“Think of many things; do only one.” -Portuguese proverb
A New Year’s resolution that might actually stick…
Do fewer things.
Focus like a laser beam on those few things.
How to choose?
Remember to ask yourself (daily) this magic focusing question.
P.S. – Can you name the 80’s film in the above pic?
“Perfect love casts out fear.” -John 4:18
“There is no deed in this life so impossible that you cannot do it. Your whole life should be lived as a heroic deed.” -Leo Tolstoy
“The world wants to know if you have cojones. If you are brave?” -Emilo Perez asking John Grady in Cormac McCarthy’s novel, All The Pretty Horses
The word courage is derived from the Latin word “cor” which literally means heart.
Every courageous act throughout history, all those people we admire for their bravery, had one thing in common.
Love.
They loved something, someone, so deeply and with all their heart. Their love transcended and went beyond self. So much so that when the time came for them to demonstrate courage, to step up, they answered the call. Even if that meant giving up their lives.
You probably don’t have to die to make your art, to make the change you want to make in this world, but you do need tremendous courage. To risk. To be vulnerable. To put yourself out there. To be willing to fail.
Find your love and your courage will follow.
P.S. – If you’re looking for some inspiration, read Ryan Holiday’s latest book “Courage Is Calling”.
“The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.” -Marie Kondo, “The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up”
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing. A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time. A schedule is a mock-up of reason and order—willed, faked, and so brought into being; it is a peace and a haven set into the wreck of time; it is a lifeboat on which you find yourself, decades later, still living.” -Anne Dillard, “The Writing Life”
The very first post I wrote was stating a formula for artistic happiness. Here it is again:
Meaningful Work + Meaningful Community = Artistic Happiness.
In the two years since, much of the blog’s been devoted to helping and inspiring you to find and manifest your passion project.
Today, I want to add a little wrinkle to the equation. Something we need to practice so that we can pursue the formula in the first place.
And that is, meaningful consumption.
What is it?
I define meaningful consumption as the ongoing process of examining how we spend our days, and ultimately (as Anne Dillard brilliantly states above), our lives. Bringing awareness to all our consumption patters. Our time, our money, our energy, the foods we eat, the things we watch, listen to and read, etc…Everything gets scrutinized to see if these patterns are bringing us joy or chaos. And when/where appropriate, we make a change.
Why engage in meaningful consumption?
Well for starters, it makes us feel good. Knowing we’re not wasteful gives us peace of mind. It’s just good practice overall.
Second, our planet and future generations are depending on us to be efficient. Right now.
And finally let’s face it, manifesting our passion projects takes a whole lot of time and energy (and often, money). We need to be ruthlessly efficient in our lives so that we can pursue these projects and do them with excellence and generosity.
Meaningful consumption is the necessary oxygen and lift off to make these projects a reality. To pursue the formula. To find artistic happiness.
“Our vanity, our self-love, promotes the cult of the genius,” Nietzsche said. “For if we think of genius as something magical, we are not obliged to compare ourselves and find ourselves lacking. . . . To call someone ‘divine’ means: ‘here there is no need to compete.”
― Angela Duckworth, “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance”
If you want to be let off the hook, just assume that the reason you’re not doing the thing you want to do, living the life you want to lead, is because it’s just not in the cards for you. Certain people are more gifted than you, they’re “born to do this” and therefore you shouldn’t even waste your time trying.
If you want to be ON the hook, take responsibility and give yourself agency. Be awed and inspired by other’s great achievements. Not jealous or envious. Decide that this is what you love to do and you will do it, no matter what. (I’m not talking about commercial success by the way. I’m talking about love of the thing for the thing itself.)
If you’re looking for a mantra (and a role model) to repeat over and over….
“To hell with circumstance. I create opportunities.” -Bruce Lee
Before you do ANYTHING (running an errand, making a phone call, driving a car, etc…you name it) ask yourself this question…
“What’s my intention here or what do I want to happen?”
It immediately focuses you. Makes you present. And ultimately will save you a lot of time and grief.
If you can’t answer the question or forget to ask it, you’re not ready for said task. Proceed at your own risk.
“It is difficult to understand the universe if you only study one planet.” -Muhashi, The Book Of Five Rings
Bill:
Socrates – “The only true wisdom consists of knowing you know nothing.”
Ted:
That’s us, dude.
One of my favorite albums of 2021 is “A Beginner’s Mind” by Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine. (Great headphone album!) In an article here, the duo reveal their writing process…isolating themselves in a friend’s cabin, watching films at night and writing songs loosely inspired by the movies the following day.
“They wrote in tandem — one person writing a verse, the other a chorus, churning out chord progressions and lyrical tapestries willy-nilly, often finishing each other’s sentences in the process,” according to a statement. They channeled the Zen Buddhist concept of “shoshin” which means having an attitude of openness and a lack of preconceptions toward a subject regardless of expertise. One approaches all study like a beginner.
I’ll leave with you a story that perfectly encapsulates shoshin…
There once existed a scholar named Tokusan, who was full of opinions on philosophy.
