Selt-starters

I normally write a minimum of two hours a day, up to 16 hours if I'm in a creative frenzy because the words won't stop flying through my fingers.

No one tells me what to do or how much. Just me.

Any artist must be a self-starter. Self-motivated to not only create but to share and market what we create.

Best-selling author John Grisham used to write in the early morning before he went to work as a prosecuting attorney. I doubt if he thought he would become the uber-popular writer he has become, but for sure he was driven to write, to finish his book, to find someone to sell it and get it published. No one pushed him to do this, it was either inherent in his personality or he trained himself to create a successful habit.

Some have said that in fact, success is a habit.

Self-starting is not always a natural trait, but it surely is the only way we can succeed in almost any field, most particularly any of the arts. Writing, directing, acting, painting, dancing, you name it.

Good journalists must also be particularly driven to research, dig up the truth, take chances to find information that people intentionally attempt to obfuscate or hide.

While tabloid reporters and photographers in the US may risk catching a chill waiting around to catch a pathetic glimpse of Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan, more than 100 real journalists were killed last year world-wide trying to get the truth out to us about wars, corruption, criminals and the exploitation of innocent citizens.

An actor told me that he "missed acting" when he wasn't in a class. Um, when I want to act, I dig up a script, develop a character, subtext, movement, and make it happen. If I want to do scene work? I call someone and we get together.

There's really no reason we can't do our art any time of the day or night, alone or with someone else. Some of my actors work with one another on the phone. That can be anything from an improvised conversation as specific characters to rehearsing a scripted scene to just chatting about subtext or other elements of character development.

I've met so many people who consider themselves artists, particularly actors, who sit around waiting for their agent to call, reading call boards or relying on others to make their careers happen for them.

I can only suggest reading my recent blog "MAKE IT HAPPEN!" (June 1, 2007) if you need any role models.

One thing I can say that makes the difference: the people, in my experience, who succeed are people who show up. There are people who, through thick and thin, show up here, plugging away. Slow and steady can create a more substantial, enduring career than fast and erratic. Probably because any work that involves humans must develop organically. That takes time and patience, steady learning and practice - and all people have peaks and valleys in the developmental process of any work that emanates from the soul.

In the end we have to ask if your heart is really in the work you're pursuing. If it's not? It's not your passion. You're just not that into it. If you're not? Keep searching for your real passion.

Believe me, when you find what you are intended to do, what makes you soar, what brings you happiness and excitement, self-starting won't even be an issue. You'll find yourself researching, doing all sorts of things on your own, finding the right coach, finding the type of a certain discipline you'd like to pursue (such as watercolors or acrylics if you're interested in painting).

To find your passion requires self-starting to begin that search.

Many people are unhappy they haven't found their passion - but they don't seem to understand that waiting around won't make that happen.

If you have the intention of finding your passion and actually tell yourself AND write out, "I want to find and practice my passion," your quest is underway. Test the waters in the area that captures your fancy. Take a class. Talk with a trusted counselor.

Do something.

Most importantly, get started. Figure out what it takes to help you be a self-starter. Is it making a list? Scheduling tasks to make it happen? Chatting with a friend? Perhaps talking with a counselor to find why you are blocking yourself from enjoying your life to its fullest might be in order.

The question to ask yourself in order to find your own path to action? "How can I find and pursue my true passion?"

And if, in the end, you need someone to push you?

You! Yeah, you!

Get started!

Good luck!

Look where you WANT to go!

I met someone at a dinner party recently who had the opportunity to take a course in race car driving - one lesson of which she takes with her through life now.

Basically, when a race car driver sees himself heading toward a collision, he must not look in the direction of the oncoming crash, but instead at where he wants to go to prevent the accident!

My dinner companion said she was certain she could do it. She understood its reasoning, how it would indeed prevent a tragedy and how effective the idea is for racing and for living.

But when she found herself behind the wheel of a simulated race car on the track, as she was barrellng toward a brick wall, she was paralyzed, staring at the oncoming barricade, caught like a deer in headlights.

The pro driver/teacher sitting beside her actually pushed her face toward where she needed to go to prevent the simulated smash-up.

"Look where you *want* to go, not where you're going," he admonished her.

Impressive advice.

I thought of all the times I had simply looked straight ahead unconsciously at where I was already going rather than awarely viewing - surveying - where I really wanted to go.

I'm very good about taking in the world around me when I take a walk, go for a ferry ride, hike, and drive. As Sherlock Holmes would put it, I like to observe rather than only see.

But to make a concerted effort to see and observe where I want to go, what I want to do? This concept is not just a way to live past a potential pile-up literally, but a great philosophy.

Let's say you're working as a plumber and where you really want to go - what you really want to do - is become a singer.

