role comes down to more than just a great resume.

In order to meet candidate expectations of consumer-grade technology in the recruitment process, organizations are making it simpler and easier to apply for roles. On average, a job opening receives an overwhelming 250 applications. The challenge for recruiters is sifting through the large pool of potential candidates to find the best fit. Sometimes it may feel like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Hiring great talent is necessary for a business to thrive, both financially and culturally. Recruiting is a time-consuming and costly endeavor, so discovering too late that someone isnt the right fit for the role or company can leave you back at square one. Hiring the one the person who has the necessary skills and behaviors to contribute positively to the team will help your organization thrive.

Its crucial to get the hiring process right from day one. So how can recruiters and hiring managers easily identify top talent?

Clearly define the skills and requirements for the role

Hiring managers and recruiters should work closely to define the skills, behaviors and requirements for the role. What does success currently look like in the role? How does this translate to skills, experience and behavior? A strong understanding of what the ideal candidate looks like will streamline the recruitment process from advertising, right through the assessment, testing and interview steps.

This isnt as simple as sharing a wishlist of characteristics, traits and qualifications with recruiters. Its about honing a deep understanding of the skills that are critical to a role so recruiters can be strategic when they create a job listing. A job listing with a laundry list of skills and requirements can be a hindrance to hiring. Research shows that men will apply for a job when they meet 60% of the qualifications. In contrast, women only apply if they meet 100% of the requirements. This isnt due to a lack of confidence but rather a desire to avoid wasting anyones time. Women assume the qualifications are actually required to do the job, rather than a wishlist. The answer is not to make requirements generic or broad - this increases the likelihood candidates without the right level or depth of expertise will apply.

Clearly communicating the requirements of the role will positively impact the quality of candidates. The job listing has a big impact on how a candidate views a role, and whether or not they decide its worth pursuing. Taking the time to get it right is a good first step in the hiring process.

Evaluate candidates based on skills

Too often hiring managers choose someone for a role based on gut feel, as opposed to evaluating a candidate on the core competencies and skills required to succeed in the role. More often than not, interviews dont deliver the insights needed. To be effective, interviewers need to ask questions that are predictive of ability and role fit and ask and interpret the answers consistently across candidates which is challenging. Lets take call center employees as an example. They speak with multiple customers a day, and often deal with tricky situations, which means ideal candidates for these roles will have a strong sense of resilience. But how do we identify and measure resilience?

Consider augmenting interviews with other tools. Soft skills or essential skills are just as important as the qualifications on a candidates CV. Essential skills include qualities such as communication, leadership, learning agility and resilience. There are a number of tools that support hiring managers to identify soft skills far more accurately. Pre-hire assessment tools like Weirdly help hiring managers to screen candidates by identifying job-related skills, as well as soft skills, that are inherent in top performers.PredictiveHire uses machine learning to conduct the first level of screening for job applications. The technology looks at an organizations performance data and staff surveys to determine the traits which are inherent in its high performers. This data is then used to create a candidate survey that screens for desired traits early on in the hiring journey.

Look out for passionate candidates

Most candidates try to put their best foot forward in interviews. Candidates should have a positive attitude, be knowledgeable about their field and have the required skills and attributes identified as a fit for the role. Conducting an interview with someone who ticks these boxes is exciting, but it isnt a sure-fire way to identify the best person for the job.

Remember to ask the candidate, Why do you want to work for us?

Its a simple question but the answer is very telling. People want to work for companies they believe in, where they can do their best work everyday. Companies want the same thing. Finding candidates who are passionate about your company is a key aspect to hiring great talent. Employees that are aligned to the mission and values of the organization and feel connected are engaged and motivated. A top candidate will be able to express their desire to work for an organization based on how the culture, values and mission align with their personal schemata.

The rest is here:
3 Ways To Identify The Best Person For The Role - Forbes

Ardal OHanlon is too embarrassed to have his picture taken in the restaurant where weve just eaten, so we decamp to the basement. Hes wearing a black polo shirt and when I ask his age he mumbles something inaudible. (He turned 54 this month.) Earlier on, the waitresses have to coax an order out of him; his first answer to everything is just tap water. But at least hes at one with his awkwardness.

Despite the apparent trappings of modest success in television and so on, he says, I have always been an uneasy person. I cant change that. I cant change that part of my psychological makeup. The slight tension when you wake up: Who am I? Who are these people I live with? Whats going on? But this is why I do this. If I was a very stable person, I would not have to do comedy. Nobody would have to listen to me.

He continues his new tour, the Showing Off Must Go On, in November. Its his first in six years and represents not a departure from previous shows so much as a journey further into who he actually is a guy who hates show-offs but loves showing off, who takes everything seriously but himself, then practically self-immolates if he cant make people laugh with it.

The unifying theme is me. Any comedy show, no matter what it purports to be, is ultimately about where the comedians at in his or her life. I definitely bring more of my personal life into it the older I get, and now its gone another step. It is much more satisfying in the long run to be more vulnerable, not arrive with something fully formed, and flawless.

Its the latest step in a slowly evolving comedy journey that didnt really get going for a while. At 28, he was living in Dublin, doing two or three gigs a month on a non-existent comedy circuit, living extremely frugally but also off the girlfriend who is now his wife. (Theyve been together since they were teenagers.) He moved to London to give it one proper shot; a couple of years, and if it didnt work, hed go back home.

Of course, it did work. In the mid-90s he was cast as Father Dougal in Father Ted and turned in a performance of such exquisite nitwittery that the show lived way beyond its time. You can still make anyone laugh, from cold, at any age, just with a picture of Father Dougal in his pyjamas. And, if his original standup chimed with what the Father Ted writers were looking for, then his Dougal persona has definitely permeated his standup since.

That was my armour as a fledgling comedian, adopting this bewildered persona where I was pretending to be much more stupid than I actually am. I was kind of stiff he does a seemingly reflexive impression of that awkward posture, arms swinging from hunched, nervous shoulders and it worked well for a few years.

