Although Los Angeles was big and scary when I got there, there's one thing that I saw within the first 4 months that actually gave me a nice bit of confidence.
If you live in or around the "coolest" (or "hottest") part of Los Angeles (Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Century City, Westwood, etc.) you'll eventually see some celebrities.
While it might be neat to see your favorite childhood celebrities that are in their 40's (Mario Lopez, Pamela Anderson, Julia Roberts) or musicians that you listen to, there's something that happens when a guy or girl in their 20's sees a actor or model that is in or around that same age.
They IMMEDIATELY compare themselves.
I know I did do.