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Climbing the toadstool rocks of Iceland...no there was no easy way up there! Yes, we can do anything we set our minds to!
Strangest thing…I had been planning my next post all of last week…and now I cannot remember for the life of me what had I wanted to write about. Why? Because a new thought wormed its way into my mind earlier this week, and has prevailed there for the last few days, growing in strength until I decided I would write on it…or vent on it, however it exits my brain through my fingers.
Sometimes, our worst enemies is ourselves. We are our own obstacles in the journey towards success, greatness, happiness…etc. We are creatures of comfort, and we don’t like change. In fact, I think we actively resist change because it may turn our world upside down. We are not the strongest creatures of this planet, and so we do whatever we can to survive. And when there’s change, I guess we read it as a risky situation where we may not survive. When the first scientists suggested that the Earth was round, the concept was laughable. The recent idea that cow’s milk actually does not provide calcium for the body, and is in fact not very good for consumption, met with fire. It still is under fire.
You get the idea.
This past week, I have been looking at myself, and where I want to go. I also have been talking with many people regarding success in life. What conclusions I drew from both my own reflections and my interactions with others, is that the reason why many of us live an eternally gray life, and a life with many wishes but very little accomplishment, is because we are afraid to step forward and take the plunge.
I want to be slimmer, but I think I have held onto greater weight for so long, that it doesn’t want to let it go. Someone wants to make money, but when offered a promising position that is different from their regular jobs, they declare that they don’t have the time to train. Someone is extremely ill, but when offered something safe that will help, say they would rather stick to only what the doctor prescribed. Someone has a very unhappy home life, but will not leave even though they are financially stable enough to. Someone wants to move forward in life, but keeps reattaching him/herself to past affiliations that have never brought forth anything positive.
These are the stories that I have seen circulating my life. And after metaphorically smacking my head into the table, I decided that I would rather write it about to impart my opinion on this issue. Healthier than head smacking.
To be successful, we have to be receptive. To be successful, we have to be innovative. To be successful, we have to look forward. If we keep looking backward, we will never see the plethora of opportunities that always open up before us. I remember once reading that opportunities present themselves to everyone all the time. Those who are successful, are the ones who recognize them and grab onto them. We cannot do that if we are always hanging onto the past.
Quoting a passage I’ve been reading from a book by Napoleon Hill, “That is one of the tricks of opportunity. It has a sly habit of slipping in by the back door, and often comes disguised in the form of misfortune, or temporary defeat. Perhaps this is why so many fail to recognize opportunity.”
Don’t let that happen to you. Allow me to share a quick story of a recent happening.
I don't think I even talked about the body this week! Oh well! Here is the progress! :3
Because I had left my job at the health food store, and spending more time as a film actor (fantastic, but not yet money making), I knew that I needed to look for a new job in Toronto. In the last few weeks, I had been slapping resumes down at coffee shops, stores and anything else that would help cover my increasing bills. One particular job I kept hounding was the 5am task job shift at Chapters. I called, applied online, applied in-store, and called the store numerous times with the hope of getting an interview. Between the manager always never being in the store, going away twice and not returning my messages, I was desolate, yet remaining every stubborn to conquer the position.
Then one day, as I was lamenting my situation to a friend, she said to me, “Have you checked Work in Culture lately?”
I shook my head, telling her that while it was a great website offering jobs in arts and culture (and I recommend that anyone wanting to work in the arts to use it!), they were often admin positions that took up too much of my time to perform.
Yet, that night, I decided to take a look anyway. I scrolled through the typical positions of “Volunteer Coordinator”, “Marketing Manger”, “Receptionist” and suddenly a position said, “Host/Announcer”. Now…while not typical to film acting, stage acting or voice acting, I thought that this was something that I could sink my teeth into. Being a host or announcer has its own challenges as a performer, including thinking on one’s feet, improvising and interacting with an audience. I decided to submit.
Within one day, I interviewed/auditioned and landed the position. I will now be on tour with the company for 2 months, all expenses paid, salary and bonus for working multiple shows. And just when I was beginning to feel the sinking feeling of being broke…who knew?
Sometimes, we need to break out of the boxes that we place ourselves into. Whether it is our opinion of ourselves, what we think our skills are, or what we think is the direction we should take for our careers. Let’s all break out of the fog. Change is frightening, I know. Be afraid. Be very afraid. Then do it anyway.
JoT - The Bric-a-Bracs of a "Jacques of Trades" 