He says his success was all just a lucky strike. He didnt go into comedy as a career move; in those days, he says, no one did. It didnt attract careerists. It was slackers, people shuffling on to the stage with very little. I loved it. Fame and money werent possibilities even, when my generation started. That wasnt the plan at all. On a typical bill, you would have all sorts of misfits. People with ukuleles. There was a guy called Woody Bup Moddy who used to come on and smash records. So that was his job. It was fantastic. A really exciting time to be part of that generation. To feel part of something.

But the 90s couldnt last for ever, nor could youth. OHanlons shtick has changed, not just with his segue from being cast as the hilarious idiot (after Father Ted, My Hero) to taking a relatively straight lead in Death in Paradise (which is one of the three most popular shows on TV). Before, I hid behind the persona, he says, I hid behind the surreal one-liners, because thats all about craft and theres a lot of pride in that. But its ultimately limiting. Its better to let people in a bit more.

This means engaging with the issues of now. The day we meet, the government has put forward its latest suggestions for the Irish border issue (which seems to amount to four borders), after weeks of callow, ahistorical bilge about how easily it could be solved. OHanlon is not impressed.

[I was] dragged out of my bed at the age of seven, my mother screaming, six kids under the age of 12

For us, this is existential, he says. Theres a danger of economic collapse in [the rest of the UK], but for us, we could return to a state of war. You know, people are worried about that. How anybody in political leadership in this country could demonstrate such wilful ignorance of Irish history, and such blithe disregard for the people of Northern Ireland. Thousands of people died. Hundreds of British soldiers lost their lives. I grew up on the border He pauses, still averse to sounding at all aerated. I wouldnt like to overstate the impact the Troubles had on me and my life.

But the impact, it transpires, was pretty significant: the son of a politician, Rory OHanlon, south of the border, they had death threats, a bomb scare. Dragged out of your bed at the age of seven, my mother screaming, six kids under the age of 12. Im not equating my experience with the people who lived in Northern Ireland. But my dad was always out and about late at night, and I could not go to sleep until I knew he was in. There were assassinations, for one reason or another. And I could not relax until I heard his footsteps on the garden path.

That gnawing anxiety didnt translate unsurprisingly into a burning political passion. I always shied away from it. I was always detached, I never supported his party [Fianna Fil]. I always liked him, I wished him well. If push came to shove, I might even vote for him. But I always stood well back.

Yet now hes on stage, talking about politics from a comics perspective. We postcolonials, we hold Britain up on a pedestal, as a beacon of sanity and wisdom, he says. But what we realise now is that youre just as irrational as the rest of us. And thats sort of the arc of what Im doing. But, you know, with jokes. As a comedian, you cant tell people that theyre wrong or that theyre stupid. But you can say, What you did is very irrational.

Ardal OHanlon tours the UK and Ireland until 7 March.

This article contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. All our journalism is independent and is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative. By clicking on an affiliate link, you accept that third-party cookies will be set. More information.

See the rest here:
Ardal O'Hanlon: 'Comedy never used to be a career it was for slackers with ukuleles' - The Guardian

Timothy George

Started in 2017, Timothy George, founder of Elo, a plant-based products company, wants to add more colors and energy to a bland vegan space that some may call out of touch.According to the Global Wellness Institute, the wellness economy was valued at more than 4 trillion in 2018, with personal care and beauty products a big chunk of that. With images of Gwyneth Paltrow gracing the pages of magazines with expensive elixirs, it makes wellness look far from holistic. As wellness companies become less siloed and integrated into our environments, companies like Elo, who sell vegan fragrances and lip balms, want to become part of our everyday life from work to play, and show that wellness is attainableby all.

Along with his director of brand development, Marques Francis, George and Francis share how they plan to do that.

Maryann Reid: Some may say the wellness industry is packed with blonde, rich, and elite services that many women cannot afford.For example, Gwyneth Paltrow has become the face of a wellness brand that some find unattainable.How do you fit in?

Marques Francis: Elo lies in the intersection of luxury and comfort. Wellness is something that we all need, and by siloing this need through pricing is simply unfair. We have a product that is sustainable, beautiful, easily accessible and premium at a tier structure that many can reach.Elo is black-owned. We have a superior product than what's offered on the market currently, and it's always the goal to make aspirational obtainable.

Reid: Along with personal care products, what is another wellness space that needs more blacks and why is it ripe for opportunity?

Francis: The wellness space where we see a bunch of opportunity is in health coaching. No one wants to go to the gym after a really tough day at work, but that doesnt mean meditating, well cooked meals and basic movement cant help balance out tension. With that said we chose to collaborate with Caton Wellness, a black-owned workplace wellness organization for all of our holistic needs.

Reid: Can you describe that moment when you knew you had to start this business?

Timothy George: I admit, I was once addicted to lip balm, but I discovered most lip balms are created to dry the lips, in turn forcing you to use more product. It frustrated me that this was how the industry worked, and I wanted to create something that was better than anything I had experienced.

Reid: Where do you source your ingredients?

George: We source the Tonka Beans found in our Gloria Luxury Cotton Spray from South America.We also purchase our Vetiver essential oil from a company that imports it directly from Haiti.

Reid: Where did you get the money to fund this?

George:My first year in New York, I moved to Harlem and I wanted to meet locals to get my idea out there. I thought it would be a great idea to volunteer for the Harlem Brownstone Tour.I received access to all the beautiful homes and had the opportunity to meet all of the owners. On the 2nd day, I was a guide for a home belonging to an amazing artist who had lived in the home since she was a child.While there I met Stephanie Francis, creator and founder of Harlem Week and, in conversation, I began chatting about why I moved to New York and what my mission was.Without hesitation, Stephanie offered me a spot to sell products at the upcoming Harlem Week. At the time, I had never shown products in that way. I was still selling one-by-one to friends and family, so this was a big deal.Fast forward, the popup model has become what Elo is known for.In fact, my first year in business all our revenue stemmed from popups.

Reid: How did right people connections help you start this business? Explain the importance of strategic partners or relationships.

