It’s been all over the news. Lori Loughlin, who played Aunt Becky in the 90s hit sitcom Full House, is in serious legal trouble over her efforts to buy her daughters’ way into college.
Loughlin and her husband are accused of fraud and money laundering, for allegedly paying $500,000 in bribes to secure admission into USC for their two daughters. I could go on a tangent about how fucked up this is on every level, but I want to limit this conversation to what I’ve been talking about all week in my podcast — limiting beliefs.
Loughlin’s youngest daughter, Olivia Jade, was a popular vlogger with over 1.9 million subscribers to her YouTube channel and 1.4 million followers on Instagram. She had launched her own makeup products in partnership with the makeup brand, Sephora and had additional partnerships with major brands like Amazon. Olivia had expressed her disinterest in going to college on her YouTube channel when she told followers that she was mainly only interested in the college party experience.
You may be asking, what this has to do with limiting beliefs, so let me get to the point. First of all, it’s rumored that Lori Loughlin was somewhat obsessed with USC. She had a limiting belief about college in general — she clearly believed it was absolutely necessary for her daughters to go to college in order to be successful. She also had limiting beliefs about which college, specifically — she was only interested in them attending school at USC. And finally, she had limiting beliefs about her daughters’ abilities to be admitted into college without having to pay a bribe.
Remember how, in previous episodes of my podcast, I told you that some of your limiting beliefs very likely come from your parents imposing their will on you? Loughlin could have easily passed her limiting beliefs on to her daughters, creating a mindset in them that the only way they could be successful in life was to get a college degree, cheat when they needed to, and/or pay their way through life.
Olivia Jade was obviously doing something she loved in vlogging, and we know that digital content is a big industry in which people can be very successful. As a result of her mother’s actions, Olivia Jade has faced extreme backlash and has lost partnerships with many of the major brands she previously worked with. Her mother’s limiting beliefs jeopardized her career as a vlogger, and may have lasting affects on her life. She may somehow be able to save her vlogging career, but the embarrassment that her mother’s actions have caused won’t soon be forgotten.
Lori Loughlin’s limiting beliefs caused her to make decisions that failed her daughters and failed her as well. The best thing we can do in life is to be true to ourselves and follow our own desires. When we take on someone else’s will for us, as did Olivia Jade, the result is a disingenuous, half-hearted attempt that really benefits no one.