Lessons Learned From Selena About Mental Health
Selena gave the world tremendous gifts in the arena of music and fashion, however, she also taught us so much about life. Selena’s tragic ending never allowed for her to reach her full potential, however, she left us with so many life lessons to be gleaned for years to come. It’s impossible for me not to think about Selena’s life in the context of mental health and how the lessons learned from her life can be applied to healthy living, balancing life demands, and maximizing your own full potential. This article will speak to just 6 of the life lessons I learned from Selena, though there are many more.
Who Was Selena Quintanilla Perez
Selena is a Mexican American singer and fashion artist from the early 1990s who was tragically killed by her assistant in 1995, she was just 23 years old when she was fatally shot, less than a month shy of her 24th birthday. Selena was born and raised in Texas, her first language was English and her career was taking off when her life was cut short. However, her legacy lives on, as last year was the 25th anniversary of her death, which coincided with the release of the Netflix series ‘Selena’.
It was through this show, the Netflix series, that I began to learn about the life and music of Selena. I confess that I am not a long-time devoted fan that has mourned her death since the 90s, I am simply a Gringa (Spanish term for an American outside the Latin American culture) who knew of Selena, but was not familiar with her story. When she was murdered in 1995 I was a college student living in the northeast and at that point in my life, I was not at all connected to Latin American culture or music.
Despite the fact that Selena was not as widely known outside the Latin American or Tejano music scene in the 90s, she quickly received mainstream success with the releases of her English language songs, ‘Dreaming of You”, and “I Could Fall in Love”, which again, I confess, I knew of but did not know they were Selena’s songs. Her music was just getting known in the mainstream pop music world at the time of her death. Today, there are memorials and museums dedicated to Selena, April 16th (her birthday) was declared the “Selena Day of Remembrance” by then Texas Governor, George W Bush, she was posthumously given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, she has reached platinum status and just last year was named Billboards “Greatest All Time Latin Artists” on which she was number three!
Why I am Writing About Selena Now
Simply put, her story is compelling, what she and her family accomplished is a great American story. Selena and her family faced many layers of oppression, yet through hard work, they achieved tremendous success. Her story is inspirational and we need those stories, we need those role models, she had something special that she shared with the world and as is the case for many great artists, it is only after her death that it is fully appreciated, which is the travesty of it all.
As a new fan, I am taken by the power of her story, the beauty of her music and the essence of who she was. Selena was one of the greats, and I kinda had no idea. I hope by sharing a little bit about her story and seeing her life through the lens of “lessons learned from Selena” we can continue to honor her legacy and her as a person, who was in many ways, just like you and me.
Selena, A Role Model for All
One of the more notable gifts that Selena left us with is that of her as a role model. Positive role models are at times in short demand especially when it comes to Latina women breaking glass ceilings, not because there aren’t enough – as I know many in my own life – but because the barriers in society, prevent access. Selena broke several glass ceilings and pushed further the boundaries laid by Gloria Estefan in the world of pop music by a Latin artist.
It’s important to celebrate Selena’s success and give credence to her positive influence in the world, for the young and the more mature, everywhere. Finding your role models is something I often talk about with many of my clients, and Selena is someone worth thinking about as that role model, someone to guide you, look up to, and who you could benefit by emulating.
5 Life Lessons Learned From Selena
1. Family Roots
Selena became what she did through the combined efforts and vision of her family and she never forgot that. She was first and foremost a family person and was confronted with difficult decisions that forced her to dig deep and think about how her ambitions would impact her family. It was a balancing act that she took seriously and regardless of the path she took, it was in consideration of how it would impact her family and those she loved.
Additionally, she was a native English speaker who did not necessarily want to learn Spanish but also realized these were her roots. Selena learned Spanish at a time in the 80s and 90s when it was not trendy to speak Spanish. In fact, teaching Spanish to your children as a Mexican American was most likely frowned upon by many.
None of us make it in this world alone. Treasure and remember the people who supported and helped you to be who you are today, as Selena did. Selena’s family roots were in Mexico and by reaching back there she found the niche that catapulted her into the spotlight and success, of course, it didn’t hurt that she had an insane talent!