George: I've been invited to homes in Strivers Row for holiday dinners where I would set up a display of products.I once had a woman order 700 lip balms to pass out at her 60th birthday party.I owe a majority of my success to Harlem. I even gave a speech at Abyssinian Church to help get the word out.Early on, I saw the value of collaboration.We now collaborate with brands such as Equinox, Pottery Barn, Harlem Haberdashery, and Les Belles Dentistry.We align ourselves with brands that have similar core values and with those who cater to our ideal customer.

Reid: What is the deeper problem you want to target?

George: After leaving an Elo experience we like consumers to feel empowered, well versed on ingredients, to have a better understanding of their spending habitsto feel our intention.We are far more than just the world's first wax-free lip balm, we are a lifestyle.

Reid: When you walk in the room and people see you own this brand, what reactions have you received?

George: The questions are more aligned with when did you join the brand? or and what's your role in all of this? I get a kick out of it at this point, as I sometimes enjoy not being the face and pretending to be an intern.At times, being the founder is a great addition, like at our installation at Essence Fest, and at other moments, it seems it can get in the way. At the end of the day, I'm selling a lifestyle that appeals to many, not just those who look like me and I've made peace with it.

Reid: What has surprised you through this whole process?

George: I am constantly surprised how capable and resilient I am.Growing and scaling a brand is tough, however, I have been blessed with the ability to pivot when needed and knowing when to listen.

Reid: What makes your brand different?

Francis: Elo Vegan lifestyle has made it our mission to make sustainability sexy. We never want to be the brand that looks vegan, because a lot of those brands miss the mark of aspirational. It isnt just about green and light hues, its about celebrating the vibrant colors and energy that stems from nature.

Reid: Whats next in the future for your brand?

Francis: We have started to cultivate very unique partnerships that blend function and form in every way. We would love to continue to evolve with the way we have traversed various industries outside of beauty. Branching out into hospitality, we are also targeting design, automotive and travel.

George: In November 2019, we are launching a deet-free insect repellant to diversify the brand.Our customers are always traveling and looking for simplified experiences.With the success of our new home fragrance packaging, we have decided to expand on the concept.We would also like to partner with companies such as Harlem Capital and other minority focused venture capitalists as we begin our seed round.It is important for us to align with brands that understand our core values, as well as, those that support generational wealth in our community.

Here is the original post:
When Gwyneth Paltrow Isnt The Face of Wellness This Happens - Forbes

By Ben Baker-Katz 10/29/19 9:53pm

Golf finished its fall slate of competition last weekend with an 8th-place finish out of 13 teams at the two-day Steelwood Collegiate Invitational in Loxley, Alabama.

According to head coach Justin Emil, the invitationals playing conditions posed problems for Rice.

Its already a difficult golf course, with difficult, fast greens, Emil said. Throw in some poor weather and it makes it really hard. We struggled a bit, but we played the last nine holes seven under par, to move past a couple of teams right at the end.

During the first day of the tournament, the Owls shot 28 over par as a team.

Senior Nick Duggan said the first day of play was difficult not only because of the weather but also because of the time spent on the course.

Its really important on 36 hole days, when were out there for 11 or 12 hours, to stay patient, Duggan said. Especially in bad weather, its easy to start getting frustrated.

Enjoy what you're reading?Signup for our newsletter

Duggan said the team gained experience playing in bad weather conditions at a tournament earlier this month in West Virginia.

Still, we made quite a lot of bogeys in places that we shouldnt have, Duggan said. But we also made a lot of birdies, and its not always easy to do that. But just too many bogeys, and too many high numbers that hurt us as a team.

The Owls played better on the last day of the tournament, bringing their score for the weekend to 20 over par.

According to Emil, Steelwood was challenging even for junior Jake Benson, who has been the top performer on the team this fall.

Jake played really solid over the first three tournaments, Emil said. He didnt play as well this week at Steelwood, but he still managed to shoot a couple of good rounds for us. Overall, I think hes going to have a nice ranking going into the offseason.

Benson started the fall with a fourth-place finish at the Lone Star Invitational, followed by a seventh-place finish at the Trinity Forest Invitational and a second-place finish at the Health Plan Mountaineer Invitational in West Virginia. Benson said his play develops with experience.

Im gradually learning how to play courses at the college level, Benson said. Each round I try to put the same level of effort in, and making sure there arent really bad mistakes.

According to Emil, as the Owls look back at their fall competition, the tournament that stands out the most is the Trinity Forest Invitational.

We posted two rounds under par [at Trinity] and finished the weekend seven under, Emil said. We beat some really good teams that weekend and really showed what we are capable of. I think there is a lot more of that golf in our team, as long as we have a productive offseason and these guys believe that they can do it.

Duggan said he agrees with Emil, citing their teams fourth-place finish as the benchmark for their level of play.

[Trinity] shows our potential going forward, I still think that our team hasnt quite played to our potential, Duggan said. Were really good this year, and I think everyone on the team feels that. We know how good we are, we just have to keep going through the motions and let it unfold.

Duggan said the part of what made playing at Trinity stand out was the team aspect of the performance.

We had really good camaraderie in that final round, Duggan said. I remember looking around and everyone was playing well, everyone on the team was under par. It felt great to know that the team can go that low and we can play that well. Its good to get that little taste of how well we can play as a team, it makes us want it even more.

In order to make sure that they can carry over that success, Emil said the Owls will spend the offseason getting stronger and perfecting their short game.

We gotta get a little bit better at putting the ball in play off of the tee, Emil said. We had a little bit of ball control trouble over the whole fall season, and we need to do a better job with wedges and short game. This is a good group of guys, and they work really hard. Were going to have a really productive offseason.

Duggan said he agrees that the short game is going to be a priority for the team this offseason. He said that one thing he tried to get the team to do over the course of the fall season was to set a personal goal, something that only they could control, every week.

Weve tried to implement some new tactics this year, Duggan said. For me personally, its pre-shot routine. Thats something I know I can control and do before I hit every shot on the course. I think that was good for everyone on the team, to have a goal that helps your mind focus and to stay in the present moment.

The team spends an extra day in the weight room each week and also works on some of the mental aspects of the game, according to Benson.

We want to think our way around the courses and make sure we dont have big mistakes, Benson said. If we do that, we can have a really good spring.