So instead of staring directly ahead at plumbing work day after day and feeling stuck there, you start looking where you want to go while still using your plumbing skills to keep you on the road.
You take voice lessons, study music, watch/listen to your favorite artists, perform at open mikes, network with pro's and work your way up the live performance and recording food chain, kicking off your career.

Or who knows? You may find something else along the way that turns you on even more because you're looking for how you want to feel as well as where you want to go!

In relationships, work, hobbies, special interests, volunteer opportunities, weight loss, releasing addictions, or life in general: are you aware of where you want to go? Looking in that direction? Keeping an eye out to find your personal passion or fulfilling work if you aren't sure what it is now?

Or are you gazing straight ahead, unaware where you're going or why, simply letting life happen to you without considering what else living may offer you - or what you have to offer yourself and the world?

There are times I have to remember to push my face in the direction I want to go because sometimes it's easier to keep marching straight ahead without listening to myself, becoming lost in the din of the world's white noise.

Then I realize if I don't give myself the opportunity to at least glance in the direction I want to go, no matter how difficult that might be, the only collision I have to worry about is running into myself.

Want to be a writer?

The way to become a writer is simple.

Not easy, but simple.

Write.

That's it.

Write.

If you can write only one minute a day - creating your own work or copying someone else's (ONLY as an exercise! Not for publication!) - start writing. You can build from there.

The only way to write and get better at writing is to write.

Taking class after class of how to write, reading a bazillion books teaching you how to write, and watching every CD or DVD on the subject will NOT help you become a great, successful or accomplished writer.

Only writing and writing and writing will do that.

I know lots of people who have spent thousands of dollars on classes, books, CD's and DVD's about writing - but all it did was confuse them or make them feel like they were doing something to actually create a life of being a writer ... without writing.

Lots of professional writers check out these contributions to their craft for new insights or to support a friend's writing project, but not place of of writing every day!

Books, classes, CD's, etc., are fine as long as you continue to write, write, write.

It's the only way one succeeds at anything.

I write this today because I'm working with a couple of people who have been writing for awhile under my tutalege whose work is really kicking into high gear, these wordsmiths have become very professional. One of whom has already been making money for his writing for several months.

Recently he told me, "You know, there's really something to what you said about becoming a good writer. The more you do the better you get."

Um, right.

He's very excited about his future as a writer and he should be.

My other writer is a kiss away from being qualified to get a newswriting job at any major market TV station.

I'm delighted. And it all stems from the drive and willingness to do what it takes to write as much as they must to continue to improve the quality of their work.

When people realize what I do, they inevitably tell me they've "always wanted" to write a book or screenplay or article.

It's not enough to want to do anything. The only thing that makes it happen in real life is to write.

And write and write and write.

Oh, and reading tons of good stuff doesn't hurt, either. Especially if you find someone who creates work that you're *crazy* about!

Hopefully? One day that person whose writing you love will be *you!*

Getting organized!

Back when I was kicking cancer to the curb and enduring chemotherapy treatments, two women came to my house to clean it periodically since I was pretty useless - I had no energy after my coaching sessions.

I worked all but the last month of my treatment, when I had to surrender to the orders of my oncology nurse and doc and just rest.

But before these wonderful women would come over, I'd always feel obligated to at least get the place spiffed up enough so they wouldn't think I was a complete slob!

With every stitch of energy I had, I'd straighten, clean and polish, preparing for them!

Between my work and theirs, the place looked pretty decent.

Recently, my friend and coachee Shannon worked hard to get my den tidy, organized and rehabilitated .. it went from a place that was so full of "stuff" that people would enter at their own risk. We still don't know who that skeleton was we found under that stack of videos... ;-)

In preparation for a meeting I was to have with someone who agreed to help organize the entire studio area, den and files setup, I uber streamlined the place and the tasks so we could breeze through the day, restructuring, straighten and systemitize.

Turns out he didn't come.

But because I had done so much prep work anticipating what we were going to do, the day turned out to be quite fun, taking care of business and setting up my place so I can work effortlessly.

Shannon, another person and I will resume our restructuring and streamlining work on a more formal basis soon - which will be pretty exciting and fun for the three of us!

Point is, when we give ourselves a reason or a deadline to do something we know needs to be done, but seems a little overwhelming when we think of doing it? It certainly motivates me to take care of business in a way that makes it feel doable if I think someone is coming over at a certain time for a specific purpose.

I also broke the tasks down to make sure I'd get everything ready and done in time.

The upshot: the place is much more organized, my files set up and organized!

OK, call me crazy, but I thought - we can also *imagine* someone is coming over to motivate us to get things done. You know, your mother or someone you know you have to get everything in place for so they don't raise *that* eyebrow!

Wha'evah works, right?

Anyway, now I'm set up for meetings I'll be taking here over the next several weeks and don't have to worry about the state of its organization!