Sometimes there are Mondays (or Thursdays or Sundays) when you need a little reminder that hey, good things might actually happen to people who work hard. This week, that message is being delivered by Nora Lum, better known as Awkwafina.

For the uninitiated, Awkwafina is an actor, rapper and comedian who’s had *quite* the year. It began with a role in Oceans 8, the all-female revamp of the franchise starring an absolutely star-studded squad, and she’s now in the midst of promoting the much-buzzed about Crazy Rich Asians, out this week. Based on how things have been going for her, we wouldn’t be surprised if 2018 concluded with the 29-year-old multi-hyphenate getting a primetime version of her “TAWK” chat show—which we would totally watch.

While Awkwafina is everywhere from billboards to award shows right now, she recently tweeted a heartfelt note about her journey to success. A warning before you read the tweet below: Emotions may occur.

 

https://twitter.com/awkwafina/status/1028865616562802688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1028865616562802688&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.flare.com%2Fcelebrity%2Fawkwafina-crazy-rich-asians-movie%2F

 

“Awkwafina was a dream I was chasing, and in some ways, I am still chasing her,” wrote Awkwafina in the two part note.

What we really love about this, is that while celebrating her highs, Awkwafina is acknowledging the lows—how she “went broke” in pursuit of her dream, how she was fired for the persona she created, how people told her it was impossible and she “shouldn’t exist.” There’s a temptation to see her kind of stardom as an overnight success, but she’s here to remind us about the time, work and heart that went into it—and that most “yeses” are preceded by a ton of “nos.” This is a celebration of persistence, not luck, of courage of conviction, not good timing. You have to make lots of YouTube videos of you interviewing people in your local bodega, before you end up being interviewed on Jimmy Kimmel.

To quote Awkwafina herself: “We need to take risks. We need to go broke. We need to prove them wrong, simply by not giving up”.

BRB, off to change the world.

 

Related:

Before Crazy Rich Asians Comes Out, We Need To Discuss This Stereotype
Crazy Rich Asians Isn’t Just A Movie. It’s A Sign That I Matter
I Can’t Stop Thinking About Ellen Asking Constance Wu Where’s She’s From

Filed under: Awkwafina, Crazy Rich Asians