The Owls will start competitive play again Feb. 16 with the All-American Intercollegiate, a tournament they co-host with the University of Houston.

Original post:
Golf wraps up fall schedule - The Rice Thresher

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 16: Singer/guitarist Yungblud performs at The Underground on ... [+] October 16, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jeff Hahne/Getty Images)

Dominic Harrison, known to music fans as YUNGBLUD, is a real artist. You talk to him and you feel that fire that is making him a rising star on the music scene. He began attracting attention when his song "Falling Skies" was featured on the Netflix show 13 Reasons Why.

Then this year he hit American airwaves with "11 Minutes," with Halsey and Travis Barker, YUNGBLUD has sold out shows around the U.S. I met up with him in L.A. recently, the day after a sold-out show in San Francisco and the day before a sold-out gig in L.A.

A thoroughly enjoyable and compelling conversation, we spoke about finding his own voice as an artist, writing about politics, getting positive feedback from Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance and those artists, from Foo Fighters to Green Day, he wants to be like in 20 years.

Steve Baltin: Where did you come in from?

YUNGBLUD:We played in San Francisco. F**king mental. Regency ballroom. Couldn't believe it to be honest. Everywhere is just f**king going crazy. Right now. I don't understand I'm just trying to get a gauge on it.

.Baltin: What was your turning point moment?

YUNGBLUD: Interesting, I can see it right now, really clear. I grew up in a very industrial part of England, in the North of England, and where I was from, it was very backwards in the way people would think to put it plainly. And I always was massively in awe. It's like Marilyn Manson or Lady Gaga and David Bowie. I'd want to like cross dress or put makeup on and my mum would love it. My mum would be like, "Oh you look cute." But my granddad would be like, "What the f**k have you got on? Take that off." So all my life, I felt where I was from would never accept me for who I was. So I had a vision that I would move down to London, the city, and it will be able to be myself and be liberated and feel amazing. And I did at 16 I was like, "F**k this I'm out. I'm going to go to the city and going to where lipstick and get up to all sorts of naughty s**t. I thought by moving to London, I would be able to be myself and slot into or onslaught myself out of any box or any possible thing. And the thing was it was completely f**king opposite. The first taste I had in the music industry was, they were telling me that I couldn't write songs about politics. They were telling me, I couldn't dress like I did. I won't paint my nails because it was too disruptive. I said to myself, "F**k this, I'm not going to listen to these people because they have no idea." I completely figured out exactly who I was and always thought I was going to be.

Baltin: Do you feel like now because you did follow your own voice, does the success feel much more gratifying?

YUNGBLUD:Dude, it's crazy.That's what I always say. Just do what you think is right because if it ain't real, it's not going to resonate. Or if it's not real, you're going to exhaust yourself and it's going to run out eventually and you'll get big but you won't be remembered.

Baltin: Who are those artists that you look at and think like, okay that's who I want to be in 20 years?

YUNGBLUD:Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters, Green Day, Billy Joel, Arctic Monkeys, Marilyn Manson, Eminem, Lady Gaga, David Bowie, John Lennon, loads of people. My Chemical Romance is like, I always wanted to build something, I didn't fit a mold so I wanted to build my own and I want to connect to people and I want to build a culture. I never want people to go, "I love this song, who sings it?" I want it to be, "I love this artist."

Baltin: I was reading the BBC thing that came where you talked about the fact that after playing at Leeds you were crying because, I talked with so many artists about this too, those moments that where they feel something is happening and so many artists have said to me, it's that moment when fans are singing their words back to them.

YUNGBLUD:Completely, man. It's like Leeds and Reading was such a crazy experience to me because I grew up there. I mean I saw myself in the crowd in a bucket hat and glasses. To me having a gold disc is great, a platinum disc is great, but what is most important to me is having this mutual feeling in my community. That I look at one of them and go, you saved my life and I saved those back. Yeah. That's what I said about YUNGBLUD isn't me. YUNGBLUD is us and if it ever becomes me in them instead of us then I **cked it.

Baltin: When you're writing a song, a lot of times writing is subconscious anyway.So you don't even know what you are thinking about.

YUNGBLUD:You don't know what you're thinking about sometimes until months afterwards, and you go that's what was going from my brain at that time. And it's crazy. And you know what man, it's completely unfathomable. I stand on the stage and they're so passionate and I would ask myself, "Why me?" The answer is what we mean to each other, cause I need them as much as they need me.

Baltin: But what do you think about being a fan back in the day, I'm sure it was the exact same feeling for you. What was that show for you where you had that same feeling?

YUNGBLUD: Arctic Monkeys. He [Alex Turner] knew what I was thinking and he'd never even met me. And it blew my mind. I was like, everything I was going through, he knew it. Gerard Way knew every single thing I was going through.

Baltin: Have you met either of them since?

YUNGBLUD:No. but I just hope they like me. I spoke about it a lot in the press and apparently I think Gerard, unless they're bullshi**ing me, they reached out to my label and said that he was moved by what I said and I was like, "Whoa, it's crazy." Cause I just loved that guy. He again, as I said, made stamping culture. Ain't a singer, he's an activist. And that's what I want to be. I think it's like when you get on stage, man. It's so weird, you can have the shi**iest day. Your girlfriend can break up with you. Your mom can call and say she got sick. You trip up and break your ankle. But when he got on stage, everything disappears. It's like "F**k the girl, f**k the mom, f**k the leg, f**k everything cause me and you." And then you got off stage and you go back to the sad again. It's kind of crazy. And I said that to him last night. Now my war is going on in my personal life and in their personal lives. For that hour and half, hour and forty the crowd is good. We have a magical connection.

Baltin: I saw this coming. So after our election in 2016 right from December 2016 through middle of 2018, every person that I talked with, every single one, whether it was, you, Dave Gahan, whether it was Metallica, we talked about writing and recording under the influence of this administration. And the reason I bring that up is because one thing that I noticed is people want people to speak out now. So it's interesting that you say about wanting to be an activist. Are you finding that when you engage with the fans that it's the fact that you talk about real issues?

