In the Pursuit of Greatness, Do You Have to Sell Your Soul?
By Natalie McCarty
Everyone will tell you that greatness demands sacrifice. You hear it from mentors, managers, agents (probably even me at one point), and undoubtedly from that one friend obsessed with Marty Supreme who insists they “gave it all up” and made it: no weekends, no love, no downtime, no friends except the ones you can network with, nothing but the grind. The myth is simple: if you’re not sacrificing every part of yourself, you’re failing.
But here’s the thing… it’s bullshit.
Hustle culture will try to steal your soul. Don’t let it.
You don’t have to live in a bubble of ambition to succeed. As an extremely ambitious person myself, I can guarantee you that sacrificing everything often leaves your work hollow, your art soulless, your morals negotiable. A life unlived produces a glossy résumé, and that’s it.
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The stories you tell, the risks you take, the voice you cultivate—they require heart, perspective, and yes, the kind of carpe diem spirit you see in the movies. The industry will tempt you. It’ll promise access, exposure, prestige, and then whisper that compromise is inevitable. And it’s true: you will step into rooms where the wrong people hold the keys—people whose ethics don’t align, whose power is built on charm, coercion, or exploitation. You’ll be offered projects that feel like opportunities but are, in reality, lucrative traps. Some will tell themselves this is “part of the climb.” But it’s not. Staying in the wrong rooms slowly erodes your dreams. It will, if you’re not careful, erode your soul.
Greatness isn’t measured in contacts collected or projects worked on. It’s measured in depth: the richness of your perspective, the clarity of your ethics, the authenticity of your voice. Friends who are real friends, love that isn’t transactional, and time spent living outside the grind are critical. Without them, there’s no heart behind your work, no moral compass, no edge that makes what you do matter.
Giving up your life doesn’t make you disciplined. It makes you brittle. It makes it harder to spot predation, coercion, or harassment until it’s too late. And the irony? The less of yourself you bring to the work, the less substance it has.
Wake up! A life lived is one that teaches empathy, humor, courage, and resilience. It’s what keeps your voice intact, even when the world tries to bend you into someone else’s version of success.
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So no. You don’t have to give up everything to succeed. In my opinion, you only succeed if you make it to the end and are still the same person you were when the work began—without selling your soul for a marquee name, an IMDb credit, or a moment of applause.
Hold on to your dreams, and hold on tight. Let them carry you forward, but never let them blind you. You don’t need to “make it” early, and you don’t need to sacrifice the parts of yourself that make you human.
Wait for the right time. Protect your voice. Protect your heart. Protect your life. Don’t let the industry swallow you. That’s the only greatness worth chasing.
