Do what makes you happy … Beverly Hills, 90210 alum Randy Spelling would agree. The 40-year-old former actor and brother of star Tori Spelling spoke exclusively with Us Weekly about his bold decision to leave behind the glitz and glamour of Hollywood for a decidedly more fulfilling role as a life coach in Portland, Oregon.
“There were so many ways and times that I felt not enough, or I wasn’t enough,” the California native told Us of his experience growing up in Tinseltown. (Randy is the son of the late legendary television producer and Beverly Hills, 90210 creator Aaron Spelling.) “I had people going, ‘His life was perfect, and they had everything.’ Yet, I’m still a human being who was ultra sensitive as a kid, trying to figure out my place in the world. I had [a] bigger-than-life producer father who was mega successful and a sister who was really successful. I had to find my own way, and it was confusing.”
Growing up in the public eye made it difficult for Randy to relate to others. “For me, there was so many expectations. I guess a good word is projections. People project, ‘Oh, grew up with money. Had everything. Perfect life.’ Then it’s hard to share the experience of anything different than that because people’s immediate reaction is, ‘Oh yeah, well, must be hard.’ But the truth is, we’re all human beings, and we all have a struggle.”
Looking to find deeper meaning in his life, the Unlimiting You: Step Out of Your Past and Into Your Purpose author relocated to Portland, Oregon, more than a decade ago and founded his own life-coaching business.
“I knew after years of acting, I wanted to work with people in a different way, and I wanted to be fulfilled. It was scary. I only knew the entertainment business. I didn’t know anything about starting my own business. I took some bumps and bruises along the way. I think my trajectory, in a way, chose me.”
Randy continued: “I get to be an actor for people every day. I get to mirror for them the parts of themselves that they need to see because it’s outside of them. It’s really hard to see ourselves. It’s why people can give really good advice, but they can’t take it because we’re living in our own lives.”
The blogger, who shares two daughters with wife Leah, offered up some words of encouragement for people feeling stuck or unhappy: “First, it’s realizing you are not stuck. There is always a choice. There’s always a way to move in a direction. Most people think that they’re stuck because they’re focused on going one direction and they don’t know how to go in that direction, or they’re afraid that if they move in that direction, that won’t be the right direction. It’s realizing you’re not stuck. You just might need some help to figure out what direction to go in.”
For more of Randy’s tips on how to live your best life, watch the video above and visit www.randyspelling.com.
