Michael B. Jordan’s success didn’t happen overnight. The same goes for many celebrities and creatives. Unless you’re a walking four-leaf clover (lucky), it takes time to say, “I made it.”
Jordan made his first television appearance in 1999, and in 2026, he won his first Oscar for Best Actor in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners. It was a moment that warmed my heart. While answering questions after the win, Jordan said something I still think about a month later.
“My father always told me, ‘Don’t expect anything to be handed to you,’” Jordan said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “You do the work, and everything else will figure itself out.”
‘Do the work’ even if you don’t feel like it.
We’ve all been there. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, we find the courage to start a new project or finish an idea we’ve been daydreaming about. Then, that burst of energy fades, and before you know it, it’s a game of “I don’t feel like doing anything.”
I’ve learned to put effort into whatever I’m working on, even when I don’t feel like it. I know I have to get my mind and body into a routine, and once I do, it becomes easier to contribute every day.
Dream big, and be kind.
Almost everyone who reaches a high level of success says to dream big. I was told this throughout my childhood, and it motivated me to go after whatever I set my heart on. Michael B. Jordan did it, and now he’s encouraging others.
“At the same time, what’s for you is for you, and you can’t listen to anybody else. I’m just walking my path,” Jordan continued. “I would encourage other actors and other artists, no matter what their medium is, to try to keep that in mind. To be honest and truthful. Dream big, man. Dream big, and be kind. Be honest.”
Another thing that stood out to me was the words “be kind” and “be honest.” As a child, I learned that kindness goes a long way, despite all the negativity in the world. That followed me into adulthood and is something I want to spread throughout my career.
I founded Compliment Magazine because I wanted to be kind and add some positivity to the world of entertainment news, which can be full of clickbait content deliberately created to spread hate.
Header image credit: Instagram/@michaelbjordan
