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Titre : A Work In Progress
Auteur : Connor Franta

Édition : Keyword Press

Nombre de pages : 224 pages

Parution : Avril 2015

ISBN : 9781476791616

Résumé de l'éditeur :

In this intimate memoir of life beyond the camera, Connor Franta shares the lessons he has learned on his journey from small-town boy to Internet sensation-so far. Here, Connor offers a look at his Midwestern upbringing as one of four children in the home and one of five in the classroom; his struggles with identity, body image, and sexuality in his teen years; and his decision to finally pursue his creative and artistic passions in his early twenties, setting up his thrilling career as a YouTube personality, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and tastemaker.

Mon avis :

Pour cet article, je vais laisser la place à l’auteur. En quelque sorte. Mais avant, petit point rapide. 

Pour ceux et celles qui ne le connaîtraient pas, Connor Franta est un youtubeur américain de 25 ans. Tout de suite, on se méfie. Alors oui, Connor n’a pas une plume incroyable, ce n’est pas un grand écrivain, mais il n’en reste pas moins un auteur, un artiste. Il dit des choses sensées, des choses qui nous parlent (du moins, qui me parlent), des choses qui font du bien à entendre. Et moi ça me suffit.

We cannot do everything; we cannot be everywhere. If you want to have a good time, make it a good time! (p.61)

You are your own individual, with your own particular set of dreams, desires, and aspirations. Everyone has preferences unique to him or her. So know what you like, know what makes you happy, stick to your guns, and state it with confidence. You'll walk taller, and has long as you follow your gut, you won't stray far in life. (p.84)

Never deny yourself the opportunity for self-expression, in any form. Don't underestimate the power of self-belief. Don't be limited by the expectations of others. Don't care what anybody else thinks. (p.96)

Success involves failing first. (...) Failure is your teacher, not your judge. (...) Create first and foremost for yourself, no one else. (p.97)

If you are highly intelligent, you'll be "an overachiever". If you're incredibly kind, you'll be "a goody-goody". If you're a little shy and quiet, you'll be "boring" or "awkward". But trust me, the judgment says more about the labeler than the labeled. (p.135)

So let other people apply the labels, but don't let that label become your straitjacket. In fact, use the opportunity to take those labels and redefine them. Enhance it. Expand on it. Break through the barriers and limitations. Carve out an identity that is unique to you. Don't agree to be marked, filed, and put into a box that will hinder your true potential. Who are you? You are who you are in this given moment. Label-less. Limitless. (p.135)

None of us wants our existence to be based on what-ifs. So in the spirit of our collective interest, I suggest that you too shift your focus. Stop looking over your shoulder. Stop looking off into the distance. Stop dwelling on expectations. Simply take stock and concentrate on how you feel and what you need right now. Then do it! (p.148)

But ultimately I realized that the only person capable of pulling me out of this cycle (depression) is me. We each have a choice when feeling down: we become the helpless victim or the self-empowered conqueror. We stay down or get back up. (p.166)

Leaving behind the comfort zone forced me to see the real world, away from everything and everyone I know and love. That's a scary thing but it made me a grown-up, and we all have to do it one day. (p.186)

The future is as bright as you let it shine. Don't be tricked into seeing it dimly. Don't be fooled into believing that this, where you are right now, is all you get. Your potential is endless. Just act. Act now. Right now. Leap. Live. Love. So what are you waiting for? Go. Get started. (p.209)