People who are seriously damaged by sudden fame and notoriety have, in my experience, very low esteem at the root of their being.
I've always got such high expectations for myself. I'm aware of them, but I can't relax them.
I think, generally, most people can't maintain anything that's particularly strict for very long. I watch people trying and failing to do that a lot.
My failures had a lot to do with my fame. I created Evel Knievel, and then he sort of got away from me.
Being the heavy favorite is not always a good thing because of the amount of pressure on an athlete.
You can't just carry everyone else's hopes and fears around in your backpack and expect to stand up straight.
I have learned one thing in my life: If I put too much pressure on myself, then everything goes wrong.
Occasionally, you feel like the only person able to win the match. So you take all the responsibility, you do too much, and you do something bad.
The obsession that you have to manage everything - it's really bad.
I found myself trying to be all things to all people. I felt a tremendous sense of responsibility and the pressure of expectation.
