A few weeks ago, a friend told me what she'd heard of the story of Bill Hader and his acceptance into the well-known and deeply beloved 'Saturday Night Live' family. We had been discussing and chuckling giddily to ourselves about one of Hader's most notable sketches, Stefon on the Weekend Updates, when she turned to me with a noticeable tinge of awed excitement and asked, "Have you heard about how Bill Hader came to be on SNL?" I had not yet maneuvered my way to those facts down the rabbit hole of YouTube documentation, so I was eager to learn. She spun the tale.

As it turns out, Hader's rise to fame was an incredible and unexpected ride. It just so happened that the right people lined up at the right time, all bearing witness to his remarkable comedic ability. A woman saw Hader performing in his comedy group, became captivated by his talent, and told him out of the blue that she would be putting in a good word for him with Lorne Michaels, the creator and producer of SNL. On the heels of this massive news came a performance by Hader, again with his comedy group, where he found himself staring out into an audience filled with Lorne himself, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, and several other major characters on the SNL scene. Soon he had an audition in his grasp and a job on the way.

Hader's story is just plain inspiring. It really is. Not in the wide-eyed, endlessly hopeful way of wishing someone would swoop in like that and put that mythical "good word" that makes all dreams come true. No, what makes Hader, and for that matter, every member of the SNL family, such a powerful example is how he saw the opportunity before him and seized it before it could even think of passing him. The SNL cast didn't shoulder their way onto the screen with fists and fury flying, but they did summon up every bit of their courage and chose to share what they loved to do, even if it meant they looked like fools in the process.

What makes Hader and the greats of this show so good at what they do is their boundless commitment to their craft and to each other. The sketches are ridiculous and out there, questionable and often childish, garish and in the face of the public, but these people never let fear or arrogance of self-image stop them from their performance. They thrive in the pressures and hide nothing from the world, showing themselves at their worst both physically and socially so that they might be real with their audiences and true to what they do. They rag on themselves and others, poking fun at their own reputations in the public sphere until it was more holes that substance. I mean, they take the wind out of the sails of those who would look down on them, for what can cynics say about them that they haven't already said themselves?

And yet, they don't let it get to their heads, avoiding both inflated egos and butchered self-confidence. They never take themselves seriously, which allows them to have the time of their lives, but they also hold a ceaseless respect for the craft and for one another, which earns them the respect of their viewers no matter how ridiculous a costume or a line or a character may be. They love it all. And from this love comes life applications for these amazing men and women and life lessons for everyone watching.

For the SNL family, it is as prominent as audience laughter not only how talented they are but also how connected they have come to be. In improvising and dealing with absurd movements and storylines, a certain level of trust is required amongst the actors. SNL cast members can trust the people beside them to have their backs no matter what may happen, allowing them to truly shine and make bold choices because if they fall, everyone will be there to catch them. Probably literally, as I imagine someone on that show has to have fallen before. Their job builds real-world bonds, teaches trust, and helps to facilitate respectfulness, no matter the situation.

For viewers watching, the SNL family provides an example of bold confidence in life. No matter the obstacles a person faces, there will be people offering support and ways to cope. I've found it to be true that if you count yourself out before you even have the chance to try, you've already failed. But if you lay it all on the line and give of yourself your talents and passions, you will find where you fit, find what you can do, and embrace who you are. Hader shoved down his nerves and took his chance. Despite being faced with looming celebrity figures, he didn't tell himself he wasn't enough. He tried. He was willing to risk it all instead of hiding in fear, and he found success.

The magnitude of Hader's story cannot be everyone's. However, the confidence and the willingness to try can. Have faith in yourself, take a leap of faith and see where you land. You may very well like the place where you land.