YUNGBLUD:It's so funny when we talk about a turning point, man. I always felt like I always listened to other people, don't listen to anybody else. You want to feel reassured. Listen, I asked people all the time, that's just my own insecurity and people have their own insecurities. You'll gut is always right. You know, I think and I want to talk about this stuff. I wanted to talk about this stuff all my life and people said I couldn't and as soon as I started to and as soon started actually being real, that's when people start to listen.

Baltin: Was there a song for you where you first were finding that voice?

YUNGBLUD:"King Charles" of the first record, it came out, the song was written and recorded in four hours. As I talk about, I wrote all this poetry, I designed the pink socks. I knew exactly what we're going to look like, exactly what we're going to say, wrote the name out and it just happened. Iit just happened and it was so quick. I didn't have to think about it and I've been so prolific ever since.

Baltin: Where do you think it came from then?

YUNGBLUD:It came from Brexit. It came from, that was the first time I had a vote. The first time I could make my voice count in a numerical factor that would actually matter. And then, it was ripped away from me by part of an older generation that didn't understand or aren't even going to be here when the consequences of Brexit are going to be in action. And I felt wronged. I felt hurt and I felt, "F**k it, I'm going to write about it and I'm going to put it out." I did it. And people started to listen. I think that's it. I think YUNGBLUD is a call out, saying it is alright to be yourself, no matter who that may be. It's alright to change. It's alright to grow. It's all right to be not the same person you were six months ago.

Baltin: When you look back then, are there moments that you can look back and see how you changed from six months ago?

YUNGBLUD: Flat out. I've got the EP is out and the new EP is out. And if you listened to that compared to the first EP that came up it's worlds apart. It's a good different experiences. I'll just say it starts angry but then ends emotionally. That's kind of my cycles as an artist from the beginning, Then EP, it's my journey from the beginning. It's called The Underrated Youth EP and the experience I've had since everything else has been so much more emotional. I've met so much more people, I have heard so many more stories. "Hope For The Underrated Youth" was a song for my fan base. It's about us. It's about me looking at the world and excepting that it tells me to fall in line, it tells us to conform. It tells us which f**king air to breathe some days. But the one common denominator I find in the people I've met and the young people, the people of all ages I've met in my career is the constant optimism, the constant fire, the constant drive to fight for equality and to unite and not divide anymore. And that's why it's called, "Hope For The Underrated Youth" because the future's bright because we are simply in it. Well then it goes to a song like "Original Me," with Dan Reynolds from Imagine Dragons and that talks about me, being originally myself and going every day, "You tell people to be yourself. Don't forget to be yourself, Don't forget to check in sometimes, Dom. Don't forget to be yourself, Dom."

See more here:
YUNGBLUD On The Constant Fire And Optimism In Todays Youth - Forbes

Fear. It cuts like a knife and goes way too deep for far too many people. It can severely impact your ability to achieve personal or professional goals, experience happiness or develop a meaningful career. How you deal with it or not will impact your ability to achieve and sustain success.

Getty

While anxiety and depression can make fear feel like a best friend, disappointment and regret can make it feel like an enemy. Whatever you know about fear, you are likely to know that, rational or irrational, it has the ability to cause extreme fight or flight reactions even complete inaction to circumstances and events. Still, like an old, familiar friend, some of us are hard pressed to let it go.

Neuropsychologist Theo Tsaousides says in Psychology Today that, when the fear is overwhelming, you experience fright: You neither fight nor flee; in fact, you do nothing. I can certainly attest to this from professional and personal experience. For more than two decades, Ive served in roles to include a social worker, business educator, management consultant, executive coach, chief executive and keynote speaker, and people from all over the globe have felt safe to share their fears and anxieties with me. Ive also had to overcome my own fears and demonstrate the mental fortitude to be truly successful.

Success is predicated upon an ability to understand and appreciate fear. And before experiencing success, we need to figure out how to overcome these three specific fears for long-term personal and career success.

If every single human being could voluntarily decide to stand in one of two lines, one for failure and one for success, Im willing to bet everything I have that there would be very few people (if any at all) in the line for failure. From the youngest of ages, we are taught to go out into the world and succeed. We are taught that success is better than failure. We are taught that winners succeed and losers fail.

After years of programming, it becomes abundantly clear that failure brings disappointment, shame, embarrassment or humiliation while success brings honor, praise, pride and dignity. Naturally, we start to have an aversion to failure. But having an aversion to failure isnt the same as having a paralyzing fear of it. People with an overwhelming fear of failure do things like

I dont know anyone whos actually okay with rejection. Most of us want some level of acceptance from others, and this is normal. But there is a big difference between being uncomfortable with rejection and being so afraid of it that you let it stop you cold from achieving personal or professional success.

Ultimately, fear of rejection is a reflection of the anxiety you have with not being accepted. It is an indication that you may have an excessive need to belong or an excessive fear of being judged or ridiculed. People with an overwhelming fear of rejection do things like

Say it aint so. How can anyone be afraid of success? Fear of success is real. Some people have a crippling fear of success and are more afraid to succeed than they are to fail. Success means change, and it can bring an unwelcomed spotlight of attention and many new detractors. The more successful you become, the more you get noticed. While getting noticed often brings on more admirers, it also brings on more haters.

Another reason people fear success is that it creates new standards and expectations, and people get stressed about how to manage those standards and expectations. When you succeed, you raise the bar. Others start to expect more from you and hold you accountable for higher levels of performance than you were delivering prior to the successful project, initiative or activity. The fear of success is about fearing pressure and resisting accountability. It is a fear of new attention and expectations.

Even though success can bring honor, praise and pride, it also brings anxiety and new accountabilities. This can become debilitating. People with an overwhelming fear of success do things like

Although these three fears are challenging, they are rather normal and common. Successful people experience many of the same fears as everyone else. The difference is that successful people dont let it become so overwhelming that the fear negatively impacts their personal or professional success.

Here are four categories of specific things you can do to overcome the fear of failure, the fear of rejection and the fear of success.

This was created by Brian Tracy, author and consultant, to help with overcoming fear of failure and rejection.

I highly recommend that you apply the action steps above so that you can manage even overcome your fears and achieve the personal and professional success you want.

