Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology

by Leah Remini

There is no “right” way to be. I am flawed and imperfect, but am uniquely me. I don’t fit in and probably never will. And I don’t have to try to anymore. That other person was a lie. And let’s face it, normal is boring. We all have something to offer the world in some way, but by not being our authentic selves, we are robbing the world of something different, something special.

It’s never too late to begin again. Better, stronger, more evolved.

For most people who leave a long-term toxic situation, it’s usually a progression of things that ultimately don’t make sense that leads them to seek the truth and other perspectives. When you step out, step away, when you finally look for yourself, you see the truth, and it pushes you. One day hopefully the lightbulb goes off, and you pack your shit and go. Down the road you may question why you didn’t leave sooner, but it’s because you simply weren’t ready, that’s all. When the veil comes off, it comes off. No matter how old you are, you still have a life ahead of you and you can still make a change.

In order to change, however, you have to be willing to acknowledge the need for change—in other words, you have to come to terms with the fact that everything in your life isn’t perfect. There is this concept—among not just Scientologists, but everyone—that we are all supposed to have it together. Whether it’s our work, love lives, family relationships, or even feelings about ourselves, we need to present this idealized image to others. We are so conditioned when asked “How are you?” to say “Good” or “Great.” But why not “I don’t know. I hate everyone today.” Why are we so scared to be judged imperfect or to talk about how we really feel? To be authentic? If we can just tell each other how and what we are really doing, step outside of what we believe others think we should be, the result can be therapeutic.