With a new outlook, new attitude, and a newly svelte physique, Star Jones Reynolds has a new lease on life. Best known as co-host on Barbara Walters’ popular “The View” daytime talk show, Jones Reynolds wants to show you how she regained her personal sparkle and impart a little knowledge what it takes to let your own light shine through!
What’s compelling about Jones Reynolds’ story is not her ever-growing wealth, fame, weight loss, or even her much-discussed husband. It’s how she took control of her life by applying simple, yet effective principles consistently to create a profound effect.
Tip No. 1: “There’s no such thing as luck; lucky is when preparation meets opportunity,” she says. Jones Reynolds’ career began as an up-and-coming assistant district attorney in Brooklyn, New York. She decided as a child that being a lawyer was her path and “Star Jones for the people,” was a statement she voiced proudly with, in her own words, a clear, strong and courageous voice. She wanted to become a prosecutor to “right the wrongs and be there for the people.”
Jones Reynolds got her start in television when the husband of a colleague in the district attorney’s office needed a lawyer to do volunteer commentary for a new network – Court TV. The colleague said, “I’m not that vain, you gotta ask Star.” Jones Reynolds has never forgotten those words. Who knew they would alter the course of her life?
Six weeks later she began doing commentary for NBC, garnering her own syndicated show called “Jones and Jury.” She provided legal discourse on high-profile court cases such as the Menendez Brothers, Mike Tyson and Rodney King. She then followed the O. J. Simpson criminal, civil and child-custody proceedings with entertainment-news show “Inside Edition.”
As she wondered what the next step would be, she received a phone call. It was a young man she’d met years before, when he was a production assistant for a national talk show. She had been nice to him, and he remembered. He now was a producer for a new Barbara Walters show and wanted to submit Jones Reynolds’ name for co-host. She got the job. The View now has enjoyed nine seasons on ABC.
Tip No. 2: Be there for others. “Being generous with your time, with yourself, can ultimately benefit you because it certainly benefited me,” she says, recalling how that act of kindness helped bring her to the next level of her career.
Fame, a substantial fortune, career fulfillment; yet she was not fulfilled. “I no longer want to mince words or need to be politically correct – I was full of myself,” she recalls. I forgot I didn’t get there by myself, and I think I was resting on my laurels.”
Tip No. 3: Assess yourself. “Ask yourself the tough questions about your health, happiness and what you want in life,” she advises. Jones Reynolds is now on a new path. After tipping the scales at 300 pounds and 5 foot 5 inches tall, she knew something had to give. She looked at a list she’d created called “The Ideal Man for Me!,” on which she’d noted 34 traits she sought. Holding that list up to her now obese body was a real awakening.
“I had to admit to myself that I didn’t live up to the list, and if you’re looking for Jimmy Smits, you can’t walk around looking all busted,” she says, laughing. “You’ll end up with two choices: Change your list, or change yourself. I was not willing to change my list, so I had no choice but to change myself.”
Fifty pounds later, Jones Reynolds met her future husband, who met 33 of her list’s 34 criteria. At half the woman she once was, Jones Reynolds is happy, healthy and living the life of her dreams.
Her message: If you prepare yourself spiritually, emotionally and physically, you will win. “I want people to remember this is a journey, not a destination – you’re not going to get to a place – it’s not like all of a sudden Nirvana is going to be in your life.
“What you’re trying to achieve is to go down a path that will lead you to growth, and I had to learn that about myself.”
Star Jones Reynolds shares her path to fulfillment and love in her new book “Shine! A Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Journey to Finding Love” (Collins, $24.95), which can be found online and in bookstores nationwide.
Doni Luckett is chief executive of Divine-Basics.com, which produces lifestyle products to reconnect with moments that matter. Your questions may be addressed in the column by e-mailing enrichyourlife@divine-basics.com.
