INTRODUCTION What could be worse than losing the number one show in America? Answer: Not losing it. Had I continued playing Chrissy Snow on "THREE'S COMPANY," the humongous hit TV show, I would not be the Suzanne I am today--a person I am happy to be. I had been moving full speed in America's fast lane. Life was great. Nothing could stop me now, I thought. Money was plentiful; work was coming at me like bullets on an artillery range. I could pick and choose. I was dancing in the big time. Then one day while my life was "speeding along that highway," someone opened the back door of the car and kicked me out. Suddenly, I found myself sitting on the side of the road all alone, watching a cloud of dust as the car sped on without me. Celebrity is an incredible gift, an opportunity of a lifetime. There's nothing like it. When fame came to me, it was like a drug, an ongoing incredible high. People called me "Miss Somers;" crowded restaurants magically had the best table available "Come right this way, Miss Somers," I would hear; theater tickets were no problem, nor were hotel reservations or hair appointments. Crowded doctors' offices could always fit me in for an appointment when it was convenient for me. There was no waiting in lines for movies or sitting in crowded airport lounges. Pre-boarding was the new and luxurious experience--a chance to get settled in before the "civilians" were allowed on the plane. I no longer even needed to carry a purse. Somehow, somewhere, magically, someone would appear to take care of my needs. Runners, go-fors were a new part of my life; "No problem, Miss Somers. I can get it for you. Anythingmy favorite soup or the La Scala chopped salad, which I lovewould be fetched and brought to me. Make-up people hovered to powder my nose, fix my lipstick, add more blush. Hairdressersteasing, spraying, adjusting. Anything I wanted or needed was responded to with a resounding "Yes, Miss Somers! Yes! Yes! Yes!"         Nothing was a problem because I was earning money for the network, and lots of it. A hit TV show is big business with multi-million dollar bonanzas. Keep the star happy. Don't mess with success. Thats why studios would accommodate Elizabeth Taylor's demands for chili from Chasens restaurant in L.A.no matter where in the world she traveled. They'd march it up the Himalayas if that would keep her happy. Elizabeth Taylor sells tickets. Never say no to the star because if the star walks, the project can fall apart. And the more popular the star, the more their demands are met. I didn't ask for any of this special treatment. It just came to me and intensified with each new magazine cover or important television appearance. When you're hot in TV, your busiest times are "sweeps weeks." That is when the networks put out their best product because advertisers buy time according to Nielsen ratings, which are measured during sweeps weeks. The higher the ratings, the higher the advertising revenues; and subsequently, the higher the revenues, the higher the profits for the networks. When you are the hot star, everyone wants you on their show, because you will bring in viewers which, in turn, brings in profits. Once you are famous, you don't have to evolve as a person. It's not necessary or important that you read or think or make corrections in your personality. Nobody cares! Just keep the profits rolling in. There's no need to move yourself forward spiritually and emotionally. But growth is the greatest gift we can give ourselves as human beingsto constantly evolve, to be the best people we can be, to tune into our feelings and face ourselves in all our nakedness and truly look at who we are. It is our opportunity to change and grow. If I hadn't been dumped from the number one show in America. I might have successfully continued doing sitcom after sitcom and being "Yessed" to death. Instead I was forced to come back to earth and look at myself from the vantage point of having "been there" and having lost it. As quickly as it all came, it was over. I was no longer America's darling. Suddenly, I wasn't bringing in any profits; and when you don't bring in profits, the doors slam shut. The "friends" I had made along the way were suddenly too busy to see me. The open doors of the network executives closed in my face. The champagne and scripts stopped arriving. The party invitations dried up. I was moved way down the alphabet from the "A List." I felt ostracized, hurt and shut out, disappointed that I believed I had been making "real" relationships. I had not understood that the invitations, the champagne, the scripts, the dinner invites, the open doors, and the friends were about business. This is the way it's done in Hollywood. The line between business and friendship is deliberately blurred. The pros, the ones who endure, understand this. It's the naive ones like myself, the new "hot" ones on the block, who get it confused and take it personally. Today, twenty years later, I am grateful. If I hadn't lost everything, I never would have had to do the work to bring myself back. I'm not talking about success anymore, although that came with it. I'm talking about the emotional work that helped me find the self-esteem to be the person I am today. It's an ongoing journey which has brought, and continues to bring me, peace of mind, serenity and happiness with myself and the new life I have created. As always, to explain where I am today, its necessary to tell you where Ive been. Today I see all negatives as opportunities. Everything that has happened to me has been a lesson. A wasted life is one in which lessons go unheeded. People who live such lives are the people who give up, who choose to be victims. I didnt give up. I am not a victim, and that is my proudest achievements. Excerpted from After the Fall: How I Picked Myself up, Dusted Myself off and Started All over Again by Suzanne Somers All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.