Jennifer Lopez: The relationship journey has been very up and down. But it didn’t have to do with anybody else, but me.

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez: The relationship journey has been very up and down. But it didn’t have to do with anybody else, but me.

Jennifer Lopez has made strides within the entertainment industry for over two decades. Although she’s been previously linked to high profile entertainers like Diddy, Ben Affleck, ex-husband Marc Anthony, and now, former MLB player Alex Rodriguez, she has also established a name for herself on the business side.

Over the span of her career – which began in 1980s – Lopez has completed a three-year Las Vegas residency, starred in over 20 movies, received the MTV Music Video Vanguard Award, released eight studio albums, and oversees her own production company, Nuyorican Productions.

J.Lo

In a new interview, Lopez is sharing secrets about how she’s maintained longevity within the industry, relationship advice, and her overall thoughts of her career. Check out a few excerpts below.

Obstacles she faced at the beginning of her career:

From early on in my career, I felt like people wanted to put me in a box. You will play these sorts of roles, do this type of thing. Or you will only act. You cannot sing and act at the same time. I felt very confined by that because I knew I was going to do different things. I was at least going to try!

Her thoughts on maintaining her career:

I feel very proud that I’ve survived as long as I have in this business. At this point in my life, I’m trying to give myself more credit. It’s hard when people are always telling you that you’re not good at things or saying, ‘Why is she successful?’ You get a lot of that when you’re a successful woman. You don’t get that as much when you’re a man.

Her experience when it comes to relationships:

For me, the relationship journey has been very up and down. But it didn’t have to do with anybody else but me—it was about me figuring out me. Until you learn to love yourself, you can’t completely love [someone else] in a way that is pure and true. Once you do that, you can have relationships that are based on love and respect, that are supportive and nourishing. There’s an evolution there that had to happen for me. I feel like I’m in a better place now.

Maximilian David Muñiz, Emme Maribel Muñiz

How she looked at herself after having kids:

Once I had kids, I realized that I had to be better and do better. Not just for them but for myself. There’s something about being responsible for another human being that makes you go, ‘Okay, what am I doing for myself? How can I take care of someone else if I can’t even take care of myself? How can I teach them how they should be treated if I allow people to treat me in a way that’s not nice? How can I teach them to be hard workers if I’m not working hard?’ I started examining myself from all different angles.

How she feels about her career overall:

Sometimes I get tired. I get tired a lot. But I never think, ‘I don’t want to do this.’ I just think I need a break. I really feel like I have a lot left that I want to do. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to a point where I’ll be satisfied and go, ‘I did it. All of it. I’m done. I got nothing else to say.’ I hope that day never comes.