The Vs. Studio Blog

Most men are like me, they struggle and doubt
They trouble their minds day in and day out
Too busy with living to worry about
A little word like love
But when I see a mother’s tenderness
As she holds her young close to her breast
Then I thank God that the world’s been blessed
With a thing called love -song “A Thing Called Love” by Johnny Cash

“To love is to will the good of the other.” -Saint Thomas Aquinas

But when I feel that I, I can’t go on
These precious words keeps me hanging on
I remember mama said
Can’t hurry love
No, you just have to wait
She said love don’t come easy
It’s a game of give and take -song “You Can’t Hurry Love” by The Supremes

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.” -Luke 6:27-35

Here’s the thing about love:

It’s an act of will. Not a feeling.

It’s gotta cost you something.

And especially over the long term, it’s not easy.

But it’s everything. It’s all we got.

So please, love one another.

Sometimes, wish you were here, weather permitting
Right thoughts, right words, right action
Right thoughts, right words, right action
Right thoughts, right words, right action
Right thoughts, right words, right action -song “Right Action” by Franz Ferdinand

Do you have the patience to wait
till your mud settles and the water is clear?
Can you remain unmoving
till the right action arises by itself? -Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu (Stephen Mitchell translation)

“Our mind is like a glass of clear water. If we put salt into the water, it becomes salt water; sugar, it becomes sugar water; shit, it becomes shit water. But originally the mind is clear. No thinking, no mind. No mind, no problem.” -Zen Master Seung Sahn

“Sometimes it’s necessary to go a long distance out of the way in order to come back a short distance correctly.” -Jerry in The Zoo Story by Edward Albee

To get to the right actions, you first need to have the right thoughts.

If your mind and heart are pure, then even if you make some mistakes in the short run, you’ll figure out the right actions and get to where you need to go in the long run.

“It’s not what you are capable of; it’s what you are willing to do. Plenty of people are capable. Fewer people are willing.” -Mike Tomlin

“We tend to think the people who get ahead have more talent, better connections, greater opportunities, or better luck. Sometimes they do. But some of the strongest advantages aren’t things you’re given. They’re things you do. Most people already know what they should do. The hard part is doing it when it’s boring, the payoff is far away, or no one is watching. That’s where your advantage comes from.” -Shane Parrish

It’s not so much: “many are called, but few are chosen.”

It’s more like: “many are capable, but few are willing.”

You have everything you need. You are more than capable.

But are you willing to do what it takes?

“It was working men and women who made the 20th century the American century. It was the labor movement that helped secure so much of what we take for granted today.” -Barack Obama

“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” -Thomas Paine

Hopefully you’re enjoying a well-deserved day off today. But while you do, take a moment to appreciate the struggle that not only resulted in this holiday, but also in an 8-hour workday, a 5-day work week, elimination of child labor and a whole host of other measures designed to protect worker’s rights. This article and this article takes you through some of that journey.

One more thing: the first Labor Day was a parade in 1882 (pictured above). But it wasn’t a holiday. It was actually an organized strike (An estimated 20,000 workers sacrificed a day’s pay and risked getting fired). Labor Day wasn’t declared a holiday until President Grover Cleveland signed the bill in 1894.

So, enjoy the barbecue and the beach. But remember to be grateful for all those who fought to make it so.

“I train like I’ve never won, and I compete like I’ve never lost.” -Eileen Gu, freestyle skier and winner of three gold medals

For the actor…

Be nervous before you say yes to the play. If you are, then it’s a great sign you should do it.

Be nervous in rehearsal. Channel all those nerves into your work. You can’t work hard enough. Train. Train. Train. Rehearse. Rehearse. Rehearse.

Be nervous in the dressing room and all the way through “Places!” Use that fuel for energy.

But once you walk out on that stage, you better drop the nerves and be confident. You’ve earned that right with your work. Focus. Listen. Trust. Leave it all out there. (That’s what they came to see. Not your nerves.)

Are you going through the motions or growing through your motions?

There will certainly be tough days where in pursuit of your passion project, you just go through the motions. And doing that is far better than doing nothing at all.

But overall you should be growing, improving, getting closer to your goal.

If not, it’s time to iterate those motions.

“If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step we take just gets us to the wrong place faster.” -Stephen Covey

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” -Anne Dillard

Success is as dangerous as failure.
Hope is as hollow as fear.

What does it mean that success is as dangerous as failure?
Whether you go up the ladder or down it,
your position is shaky.
When you stand with your two feet on the ground,
you will always keep your balance. -Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu (Stephen Mitchell translation)

“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” -Peter Drucker

Before deciding which wall you need to lean your ladder up against, first decide if you even need to climb the ladder at all.

I just overheard a conversation between a security guard and an elderly person in an office building. The guard was helping her with some packages and holding the elevator for her.

He said as she got in:

“You know what today is?”

She replied:

“Tuesday?”

To which he said:

“It’s Thankful Tuesday. You have to be thankful for everything. Thankful for the little things.”

She smiled and the elevator closed.

I thought that was worth sharing. And I am thankful today for that nice security guard and his words of wisdom.

What are you thankful for?

P.S. – And for those of you who choose to celebrate, it’s also Taco Tuesday! While you’re eating your delicious taco, you can be thankful for it.

“There is no path to greatness without hard work. And the only person who feels like working hard for years is someone who is excited about the task. You only get one life and you’re going to burn the days either way, so the real question is: What excites you and interests you? What makes you feel curious and alive, perhaps even joyful? What is so “worth it” that you’re not worried about the tradeoffs, the hard work, the hassle? Follow your enthusiasm.” -James Clear

“Discipline can get you through bad days, but if it’s getting you through months, you’re going to burn out.” -Shane Parrish

“Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Every memorable act in the history of the world is a triumph of enthusiasm. Nothing great was ever achieved without it because it gives any challenge or any occupation, no matter how frightening or difficult, a new meaning. Without enthusiasm you are doomed to a life of mediocrity, but with it you can accomplish miracles.” -Og Mandino

All you really need to be happy is something to be enthusiastic about. If you have it, cherish it. For it’s worth more than all the gold in the world.

If you don’t, keep looking. You’ll find it. (And while you’re looking, be enthusiastic for someone else. Your enthusiasm for their passion is also priceless.)

“The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control. Where then do I look for good and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself to the choices that are my own.” -Epictetus

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” -Serenity Prayer

Do you want to improve the world?
I don’t think it can be done.

The world is sacred.
It can’t be improved.
If you tamper with it, you’ll ruin it.
If you treat it like an object, you’ll lose it.

The Master sees things as they are,
without trying to control them.
She lets them go their own way,
and resides at the center of the circle. -excerpt from Verse 29, “Tai Te Ching” by Lao Tzu (Stephen Mitchell translation)

The only way to gain control is to lose control.

And if you’re at all worried about letting go, realize that you’ve never really been in control. You just were foolish to think you were. Enlightenment just means waking up to this. Carry on.