Foibles Friday: Maybe Tomorrow

I could have easily written this post about how I missed blogging yesterday, but that would be too easy. To my credit, I thought a lot about what to write about, but couldn't decide affirmatively enough on a topic that was different enough from all the other things I've written about so far (I apparently have a very limited interest span).

Instead, I will write about what is most likely my biggest weakness ever: procrastination. Case in point, I came up with the topic, read an article about people who didn't become famous until after they were 30, started writing, got distracted by Twitter and will most likely end up watching an episode of Heroes before I'm finished.

I blame my procrastination on high school. Not to brag, but I'm pretty smart. The classes I didn't get As in were the ones I just didn't care much about, and I took all honors classes but was still pretty bored and not challenged enough. As a result, I started finding other things to do, and put off the mundane stuff like school work. Lunch time was for finishing up homework due the latter half of the day and getting started on homework due the following morning. My class was primarily filled with others who did the same, and you know what they say about the company you keep. We all graduated a bunch of slackers.

There are some things that can keep my interest. I've worked for hours straight while editing and can go all day on set without checking my phone. When I left my full time job last June my days were full for the two weeks up until I flew to Texas and California. I know how to be productive. Some days are just easier to be than others.

I believe there are a few reasons. The most common for most people is just not wanting to do it. For instance, I've had a giant bin full of books in the trunk of my car for over a week now, but haven't taken them to a place I know buys books. 1. I haven't felt like going through the books to take out what I want to keep. 2. The place is really far away on a side of town I have no reason to go to otherwise. 3. I doubt I'll get much for my books, so I'll feel like it wasn't really worth my time. When effort < return, I usually opt to just sit and play solitaire on my phone.

The other reason is similar yet opposite at the same time. These are the times when I'm not confident my effort will be enough to yield the potential return. And this is a result of negative speak. A lesson it took me a long time to learn is that anyone who does anything worthwhile has to face a lot of obstacles to get where they want to be. The biggest disadvantage of my high school experience is that I never had to work hard at anything. Everything came easy to me, and when something became challenging, I just moved on to the next thing. And while I could definitely work harder, if I know what I need to do and just need to work for awhile to get there, I have no problem. When I get lost and don't know where to go next, that's when the temptation to pause comes in. 

I used to write a blog that was filled with life lessons. I'm resisting the urge to turn this post into one of those, since I don't really have one. I know what I need to do, but I don't have the answers to fix why I don't. If I did, this wouldn't be my topic for today. If any of you can relate, know you're not alone. Perhaps we can even encourage each other. I hear that helps things be a little less stressful and lame.

Although I'm happy to say I finished this entire blog post without deciding to watch Heroes instead. Part of that is because the battery on my laptop is dying, but I still consider it a small victory!

Mission Monday: Connection

For awhile I've been saying the theme of Show and Talk is passion. And while that's definitely a huge element of the show, I think what I really want to accomplish is connection. After all, sharing your passion with people who don't understand it is great, but sharing it with someone who gets it is life changing. 

For even the most prolific of people, having a great idea is not enough. For every great accomplishment in someone's life, it's almost guaranteed there were several ideas that never got off the ground. Think about it. When successful people do projects that are less popular, they're given a pass as a "passion project". Something we, as an audience, can appreciate but don't necessarily understand. Why? Because there's no connection.

There are a slew of books and articles about how to make a connection. But, really, the best connections come organically. And that is what I hope to accomplish. By allowing celebrities and other creatives to share their story, I'm giving them a greater opportunity to be known. By watching our content, we hope that you can find something in their story that you relate to. It's also my hope that viewers and talent alike connect with what we're trying to do. The ultimate goal for everyone is to know and to be known.

I feel like I reiterate the purpose for this show over and over. But it is necessary, even if just for myself. Doing this isn't easy, and some days I want to give up. But I think it's important to encourage and inspire each other. There are many out there already doing that, hopefully many of you reading this are among them. But we can always use more. And, if I'm completely honest, some of my motivation is selfish. I love connecting with people, hearing their stories and helping them reach their dreams.  It is this innate desire that keeps me going sometimes. So now you know what motivates me. Let's connect, shall we?

An Ode to the Public School System

My 5th grade English teacher stole my Shel Silverstein book.

It was A Light in the Attic, and if I recall correctly (it’s been awhile), I’d only had it for about a month. Long enough to read through it a few times, but definitely not long enough. I was an avid reader and we were talking about poetry and I told him my mom had just got me that book and I enjoyed it very much. I brought it in to let him borrow it, and although I kept reminding him, he kept forgetting to bring it back. Or “forgetting,” but I like to give him the benefit of the doubt. I changed schools the following year, so never saw him again. The experience traumatized me so much, I never owned another Shel Silverstein book again.

The reason we were talking about poetry was because he would challenge us to memorize different poems, and he was running out of ones to assign us. Well, to assign me, anyway. I don’t really remember anyone else in the class reciting them, and I was quite good at memorizing back then (I may still be, if I could concentrate long enough on anything to try…) The poem he’d given us right before I gave him the book (to borrow) was called “Don’t Quit,” by an unknown author. I recognized it had a good message at the time, but now, *undisclosed number* years later, the words run through my head as clear as they did in that classroom and encourage me to keep doing what I’m doing.

So, thanks, teacher who’s name I can’t remember. You may be a thief, but you made a positive lasting impression.

Don’t Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won if he’d stuck it out.
Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are -
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit -
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.