Read this article:
3 Fears You Need To Overcome If You Want To Be Successful - Forbes

MALVERN, Pa., Oct. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --Neuronetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: STIM), a commercial stage medical technology company focused on designing, developing and marketing products that improve the quality of life for patients who suffer from psychiatric disorders, today announced a partnership with Success TMS, a healthcare provider specializing in transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a non-drug, non-invasive treatment for adult patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). As part of a three-year agreement, Success TMS will offer Neuronetics' NeuroStar Advanced Therapy system as its preferred TMS device at 21 locations across six states.

Sparked by Founder Jonathan Michel's personal journey losing his sister, Alex, to suicide after her five-year battle with the disease, the facility's flagship location opened in 2018 in Lake Worth, FL to treat local residents. Michel and his leadership team have since pursued a far-reaching, rapidly-growing expansion strategy to provide compassionate care to depression sufferers. The practice has seen both organic and inorganic growth in the last year, with the aim of "ridding the world of depression" as per Alex's last request.

Today, Success TMS is one of the leading TMS Therapy providers in the US, treating hundreds of patients each day and every day in Alex's honor. Neuronetics is the global leader in TMS therapy for depression, and the uncompromised focus of both companies on maximizing patient outcomes led to this collaborative partnership. Success TMS has helped many patients with NeuroStar TMS, which uses magnetic pulses to stimulate areas of the brain that are underactive in depression.1,2

"The Success TMS team understands the hardship of depression firsthand. We've seen this disease in friends and loved ones and believe in the power of providing specialized care in order to maximize successful outcomes for patients," said Randy Syrop, CEO and Co-Founder of Success TMS. "NeuroStar Advanced Therapy is the treatment that makes this possible. We know because we have seen it work, and we're excited about this partnership because it means more sufferers will have access to this treatment, giving hope to those who need it most and offering true remission from this disease."

Under the terms of the partnership, Success TMS will offer NeuroStar Advanced Therapy TMS systems at all its locations. This partnership is expected to allow for the treatment of thousands of patients across Success TMS's clinic locations. Success TMS plans on continuing its aggressive growth by launching new clinics in both existing and new regions over the next 18 months, including four in South Florida by 2019 year end Miami, Coral Gables, Key Biscayne, and Boca Raton (successtms.com/locations).

"Success TMS is at the forefront of exceptional patient service, fueled by a very personal connection to depression," said Chris Thatcher, President and CEO of Neuronetics, Inc. "We're proud to expand our relationship with such a dedicated practice in a united fight against this disease that affects too many."

Formore information on both companies, visit neurostar.comand successtms.com.

About NeuroStar Advanced TherapyNeuroStar Advanced Therapy is the market leader in transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a non-invasive form of neuromodulation. NeuroStar Advanced Therapy is the #1 TMS choice of doctors, and is widely available acrossthe United States.

NeuroStar is reimbursed by most commercial and government health plans, including Medicare and Tricare. In addition, there are programs in place, such as NeuroStar Reimbursement Support, to help patients and providers obtain coverage and reimbursement for NeuroStar Advanced Therapy.

NeuroStar is indicated for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder in adult patients who have failed to receive satisfactory improvement from prior antidepressant medication in the current episode. In an NIMH-funded, independent, randomized controlled trial, patients treated with TMS using a clinical-trial version of the NeuroStar TMS System were 4.2 times more likely to achieve remission compared to patients receiving sham treatment (P= 0.02; odds ratio = 4.05).3The most common side effect is pain or discomfort at or near the treatment site, which usually resolves within one week. It is contraindicated in people with non-removable conductive metal in or near the head.

NeuroStar is a registered trademark of Neuronetics, Inc. For more information and full safety and prescribing information, visitwww.neurostar.com.

AboutNeuroneticsNeuronetics, Inc.is a commercial-stage medical technology company focused on designing, developing, and marketing products that improve the quality of life for patients who suffer from psychiatric disorders. Our first commercial product, the NeuroStar Advanced Therapy System, is a non-invasive and non-systemic office-based treatment that uses transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, to create a pulsed, MRI-strength magnetic field that induces electrical currents designed to stimulate specific areas of the brain associated with mood. The system is cleared by theUnited States Food and Drug Administration, orFDA, for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder in adult patients who have failed to achieve satisfactory improvement from prior antidepressant medication in the current episode. NeuroStar is also available in other parts of the world, includingJapan, where it is listed underJapan'snational health insurance. Additional information can be found atwww.neuronetics.com.

Forward-Looking StatementsStatements in the press regardingNeuronetics, Inc.(the "Company") that are not historical facts constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may be identified by terms such as "outlook," "potential," "believe," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "predict," "may," "will," "could," "would" and "should" as well as the negative of these terms and similar expressions. These statements include those relating to: the Company's expectations regarding the build out of and demand for its NeuroStar Advanced Therapy System, including with respect to trends in the incidence of depression, and its expectations or beliefs regarding future applications and development of the System; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing items. These statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties and actual results could differ materially from those projected. The Company cautions investors not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this release. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties related to: continued availability and adequacy of coverage and reimbursement from third-party payors for treatments using the Company's products; physician and patient demand for treatments using the Company's products; developments in respect of competing technologies and therapies for the indications that the Company's products treat, including depression; product defects; the Company's ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for its technology; and developments in regulation intheUnited States, Japanand other applicable jurisdictions. For a discussion of these and other related risks, please refer to the Company's recentSECfilings which are available on theSEC'swebsite atwww.sec.gov. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company's expectations and assumptions as of the date of this press release. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no duty or obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or changes in the Company's expectations.

1Post A, et al. J Psychiatric Research, (2001)

2Liston C, et al. Biol Psychiatry, (2014)

3George MS, et al. Arch Gen Psychiatry, (2010)

View post:
Neuronetics and Success TMS Partner to Increase Patient Access to Leading Depression Treatment, NeuroStar Advanced Therapy - WFMZ Allentown

Ifyou look at your present and future selves as twodifferentpeople, then yourlikelihoodof making better decisions here and now will improve.