Lesson learned: The Bottom line is that it’s important to remember your roots, where you came from and the people who helped along the way. Remember to embrace them, and be proud of who you are, even when the world doesn’t yet appreciate them.
2. Authenticity
Selena was true to herself, down to earth, and never saw herself as the legend that she was and is. I heard this in countless interviews, that she would be in amazement of the star power around her, never considering her own star power. She seemed to embody the idea of humility in a most sincere and authentic manner, something I think many of us could stand to think about and learn from.
If you are speaking and living your truth, there is no need for airs or pretense, people will value that honest down to earth sincerity that they saw in her. And consider this as a Mexican American woman, who could have easily felt that she needed to present herself in a way that was above others in order to get ahead, which many of us are taught…. “sell yourself” don’t play yourself down. What I see in Selena is humility at its best.
Lesson Learned: Be you and allow people to see you for who you are, not who you might want to be, follow this, and success will find you, in whatever form it comes.
3. Selena’s Love for Animals
I speak about the benefits of our connection to animals and the therapeutic impact they can have on us in many of my posts and articles, something that Selena was way ahead of us on, whether it be knowingly or unknowingly. Selena had a love and appreciation for all living beings, one article I read stated that she even went so far as to spend $300 to treat a rabbit she had hit with her car. Before her tragic death, she had been planning, as I understand it, to have a large piece of property where she could have an array of animals and 4 legged companions.
Lesson Learned: All sentient beings have value and can bring us connection and fulfillment.
4. Pushed boundaries – She was Fearless
When it came to pushing boundaries, Selena, knew no limits, and she was confronted with many of them. As a Mexican American woman, with her first language being English, she probably had trouble fitting in and making a name for herself in both the mainstream pop world as well as the Tejano, Mexican world, which was male-dominated. Selena wasn’t afraid to enter a world that many told her she didn’t belong in, minimizing her because of her gender or race. Not only did she push the limits of the music world, but also the business and fashion world.
Lesson Learned: Just because it hasn’t been done before or you are not in good company, doesn’t mean it is not worth doing. If you believe in it, do it.
5. Carpe Diem – Seize the Moment
Selena didn’t waste any time, she was a hard worker who knew what she wanted and went after it. By age 23 she had already accomplished so much, marriage, grammy awards, 17 albums (compilations), title as “la Reina de Tejano” (Queen of Tejano), working towards a business degree, and 2 fashion boutiques, just to name a few… as I am sure there are many more. And Selena was just getting started, going strong, taking on more with no time to spare. It does almost seem as though she knew that her time in this world would be short… as the Netflix show seems to foreshadow.
The musical legacy she built with her family rivals that of any legend, this could only be accomplished with an extraordinary work ethic and a commitment to making the most of what she had at her disposal. A short life that was packed full of life experiences many of us never achieve.
Lesson Learned: You never know what tomorrow will bring, make each day count, and work towards what you believe in.
6. Work Ethic
By all accounts, Selena was a super hard worker, as was her whole family. The success that they found did not just land in their laps, they worked at it for years, even cultivated it, and it was not without risk. The risks they took as a family paid off in their musical success. Despite the fact that Selena had a god-given talent, without the work ethic to follow it, she nor her family would have found even half of the success they eventually achieved.
In today’s world, where we often look for the instant or easy way to success, it’s important to remember that even the glamorous life that Selena eventually had, was not always so. There is no such thing as instant success, even what might look like “instant success” is usually not the case.
Lesson Learned: Anything worth having will take hard work and will not come easily.
Final Thoughts
Whether you are a fan of Selena’s or not, whether you know her music or not… she is someone worth spending the time to get to know… as I have only spoken of a mere few life lessons learned from Selena.
I have included below, the video to one of her more famous and more beautiful songs … about a flower… that withers…
I would love to hear from my readers about your thoughts on Selena, what about her life speaks to you? Drop a comment below and keep her memory and her legacy alive.
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Disclaimer
I am in no way an expert on the life of Selena, what I know of her comes from the Netflix show Selena, the movie with Jennifer Lopez, and interviews on youtube, along with what reading I could find online. My recent appreciation for her music and her story comes through these mediums and I am grateful for her legacy that we all can continue to appreciate and benefit from.
