Watching Miranda on BBC iPlayer, you might not think of Miranda Hart as a major source of life inspiration. But Miranda the character is not Miranda the person, and the latter Miranda is a highly impressive comedian and writer who we could do well to emulate.
So when the actor shared some wisdom in an interview published over the weekend, we scribbled down notes. And now we shall share those notes with you, because they hold some truly excellent advice everyone can benefit from hearing.
Miranda spoke to students at her old school, Downe House, about her regret at having gone to university, explaining she only went due to ‘societal pressure’. While few of us will be making this exact decision, the advice Miranda shared for students considering whether to get a degree is helpful in any situation. That advice boils down to asking yourself one question: ‘Is this bringing me joy?’
Speaking as part of the school’s annual Academic Conference, Miranda explained: ‘I think you have to really sit down and listen to your heart and go: “Is this bringing me joy? Is the idea of this path really exciting to me? Or, actually, if I’m really honest, is there a parent or a teacher or a cultural expectation that’s telling me I need to get these grades?”’
See what we mean? Swap out ‘get these grades’ for any other action you’re considering. Should I quit my job? Should I end my relationship? Should I pack up my life and move somewhere new?
At the point of any crossroads, it’s well worth asking yourself if a particular path forwards genuinely makes you happy… or if you’re being driven by other people’s expectations.
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Miranda went on to speak candidly about her career, pointing out that her life hasn’t aligned with the traditional timings of when you ‘should’ do things. ‘It took me until I was 26 to admit that I wanted to be an actress. It took me 11 Edinburgh festivals before I got regular work, having been told at a drama class that I was too tall to play any part for my age and would have to wait until I was at least 40 and then perhaps I could play a judge or a lawyer.
‘I sang on the West End stage in a musical, I did a Hollywood film and I appeared on the front cover of countless magazines, accepting my weird and wonderful looks. I did all that as a single person and didn’t get married until I was 51, which ended up being unexpectedly perfect timing.’
The comedian, who is set to appear in The Celebrity Traitors later this year, also spoke about the power of play, why fame is ‘meaningless’, and how her time at the all-girls school was the ‘happiest’ of her life.
Offering up even more excellent advice, Miranda said: ‘The only way to live, I believe, is with a solid trust that my life will unfold at the right time, without my striving and stressing to force it to work in the way I believe it should.’
Finally, four values we can all live by, regardless of age. Miranda offered: ‘Be audacious, be bold, be authentic, be vulnerable.’
Sounds good to us. Let’s all be a little more Miranda from now on.
