Comparing attitudes in Britain and Hollywood, Marc Maron once told fellow comedian Simon Pegg, "It seems to me that if you pay your dues in the U.K. and you're visible and you come up with a good idea, you'll probably get your opportunity."

I have no idea if this is true or not, because when I was in Britain I felt guilty for even having dreams. Of course, there are many driven and successful people back in the U.K., but I was always afraid to stick my neck out for fear the guillotine would come crashing down.

Many people ridicule "you can do anything you want"-type mantras and find some pride in being an everyman. Even though the cliche of the millennial generation is that we were all raised to think we were "that special little guy/girl," my mother wanted me to fit in more with the faces in the crowd. I can remember a conversation with her where she said, "You're no different to everyone else — you just try to be because you think it makes you more interesting."