Meryl Streep is considered one of the greatest movie actresses of all time, known to millions as the icy cold Miranda Priestly in “The Devil Wears Prada” and now taking on the role in “The Devil Wears Prada 2”. With three Oscars and a career spanning five decades, he has always spoken about life and work with a rare and refreshing honesty. Here are some lessons from the woman herself.
Meryl Streep’s conviction: always bring your heart to work
In an interview with ‘Good Housekeeping’ in 2008, Meryl was asked about the secret to a meaningful career. His answer was very simple. “Integrate what you believe in in every area of your life. Put your heart into the work and demand the most and the best from everyone else,” he said. For someone who has played queen, president, editor and everything in between, the lesson was clear there is no role, no job, and it’s not worth a day to show up halfway. Total presence is the only way he’s ever known how to do it.
Meryl Streep on Finding Your Way: Don’t See Everyone Else
Speaking at Vassar College in 1983, Meryl gave a piece of advice that has aged remarkably well. “The choice between the devil and the dream comes in different little guises every day,” he told the graduates, whose advice was always to look the dilemma in the face and decide what you can live with. It’s the kind of lesson that applies to every career, every crossroads, and every time the easiest path is tempting but not the right one.
Meryl Streep says that the moment you care what other people think, you lose yourself
This was one of his most direct and enduring observations, shared in many interviews throughout his career. “The moment you start caring about what other people think is when you stop being you,” he said. For someone who has been in the public eye for more than five decades, it was a conviction that kept coming back to him.
Meryl Streep on embracing change: There is no such thing as normal
At Barnard College’s commencement speech in 2010, Meryl delivered a line that has stuck with people ever since. “This is your time, and it seems normal to you, but really, it’s not normal. There’s just change, and resistance, and then more change,” he told the graduating class. He reminded us that certainty is an illusion and the only skill worth building is the ability to keep moving forward in the face of uncertainty. Coming from someone who had reinvented himself several times by then, it landed with real weight.
