Why Jennifer Hudson's EGOT Reminds Me to Conquer My Wildest Dreams
It took Jennifer Hudson 18 years to go from Disney cruise line singer to only the 17th person ever to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award combined. Her EGOT status reminds me of what I need to reach the highest peak of my professional journey as I enter the 11th year of my career this month.
Jennifer is very lowkey compared to other celebrities that constantly appear on tabloid pages or go viral on social media. But even without the buzz or visibility, she managed to make moves of historic proportions.
That’s lesson number one for me—intentional, quiet decision-making skills. There’s a difference between being quiet and silent: one is the presence of very little noise while the other is the absence of any sound. As Black women, we’re pressured to sit silently in rooms we think we’re “lucky” to be invited into. Shutting up is how we show gratitude for the space afforded to us. We grin and bear whatever happens around or to us to avoid giving anyone a reason to kick us out.
Then there’s the other extreme. In the spirit of #BlackGirlMagic and #BlackExcellence, we chant our warrior cries through every door we push through. We check the boxes of saying something at every board meeting, tweeting every ambition we’re chasing, and having clap-back ready for anybody who tries to intimidate us into playing small.
We raise our voices extra loud in a world designed to muzzle us.
That works for some, but it’s necessary at all. After so many years of telling my introverted self that to be louder equals more success, I see it’s alright to be strategically quieter.
To be strategic, you need the second tool: clarity. Jennifer once told the Chicago Tribune, “I don't believe in doing things just to do them…You have to be passionate about it.” Getting clear on what I care about and want to spend my time on is still a work in progress. I’m unlearning the habit of doing “what I’m supposed to do” or a.k.a playing it safe by doing what others say I should pursue. This is another trait too many Black women, unfortunately, adopt to survive.
Black women often feel that following your passion isn’t a responsible, especially when you have a family depending on you to be there for them physically and financially. The time our parents, teachers, or spouses spent talking us out of our so-called lofty plans would be better spent coaching us on being irrefutable. Having a clear sense of who we are, what we offer, and what evidence we have of both guarantees that we won’t have to deny what we want (e.g. passion) to earn what we need (e.g. a secure and profitable career).
Jennifer talks a lot about the doubts people had about her success in the entertainment industry. It’s notoriously hostile to plus-sized, dark-skinned women. Yet in spite of getting voted off American Idol way before making it to the final three, Jennifer got her first acting role two years later that would earn her an Oscar. The odds were not in her favor, and every decision she’s made after that ensured her path to becoming Hollywood history was no longer up to chance.
And given that we rarely heard about those decisions until now proves to me that posting everything online to stay relevant or be heard is unnecessary. You can be seen without making a scene.
The last two lessons have to do with assurance and persistence. Eighteen years can feel like an eternity to someone depending on how they perceive themselves. I mentioned I’m 11 years into my professional journey, and regardless of how much I’ve accomplished, I feel nowhere near the success I’ve seen my friends and colleagues achieve.
Watching Jennifer Hudson quietly burst into EGOT status reminds me that my wildest dreams are still in reach. What I need to know is how much confidence I have to take the actions that, eventually, transform those dreams into my reality. What I need to know is who I should speak to about my dreams, and what support to ask from them. What I need to do is track the small wins every day adding up to the larger victories I pray to see one day.