One day, in search for debate, the scholar Tokusan knocked on the door of a famous Zen Master. The master’s name was Ryutan, and he bid the scholar welcome.
As per tradition, Ryutan served Tokusan tea before the conversation began. However, Ryutan did not stop pouring even when the cup was full. Piping hot tea begun to spill over its brim, falling on the saucer, the low desk and finally coming to rest on the robes of the scholar Tokusan himself.
In a panic, Tokusan yelled, “Stop! What are you doing? Can’t you see that the teacup is full?”
“Exactly.” Master Ryutan replied. “You are like this cup; filled to the brim with ideas. You come and ask for teaching, but your cup is full; I can’t put anything in. Before I can teach you, you’ll have to empty your cup.”
“Your actions reveal not what you want, but what you choose.” -Shane Parrish
“In our world, it is becoming harder and harder to communicate with each other simply and honestly, on a gut level. Yet we still go to the theatre to have a communion with the truth of our existence, and, ideally, we leave it knowing that kind of communication is still possible The theatre can put forward simple human values in hopes that the audience may leave inspired to try to live by such values. Seeing an individual doing [their] best against impossible odds and without regard to [their] fears allows the audience to identify that very capacity within themselves. That iron will is the will of the actor bringing not some “magnificent performance” to the stage, but [their] own simple human values and the actions to which they drive [him/her]. When truth and virtue are so rare in almost every area of sour society the world needs theatre and the theatre needs actors who will bring the truth of the human soul to the stage. The theatre may now be the only place in society where people can go hear the truth.” -“A Practical Handbook For The Actor” by Melissa Bruder, Lee Michael Cohn, Madeleine Olnek, Nathaniel Pollack,. Robert Previto and Scott Zigler
“Always tell the truth, it’s the easiest thing to remember.” -David Mamet
“A Practical Handbook For The Actor” is one of my all time favorite acting books because it’s…well….so…practical. My very first acting mentor/teacher, Kurt Naebig, introduced me to it in his class way back in Chicago. It then led to me seeking out the Atlantic Theatre Company and their classes in Los Angeles which then led to the founding of Vs. Theatre Company (Another blog post for another time.) I constantly revisit the book.
I recently re-read the chapter on “physical action.” It states that there are 9 components or requirements to a good action. I won’t go into detail here as the book (get it, read it!) does a great job explaining each one. But I’ll list them below.
An action must…
Pretty terrific life advice too, don’t you think?
“I have had it with the deathbed. We burn a lot of fuel thinking about the deathbed. How long do you plan to spend on your deathbed? A day, a week? Maybe a couple months, at most. You got a whole lifetime before you get to the deathbed. Maybe live your life the way you want and just accept that, whether alone or otherwise, the deathbed is not going to be the high point. You’re all alone on your deathbed? Cheer up, you’re about to die.” -from the play Linda Vista by Tracy Letts
You certainly can’t control being missed, but it’s a worthwhile thing to strive for. Because it means that you contributed something to a group of people. You did something meaningful for others.
So, how might you be missed someday? Here’s a little primer…
Demand excellence of yourself.
Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable. Risk!
Don’t need to be thanked or praised.
Be generous to a fault.
Be exacting with your why.
Get super specific. Who’s it for? What’s it for? Find your smallest viable audience and radically delight them.
Be consistent. Show up. Show up. Show up.
Finally, don’t really care about being missed. Care about giving everything you have to the change you’re trying to make and the people you’re trying to serve.
And maybe, just maybe, they’ll miss you when you’re gone. More importantly, you’ll miss them!
“In contrast to what I saw happening in my own circle, where the whole of life is spent in idleness, amusement and dissatisfaction with life, I saw that these people who laboured hard throughout their entire lives were less dissatisfied with life than the rich. In contrast to the people of our class who resist and curse the privations and sufferings of their lot, these people accept sickness and grief without question or protest, and with a calm and firm conviction that this is how it must be, that it cannot be otherwise and that it is all for the good. Contrary to us, who the more intelligent we are the less we understand the meaning of life and see some kind of malicious joke in the fact that we suffer and die, these people live, suffer and approach death peacefully and, more often than not, joyfully.” -Leo Tolstoy, “A Confession”
Another mountain analogy this week…
David Brooks in his excellent book, “The Second Mountain” writes about two mountains that everyone encounters in their lives. The first is the one dominated by ego in which we seek fame, fortune and personal accolades. The second is the mountain whose summit can only be reached when we share, give back, and help make others better. We get to the second only after we realize that scaling the first didn’t make us one bit happier.
If we know this to be true, it begs the question…can’t we just bypass the first mountain and head to the second right from the start? We sure would save ourselves and others a whole lot of pain and anguish.
MORE Making
less consuming.
MORE Giving
less taking.
MORE Solving
less blaming.
MORE Listening
less talking.
MORE Walking.
less sitting.
MORE Appreciating
less expecting.
More Understanding
less judging.
More Doing.
less waiting.
The Vs. Studio Blog