Jim Carrey thinks his dad would have made a great comedian.
'The Mask' funnyman gave an emotional speech to students at the Iowa Maharishi University of Management this weekend, in which he encouraged them to follow their dreams, rather than taking the "safe" option in life.
He said: "So many of us choose our path out of fear disguised as practicality.
"My father could have been a great comedian but he didn't believe that that was possible for him, and so he made a conservative choice. Instead, he got a safe job as an account. "When I was 12 years old, he was let go from that safe job, and our family had to do whatever we could to survive. I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which was that you could fail at what you don't love, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love."
The 52-year-old star - who also received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts Honoris Caus degree at the ceremony - also warned money and fame aren't the answer to people's problems, and how Transcendental Meditation has helped him focus on what really matters in life.
According to www.TM.org, he added: "I've often said that I wish people could realise all their dreams and wealth and fame, so that they could see that it's not where they're gonna find their sense of completion. "Like many of you, I was concerned about going out into the world and doing something bigger than myself, until someone smarter than myself made me realise that there is nothing bigger than myself. My soul is not contained within the limits of my body, my body is contained within the limitlessness of my soul."
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