Life is NOT a Rehearsal
If you’re here because you read yesterday’s blog, that’s great, please read on, if not, please go back and read yesterday’s blog and then come back to this one via the link at the bottom of the previous blog.
We start out with such good intentions.
We know what we want, but we never quite get there.
We don’t get the roles we want, we don’t get into the school of our choice, we end up working for money that pays the bills, but doesn’t feed our actor’s soul, we have wonderful, loving children who unfortunately drain us of the energy we are desperate to throw into our acting work. Shit Happens. And that’s usually the excuse that people hide behind. You see, even good reasons are excuses for not achieving your goals. I appreciate that they might be very VERY good reasons. But you’d be better served putting the energy you waste on excusing yourself in taking action.
I was on Nate Green’s blog recently. Nate is a phenomena. He’s 23 years old. And he has built a career as a fitness entrepreneur on a level I admire. He is fit and healthy, wealthy, accomplished and has a great reputation. He’s 23. And he has achieved more than most of us do in 50 years. Imagine what he can do in the next 27 years.
Anyway, on Nate’s blog, I found a PDF that he wrote, it’s free, and it’s to kick start a new philosophy of living. It was inspiring. But the part that really got me was his Momento Mori chart. It’s a grid, I made one for you, click the link, go to the page, download the PDF file, it’s virus free! Print it out (but I haven’t got a printer, send it to someone that HAS a printer and get THEM to print it out lazy bones). And then start to fill it in.
Put your Date of Birth in the top left corner, put the date 80 years on from your date of birth in the bottom left hand corner. Now shade in one tiny box for every week that you’ve been alive. It’s 80 squares down (years) and 52 squares across (weeks).
My Life is NOT a Rehearsal. SAY IT!
SCARY, isn’t it?
Are you feeling melancholy now? Are you dwelling on mortality and your own death?
WAKE THE FUCK UP! Those squares that are empty are all you have left – IF you’re lucky!
NOW YOU CAN’T DO ANYTHING WITH THOSE COLOURED SQUARES. THEY’RE GONE. FORGET THEM.
BUT YOU CAN TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT YOU DO WITH THE REST.
So PUT THIS PRINT OUT SOMEWHERE YOU WILL HAVE TO LOOK AT IT, SOMEONE YOU HAVE TO SEE IT. And week by week, you’re going to fill in the next week and the next week and the next week. And every time you do, I want you to reflect for just 5 short minutes (YOU: I haven’t got time! ME: You go to the toilet don’t you?) and think about what you have done with that week. Reflect upon what you have filled that week with.
You will soon get the sense like me, that you want to fill these empty boxes with as much as possible, because when they’re full, they’re full.
In tomorrow’s blog, I’m going to give you a plan to help you get what you want, it will involve a little time and work on your part, but you’ll survive. If you complete the task, you’ll start getting what you want. If you don’t, well, think up another excuse.
This plan is going to guarantee that you fill up those squares the best you can. AND that you start getting what you want.
You can either make another excuse, or you can get on with it. And not later. (your later is ever decreasing) Now.