“Accomplishment” Hacks For The Lazy, Ambitious, Successful Failures (Like Me)

“Accomplishment” Hacks For The Lazy, Ambitious, Successful Failures (Like Me)

Whether you call it being productive, accomplishing, or just gettin' it done, you have struggles with it.

We all do.

I totally stole this from Tim Ferris from his blog post:
“Productivity” Tricks for the Neurotic, Manic-Depressive, and Crazy (Like Me):

I even swiped the title... sorta, and I'll even copy the sentiment:

I am Your Latino Soap Opera Hero!

I think I'm a failing wreck of a human being, but most people would disagree with me.

Yeah, I get a bunch of stuff done; I'm an author, an actor, I manage a zillion web pages, I have a great marriage, I work out, and try to help other people do all that stuff to whenever I can.

Yet, I feel like I accomplish nothing, my books all suck, I am never prepared enough for performance, all my web pages go nowhere, my wife thinks I'm crazy, I'm getting old and fat, and I'm selfish, vain and self-important.

Also, I tend to exaggerate.

Even though I have these conflicting feelings, and I never get as much done as I'd like, I have had to take a reflective moment or two to ask myself WHY I feel I must accomplish these things, or anything at all.

I've learned from reading a ton of books from Neale Donald Walsch, along with Tony Robbins, and other human development people that I basically want to feel happy.

I am apparently under the impression that accomplishing all of these thing will make me happy.

And yet, I have learned that I can CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY at any moment over anything.

So, why not just choose to be happy whether I accomplish them all or none, and then do the things I WANT to do just for the sake of ENJOYING DOING THEM?

Well, that sure as hell has been helpful!

Now I can release a book, perform in a show, build a new web page, love my wife, workout, and help other people strictly for the pleasure I have chosen to get from them.

So, the BIG accomplishment hack I promised with the title of this blog is:

BE HAPPY, and do the stuff you do with that energy, and you'll always get what you wanted from it!

Oh- and for an even faster hack for that- Be The Source of what you want for Other People, and You'll experience having it yourself. Which is what I just did by writing this blog post.

See how that works?

What can YOU do today for someone that you wish someone would do for you?

Willy Wonka "Oh, You're An Actress? May I..."

Willy Wonka: "Oh, You're An Actress? May I..."

Ok, I admit it, I went a little mean here.

But it's all in the name of finding the actors who are sick and tired of having a day job, and want to be set free from living the life they can't get out of!

"There are 2 kinds of Actors", as I say over and over, and it's going to be a tired line for me by the time people start listening to me, but maybe they'll listen to Willy Wonka instead!

Maybe there are enough artists and actors who are willing to build their acting business without a day job, and want to find other people like us who will help them.

Then again, maybe some people will think I'm just cruel.

They might ignore all the other ways I try to help, or the clever posts I've made.

Hopefully, this will make them laugh, then think, then TAKE ACTION.

So c'mon Willy- Let's take them to a world of PURE IMAGINATION!

The World Has Lost A Hero- Nelson Mandela Has Passed Away.

Nelson Mandela Died Today.

When people talk about what kind of person they want to be, and who are our heroes, Nelson Mandela is often on the list.

You can go to NBC for a news story, but I just wanted to say thank you to him, and everyone who is fighting to help create a world that is better for everyone.

And I ask myself... Am I doing that?

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.
Nelson Mandela 

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.
Nelson Mandela 

Birthing Babies and Business Marketing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFpNXtSjHfY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I had this marketing epiphany after seeing The Business of Being Born on Netflix. If you're a midwife, you have a business. Here are 2 things any business should keep in mind when marketing their stuff.

▶ Disney's "Frozen" and Casting question - Entreperformers

▶ Disney's "Frozen" and Casting question - YouTube: ""

As Disney changes the storylines and stereotypes to support different cultural norms, I had some thoughts about casting actors for roles and what "brand" we all project.

*Apologies to Lauren Abrams for the impersonation, as it was only a facebook conversation.
The voice I heard was strictly in my head... but I'm pretty sure it was close.

When people think of you, what are they thinking?

Sam Harris Speaks Plainly, but POWERFULLY

A Punch From Sam Harris

Maybe you don't know Sam Harris, but he's the author of several books including one I recently read "The Moral Landscape", which blew my mind.

It was about the SCIENCE of Morality.

Have you ever thought about that?
Is there a way to create a moral society using SCIENCE?
I hadn't but after reading that book, I think we can. However, there are a few things we're going to have to face about our current state of how we measure morality.

WARNING- This video may change your life.

Sam Harris - Morality and the Christian God - YouTube: ""
That video is pretty powerful to me, and I hope it is to you.

Maybe it opened your mind to loo around at things that we take for granted.
It did for me.

What was powerful for you in this?

Carlos Acosta, Reluctant Ballet Dancer Amazes The World

Carlos Acosta's story is inspiring to me.

He grew up in the slums of Cuba (Isn't communism supposed to avoid that?) where his father INSISTED he learn ballet... and now he dances all over the world, and THE CHICKS DIG HIM.

Now why did I have to bring that part into it?

See, when I was in Elementary school, we had BALLET HISPANICO across the street from my school, and I remember visiting. I remember us running across the floor, and jumping over an imaginary hole in the ground, and I also remember wanting to be a little more "graceful" about it.

But I also remember wanting girls to like me,
And Ballet isn't macho.

YES, I've seen Billy Elliot and all of that, but I'm just saying that it must have been hard for Carlos Acosta to grow up wanting to be macho in Cuba, but taking ballet all the time. The thing is, now he's got that "Cuban Machismo" (not my words!) and a powerful, confident body.

I'm pretty sure the chicks dig him ;-)

So my question for you is:
What kind of obstacles have you encountered in your art as an actor or performer?
What kind of self-doubt has crept up for you, and how do you overcome it when it comes up?