Because we don't take thetimeto imagine the future,we assume that things will pretty much be the same in ten years as they are now.We evenerroneouslybelieve we will be the same person in ten years as we are right now.Gilbert and others call thisThe End of History Illusion,and what it means is this:

If you look back on who you were ten years ago, you will likely see some differences.You were probably in a different situation. You probably had different goals. You likely had different friends and hobbies. Ofcourse, some of what you were doing is probably still the same as ten years ago.

As people get older, they tend to change less over ten year periods of time.

From age 15 to 25, you're going to see some big change.

From 25 to 35, you're likely to see some big changes as well.

But from 35 to 45, the rapidity of change tends to slow down for most people.

According to researchon the Big 5 Factors of personality,as people age,theytend tobecome less and less open to new experiences.They stopseeking novelty and change.They stop imagining a bigger future.Their past becomes increasingly prevalent in predicting who they are and will be.Their life becomesincreasingly routine.

Althoughroutinesare good formomentum,over time they are verybad for the brain.The brain thrives on novelty, newness, and challenge.As someone seeking rapid growth and progress in your life,you have tobalance these two conflicts.You need routines to move forward, but yourroutines need to continually involve pushing beyondthem.Your routine needs to becontinually challenging yourself beyond whatyou've ever done before.

Theonly way to createconfidenceis bypursuingwhat you've neverdonebefore.

AsDan Sullivan, founder of Strategic Coach,said,"Personalconfidence comes from making progress toward goals that are far bigger than your present capabilities."

So, withthat backdrop,it's time to start imagining abigger and better future.It's time tostop attaching yourself so much to the person you think you are.It's time to let go of the notion that your future self is going to be the same as your present self.

Your future self will be a different person regardless of effort and intention.Change isinevitable.Growth isoptional.Moreover, as Dr.Gilbert explains,remembering is easier than imagining.

Albert Einstein said that"Imaginationis more important than knowledge."So the question is,how much imagination are you willing to create in your life?

The rest of this article will providefive powerful strategiesfor imagining and creatingyourdesired future:

1.ImagineWho You Want to Be in Three Years

"Yourvision of where or who you want to be is the greatest asset you have. Without having a goal it's difficult to score."-- Paul Arden

There is a growing body of research in psychology examining the difference between our current and our future selves.

What the research shows is that:

This is wherevisioncomes in.

What is your vision for your future?

How detailed is yourvision?

Without having a vision, you will have little meaning in your life.According to the late psychiatrist,Gordon Livingston M.D.,humans need threethings to be happy:

If you don't havesomething to look forward to,for which are you exerting conscious and daily effort to create,then you cannot have happiness.Without vision, the people perish, the Bible states.

When you create a new vision for your life, you immediately begin to see your whole life in light of that new vision.It becomes thecontext of your life.Changingthe context changes the meaning and possibility.

So, let's get clear on your vision.According to the business author and expertCameron Herold,youshould havebothapersonal and professionalVivid Vision.

In this vivid vision,you should not focus on how you're going to achieve thevision.You simply want togetvery,very clear on what you wantthree years from now.

So, pull out your calendar and put a big Xthree years in the future.

What does your life look like?

What does your environment look like?

Who are the main people in your life, and on your team?

What types of clients or people are you working with?

What is the overall experience you're having?

What does your typical day look like?

How much money are you making?

What is important to you?

Remember,your job right now is not to determinehow any of this stuff is going to happen.Your first job is simply toget clear on your vision.The more clear your vision is, the more obvious and easy it will be in the execution.

According to Herold,you should ideally haveafive-pagevivid visionwritten downwhichyou beginsharing with EVERYONE!

There are mixed science and opinions as to sharing your goals publicly.The question is: if you're 100% committed to your goals, then why wouldn't you?

People talk about how publicly sharing goals decreases motivation because you feel like you've already achieved something by simply saying it.This argument is a straw-man for one important reason:ifyou're trying to figure out how motivated you are toward a goal,you probably aren't committed to it.

Once you getcommittedto something:

So, create your five-page document.

Where will you be in three years from now?

Then, begin sharing it with EVERYONE.Watch what happens.You'll begin to repel the wrong people from your life and attract the right people.

The question is: are you really ready to do that?

If you're committed, then the answer must be yes.If you're not, then stop reading this article.

2.Feel, Deeply, What It Would Feel Like To Truly Be That Person

"According to research on mentalrehearsal,once we immerse ourselves in that scene,changesbegin to take place in our brain.Therefore, each time we do this, we'relayingdown newneurologicaltracks (in the present moment) that literally change our brain to look like the brain of our future.In other words,the brain starts to look like the future we want to create has already happened."-- Dr. Joe Dispenza

Once you've committed to something, your job is toshift your brain, mindset, and identity to match that future reality.

During your morning meditation/visualization, you want to see your future goals.You want to see yourself where you ideally want to be.This is an important distinction.All goals are not really desired outcomes butdesiredversions of yourself.

That's all a goal is:a new you.

Your body is a chemical machine that becomesaddicted to andaccustomedto various emotional states.Your body then subconsciously actsin waysto reproduce the emotions it has become habituated to.

So,before you know it, you grab your cellphone and are back scrolling the newsfeeds. You didn't consciously choose to do this.Your body impulsivelydid it because when youengage in that particular behavior, your body gets the chemicals it has become addicted to.

If you want a new future and new you,then you need new chemicals.

Each of these produces emotions.The new emotions can reset your subconscious normal.You want and need a new normal becauseyour sense of normal is your identity and reality.

Every day,you need toproduce the desired emotions of your future self.This is what visualization is all about.

How often do you visualize?

It turns out only 3% of Americans have written goals.Only 1%write their goals down daily.Myguess is far far less than 1% have avivid visionwhich they share with everyone.Far less than 1% trigger the emotional state of their future self.Far less than 1% courageously pursue their future dreams, right here and now.

3.Shift As Much in Your Current Life to Reflect Your Future Self

"Designcrushes willpower." -- Dr. Bj Fogg

Visualization isn't enough.You need to begin seeing evidence throughout your life that you're serious about this.One of the most powerful ways to create evidence of your future dreams is to begininvesting money in those dreams.

