Erika Jayne Quotes

I think it's something that I had to teach myself because growing up wasn't always a barrel of laughs. I was insecure and I had a lot of self-doubts, which is why I tell myself I can do it and that I earned it. I think you kind of become your own best cheerleader. I mean, obviously, my mom and my grandmother were big cheerleaders of mine, but at the end of the day, you have to be your own cheerleader—every day. Otherwise, it's not going to work out if you don't believe in yourself. I think a lot of it, too, is looking around and saying 'Why not me?' You know, 'Why not me?' I mean, if they can do it I can do it. There's nothing that special about anyone, really.

I can do it. I earned it. It's something you have to remind yourself.

Here's the thing, it's the same person. It's just that some things that are appropriate on stage aren't appropriate at a dinner party, you know with a bunch of judges and lawyers. It's still saying how you feel, it's still being yourself, it's just knowing when and where. It's also knowing when to let someone else take the lead. That's exactly why Erika Jayne is so great, because when she's onstage, that's what she's supposed to do. To be over the top, to be peacocking. But it still resonates from the same place inside [me].

Confidence isn't always out front and screaming, 'Look at me, look at me.'Confidence can be sitting back for a moment and letting someone else take the lead when you need to. You don't always have to be showboating.

Money doesn't make you confident, material things don't make you confident. Your work ethic makes you confident; your achievements make you confident. It's about setting goals, and it's about whether or not you reach them. I know a lot of people with money who are not happy, who are insecure, who are basically train wrecks.

Money does not make you happy. All money does is make you really look at yourself. When you're not worried about the lights being shut off, then you can get down to business looking at 'What kind of persona am I?'Money is not a cure-all. You're still human, you still get depressed, you still get scared, you still get sad ... It's really about your own self-worth. If you're going to be the best doctor, the best dancer, the best teacher, the best singer, it's really about that. That's where the confidence comes from. A lot of people who don't have a lot of money have a lot of confidence, [they] still love themselves because they feel accomplished inside.

I think you have to rise above, to remain true to who you are. No matter what is said about you in the media, you have to look at the big picture — and you have to have a plan for where you want your life to go. And you also can't think that everyone is going to be there to help you; it's a lonely road to success.

And you've [got to] pick and choose when you wanna be tough. If you're tough all the time or you raise your voice all the time, it's really ineffective. Something that you might say now in the heat of the moment will not serve you later ... You have to know when to put your foot down and really stand on your conviction. If you're gonna really let someone have it, you have to really have your shit together.

You do have to rise above. If you're true to yourself and you're confident with who you are and you really know where you're coming from, you'll be fine. No matter what anyone says and no matter what anyone tries to do to you.

All of us have been in situations where we've lost our confidence, even the greatest leaders in the world. We are at the end of the day human — I have no problem telling you, yeah [I have days when] I think, you know, What am I doing? Remember why you're doing what you're doing; talk yourself off the ledge. You know you have to become your own best counselor because really no one is going to take the time and the energy to understand your problems quite like you can.

Other people's opinions are simply other people's opinions. I am who I am. I know who Erika Jayne is, and I know who Erika Girardi is. It's OK.

I've had a lot of ups and downs, and listen, to still be putting yourself out there on stage at my age, you come against a lot of stuff. But if you love what you do, no one should let the opinions of others take away their joy or take away their dreams. And that's really all it comes down to. Loving yourself, believing in yourself, putting one foot in front of the other and doing it.

You know, I'm kind of a tomboy. I love to fish. I like to fish. I love to stay outdoors. I'm a big sports fan and go to games. I don't care what they are. I love to gamble and go to Vegas. I like my dog.

I've been fortunate enough to tour all over the country. I'm always going to be over the top - I'm a showgirl at heart, so that's what you can expect.

New York City is such an awesome place with a lot of great artists doing great things at the top level. There was so much going on then and so much going on now. It was really ‘the’ place to go to hone your artistry. I became a member of a couple of girl groups early on and performed at a few clubs around there. But basically, I was doing any job I could just to stay alive. A lot of extra work. I was a starving artist.