If you’re climbing the ladder of life, you go rung by rung, one step at a time. Don’t look too far up, set your goals high but take one step at a time. Sometimes you don’t think you’re progressing until you step back and see how high you’ve really gone.
With success came an ever-growing burden of responsibility. I lived with a near-constant low-level anxiety that I would make a mistake that would not only threaten my career, but also my brothers’ – not to mention the livelihoods of many people who work with us or for us.
Sometimes people take it for granted that they had success, especially nowadays when you have instant stardom. A lot of people feel entitlement and nobody is entitled to anything.
My political ideas and things like that, even my religion, I try to keep close to me because it’s a personal thing, and I don’t shove it down people’s throats. I don’t condemn any artist that wants to do that, like the Baldwins. That’s their choice. But in my world, I’m just an entertainer.
I am not going to condemn anybody. That’s where religion gets a bad name, when people get holier than thou. We are all human. If my children make a mistake, I want them to know it is all right and they should try harder next time.
I believe in the institution of marriage. Of course being a Mormon, we believe in eternity rather than just till death do us part. If you really try hard, if you make it work, it’s blissful. But I also know a marriage that isn’t working can be painful.
This whole head of the home thing has been blown way out of proportion. Some guys just take it way too far. Some parents take it way too far. Yet children need guidance. They need a parent to help and guide them. They also need a friend. They need a confidant.
The mindset of chasing that next #1 record doesn’t exist for me anymore. It’s more about being a well-rounded entertainer than being a pop artist. Obviously, it would be wonderful to have a hit record but I don’t base my happiness on that anymore. It’s about the accomplishment of a project that satisfies me. I just want to enjoy the ride.