Recently, my friend Draye and I invested $800 to sign up for an Ironman Triathlon in July of 2020. To be honest, I'd only vaguely thought about doing such an event over the years. It wasn't something I was committed to or really thinking about.

But then, Draye and I were superpumped upafter some big stuff happened in our businesses. So we decided to just sign up for an Ironman together.

It's really interesting what has happened, psychologically, to me in the past two weeks since we made that spontaneous investment. I've begun seeing myself complete the Ironman,in my head, much more lately.In other words, investmenttriggereda great deal of imagination.

I've been thinking about it and visualizing myself doing this Ironman much more. I've also begun listening toaudiobooks aboutendurancesports.I've been doing way more cardio and changing my diet.

It's totally shifted everything related to my fitness. But the effects have also spilled over into my other goals.My whole life is becoming more active and excited.My body is changing,as aremy behaviors androutines.This is positively impacting my relationship with my kids and my work as a writer and entrepreneur.

When you beginmaking powerful decisions in your life, you are then enabled to prioritize your life.You can determine who you want in and out.You can determine what success looks like, for you.You can stop playing other people's games and reset your brain to expect very different and unexpected results.

How much do your current life, environment, and behavior match your desired future?

4.Expect Everything, Attach to Nothing

"Expect everything and attach to nothing."-- CarrieCampbell

One of the most commonplatitudesis to lower your expectations so you don't get hurt.

Why are we so afraid of getting hurt?

According to theExpectancy Theory of Motivation,your expectations play a huge role not only in your motivation but in your results in life.According to the theory,there arethree prerequisitesto being motivated:

Now, the moreevolvedyou become, the less you are the one to do everything involved.You increase your confidence byteaming-upwith other capable people.You increase confidence by making progress.

Often, people fail to make progress and instead procrastinate becausethey don't know what to do.They have a goal but have little skill or knowledge.So, the goal becomes a dream unfulfilled.

When you begin taking action toward thedream, investing in that dream, and building a team around you -- then you'll start making progress.This progress will increase anticipation and expectation that you'll succeed.

It's your choice, really, if you succeed or fail.It's up to you howbold and committedyou will be.It's up to you how motivated you will be.

Of course, you're going to face painful moments.If the future you're pursuing is boldly bigger and different from your present, then you're going to fall flat on your face a lot.

It's going to hurt.You should get used to that.

It'sgoing to be complex and confusing.You should and can get used to that.It just takesrepeated exposure, increased knowledge, commitment, and support.

Lots of self-help writers these days argue you shouldn't have goals because they make you feel horrible. You feel bad if you fail and you're disappointed when you succeed.

This is total nonsense.Without purpose, you perish.The problem isn't goals or expectations.The problem is an emotional attachment to the outcomes you'll experience along the way.

Get used to pain and failureand nothing can stop you.

5.Measure the Gain, Not the Gap

"The way to measure your progress is backward against where you started, not against your ideal."-- Dan Sullivan,THE GAIN AND THE GAP

Every 30 or 90 days, a solid practice thatDan Sullivan teaches his entrepreneurs in theStrategic Coachprogram is toMeasure the gain.

Every 30or 90 days,answer these questions:

That first question may be the most important. It helps youframe your past in a positive way.It helps you selectively attend to the progress you're making.Most people, regardless of their success, focus on the gap. They only see lack. They only see what they're not doing well.

Ofcourse,having high expectations can be good for performance.Butarelentlessinsistence that nothing is good enough is also bad for joy and evenconfidence.

Conclusion

Are you in the gap or the gain?

Are you emotionally attached to outcomes along the way?

Are you incessantly negative, despite your success?

Is happiness always somewhere in the future, and never here and now?

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

Read more from the original source:
The Science of Upgrading Your Identity and Success - Inc.

Robert Downey Jr. is most known for his career-defining role as Iron Man. Playing the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist for over a decade, the actor and the character grew intimately connected; fused by sheer exposure, fans began to see RDJ as Tony Stark.

From the selfish egomaniac to the selfless world savior, Tony Stark boasted the sagas most emotionally stirring and narratively satisfying character arc. He was the face of the MCU, and the man responsible for kickstarting the franchises success back in 2008. So, after all those years, how do you say goodbye?

How do you say goodbye to the character people marvel at you for? How do you bid farewell to a role so ingrained into your existence that snapping into character has become a seamless transition? Robert Downey Jr. sat down with The Off Camera Show to discuss his time with the Avengers, and what he must remind himself as he departs.

During his interview with The Off Camera Show, Robert Downey Jr. discussed Tony Stark and put the experience in a nutshell, stating, I had an incredible ten-year run that was creatively satisfying. It was very, very, very hard work and it dug very deep, but I have not been forced to explore the new frontier of what is my creative and personal life after this.

RDJ goes on to explain that its always good to get ahead of where youre going to wind up, as to prepare yourself psychologically. The interviewer goes on to note that it must feel strange to say what am I next? Downey explains how he copes with the farewell, relying on two words he learned as a newbie in theatrical arts. Downey stated:

Well, heres the thing. First thing you learn in theatre arts: aesthetic distance. I am not this play Im doing. Im not a character in The Fantasticks. Im not Will from Oklahoma. Aesthetic distance. Its job one. Im not my work. Im not what I did with that studio. Im not that period of time that I spent playing this character

Downey explains that, as an artist, you must always retain aesthetic distance. As much as the kid from theatre camp is screaming from inside you, arguing that you are that character that its never going to change and you can stay Stark and sing Kumbaya alongside your buddies forever the adult mind (the awareness) must, at some point, take over. Reality must return.

RDJ played Iron Man for several years, and he gave an Oscar-worthy performance for his denoument. There was no better way for Stark to say goodbye. Now, he will take on the starring role in a Doctor Dolittle remake and return to Sherlock Holmes for a third installment alongside Jude Law. Iron Man is gone but never forgotten; and he lives on through his young protege, Peter Parker.

See the rest here:
Robert Downey Jr. on Bidding Iron Man Farewell: "The First Thing You Learn in Theatre Arts Is..." - Showbiz Cheat Sheet