PUBLISHED ONOctober 05, 2023 10:13 AMByYeo Shu HuiThe path to success can be a lonely one and local actor-singer Glenn Yong would know.
Speaking to radio DJ Jean Danker in the latest episode of her podcast R U Okay?, the 26-year-old shared that he felt "really blessed and lucky" to have achieved his dreams of becoming an actor, an activist and being involved in his passion for fashion.
However, he also felt that it was "scary" for someone "ambitious" like him.
"I always have a goal or a bucket list to chase after, but all of a sudden I have nothing to look forward to and that scares me a little bit to a point where I no longer feel like I have something to look forward to in life," said Glenn.
He added that when he started out in the industry four years ago, he was "super idealistic" and "super passionate" in chasing after his dreams.
Glenn said: "I thought I lost my fire. I'm just going through the motions and it no longer felt like I was fully enjoying the whole process, because I just felt like I'm doing everything to maintain whatever I have right now, rather than trying to gain new grounds or have a breakthrough."
He added that he would share his dreams with people he met when he first started out , but would get discouraging looks and comments from them, including veteran actors.
Glenn shared: "There was a veteran who told me, 'You have no money and no connections, who do you think you are? You think you can make it in this industry?' I was shocked, because this person seemed nice, in all my years of watching this person [on screen]."
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Some of the comments even included his parents.
"This (other) person said, 'Your dad is just a Grab driver and your mum does home baking, what can they do for you?'" Glenn recounted.
This made him look at the entertainment industry in a different way.
"It is tough. I would say that the industry is not all fun and nice… These are things that I had to deal with. As crazy as it sounds, it is reality, this is the real world," he said.
He added that these comments gave him motivation to work harder and inspiration for his songs, which he wrote about his haters.
However, Glenn also admitted that there were times in the beginning when he had a lot of "self-doubt" because of these comments.
"Beyond all the success and the dreamer side of me, there's also a side of me where a lot of people don't see, which is that I actually break down a lot. At events I usually go to the toilet halfway through and I just cry and tell myself that I can't do this," he shared, adding that he felt "inadequate".
Despite that, he added that another part of him will tell himself to push through and work on the things that people doubted him on, which helped him improve.
Glenn shared that he has been on a journey of self-love and self-care because he realised that he did not take any breaks for himself for the past three years, and looks towards enjoying simpler things in life now, such as dinner with family and friends.
He said: "I think life really has a way of humbling you. You thought all the big things that you're doing right now could make you happy but it doesn't define everything that you are. It is relationships and who's around you that matters."
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