Valuable Life Lessons from Mindy Kaling’s Why Not Me?
It has been four years since Mindy Kaling shared her insecurities with us in Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, a hilarious memoir of her coming-of-age on the comedy scene and her time as a staff writer on The Office. Since then, she’s had a lot more reason to feel confident: she’s gone from cast member and writer on an ensemble show to creating, executive producing, and playing the lead role on her own. The star of The Mindy Project sounds a lot more at ease in her new book, Why Not Me?, because…why not her? Sure, she would probably still rather stay home watching Netflix than attend a Hollywood gala, and no, she’s not in love with her body, despite the attention she gets for being a “curvy” woman on TV. But she’s come a long way, and she’s got some valuable life lessons to share. Here are just a few of them.
Why Not Me?
Hardcover
$23.75
$25.00
Why Not Me?
By Mindy Kaling
Hardcover
$23.75
$25.00
Find your confidence.
“Confidence is just entitlement. Entitlement has gotten a bad rap because it’s used almost exclusively for the useless children of the rich [and] reality TV stars… But entitlement in and of itself isn’t so bad. Entitlement is simply the belief that you deserve something. Which is great.”
Find your motivation.
Having embarked on a 21-day juice cleanse, Mindy needed to keep herself focused: “You will not believe me, but I did not cheat once. I think I was only able to do this because of several highly motivating factors tied to my job: James Franco was going to be on the show and I was going to have to kiss him. Like every heterosexual woman and gay man in the country, I think James Franco is a very mysterious and sexy weirdo.”
Don’t obsess about your looks—work with what you have.
“If you’ve got it, flaunt it. And if you don’t got it? Flaunt it. ‘Cause what are we even doing here if we’re not flaunting it?”
But learn to let go.
“If I were going to lose weight successfully, I would have to think about what I eat constantly. I cannot imagine a more boring and a more time-consuming obsession… I mean, maybe being in a coma would be more boring, but at least then you’d be free to dream about all your favorite foods.”
Also, be realistic—you probably can’t pull off the Hunger Games look.
“If you’re Natalie Dormer, you can take big fashion risks and shave half your head, and it looks good. If you’re a normal person and you try that, you just look like you had recent brain surgery.”
When in doubt, rely on your support staff.
Mindy credits the cinematographer on The Mindy Project for making her look glam. Her advice: “Try to befriend a cinematographer and have him or her light you wherever you go.”
Conquer your fear.
“I’m the kind of person who becomes silent when I get scared, because I hope Death will not notice me if I am very still and very quiet.”
Know what you are looking for in a partner.
“This is the anatomy of a Mindy Kaling crush: just bear a passing resemblance to a fictional romantic trope I like and I will love you forever. We’re all just trying to find the Mark Darcy of our workplace, right?
Know what strengths you bring to a relationship.
“I am the kind of person who, if my feelings are unrequited, can completely detatch from someone emotionally if I simply put my mind to it. That’s why I’m always saying I would be a great serial murderer.”
In the end, the one you’ve got to love is yourself.
“My secret is: even though I wish I could be thin, and have the ease of lifestyle that I associate with being thin, I don’t wish for it with all of my heart. Because my heart is reserved for way for important things.”
Find your confidence.
“Confidence is just entitlement. Entitlement has gotten a bad rap because it’s used almost exclusively for the useless children of the rich [and] reality TV stars… But entitlement in and of itself isn’t so bad. Entitlement is simply the belief that you deserve something. Which is great.”
Find your motivation.
Having embarked on a 21-day juice cleanse, Mindy needed to keep herself focused: “You will not believe me, but I did not cheat once. I think I was only able to do this because of several highly motivating factors tied to my job: James Franco was going to be on the show and I was going to have to kiss him. Like every heterosexual woman and gay man in the country, I think James Franco is a very mysterious and sexy weirdo.”
Don’t obsess about your looks—work with what you have.
“If you’ve got it, flaunt it. And if you don’t got it? Flaunt it. ‘Cause what are we even doing here if we’re not flaunting it?”
But learn to let go.
“If I were going to lose weight successfully, I would have to think about what I eat constantly. I cannot imagine a more boring and a more time-consuming obsession… I mean, maybe being in a coma would be more boring, but at least then you’d be free to dream about all your favorite foods.”
Also, be realistic—you probably can’t pull off the Hunger Games look.
“If you’re Natalie Dormer, you can take big fashion risks and shave half your head, and it looks good. If you’re a normal person and you try that, you just look like you had recent brain surgery.”
When in doubt, rely on your support staff.
Mindy credits the cinematographer on The Mindy Project for making her look glam. Her advice: “Try to befriend a cinematographer and have him or her light you wherever you go.”
Conquer your fear.
“I’m the kind of person who becomes silent when I get scared, because I hope Death will not notice me if I am very still and very quiet.”
Know what you are looking for in a partner.
“This is the anatomy of a Mindy Kaling crush: just bear a passing resemblance to a fictional romantic trope I like and I will love you forever. We’re all just trying to find the Mark Darcy of our workplace, right?
Know what strengths you bring to a relationship.
“I am the kind of person who, if my feelings are unrequited, can completely detatch from someone emotionally if I simply put my mind to it. That’s why I’m always saying I would be a great serial murderer.”
In the end, the one you’ve got to love is yourself.
“My secret is: even though I wish I could be thin, and have the ease of lifestyle that I associate with being thin, I don’t wish for it with all of my heart. Because my heart is reserved for way for important things.”