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“It is easy to praise providence for anything that may happen if you have two qualities: a complete view of what has actually happened in each instance, and a sense of gratitude.” -Epictetus “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live byContinue reading “The Thanksgiving Reader”

We should always strive to be our own toughest and most honest critic. In that spirit, here’s a good practice for the theatre artist. (Though, I think it’s adaptable for anyone trying to make art or pursue a goal.) As soon as you step off the stage and are in the dressing room, do this…Continue reading “The Post-Show Notebook Practice”

“False ideas about yourself destroy you. For me, I always stay a student, that’s what martial arts are about, and you have to use the humility as a tool”. –Frank Shamrock There’s a great chapter in Ryan Holiday’s book, “The Obstacle Is The Way” about the mixed martial artist, Frank Shamrock and his unique trainingContinue reading “Plus, Minus, Equals”

Quick productivity tip to battle the resistance and the insidious nature of perfectionism… Write down everything you think you need to do today. Once you’ve finished your list, go back and put an asterisk next to everything you “absolutely have to do”, “no questions asked”, “this is it”, “I gotta get it done or else”Continue reading “Minimums, Maximums, And Somewhere In Betweens”

Fan is short for fanatic. To be a fan of something, that means you are fanatical. You obsess about it. You can’t wait, you’re chomping at the bit for the band’s next record or the writer’s next novel or the director’s next film. There’s nothing casual about your love of the thing. What, if anything,Continue reading “FANatic”

“Mama always told me not to look into the sights of the sun. Woah, but mama, that’s where the fun is.” -Bruce Springsteen, Blinded By The Light You could ski straight down a mountain. But where’s the joy in that? And how do you get better? We have to explore the edges. Especially in ourContinue reading “Edges”

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” -John Lennon How much better would we feel if for everything that happens to us, we simply took a breath and uttered these words to ourselves?… “This is exactly what was supposed to happen.” How much unnecessary stress and strain and aggravation couldContinue reading ““This Is Exactly What Was Supposed To Happen””

We all have a to-do list–which I like to call my “get” to do list–and no doubt, it’s important. But just as important is to celebrate our daily wins, no matter how big or small. One way to do that is by creating an ‘I Did It!” list (yes, the exclamation mark is intentional). InContinue reading “The “I Did It!” List”

November is National Gratitude Month. No doubt, you’ve read some article espousing the benefits of a regular gratitude practice. I believe, and there is plenty of research to back this up, that when done meaningfully and consistently, practicing gratitude is transformative. But we should also practice appreciation. Which I think is different than gratitude andContinue reading “Gratitude And Appreciation”