3 Reasons Why It's Never Too Late to Begin Meaningful Work

Today our culture has a very complicated relationship with time. There never seems to be enough of it. Additionally, we've almost arbitrarily decided that our goals must be attained by a certain timeline. When we fail to make the Forbes 30 Under 30 List we abandon them completely. But living a more responsible life doesn't mean living a small life. Here are 3 reasons why it's never too late to start work that matters:

1. Understanding that you have less time. Less time to strive means less time for frivolous work. If something isn't helping your grow, forge meaningful relationships, or personally fulfilling it's a good time to part ways.

2. Patience. "Hurry up and wait," was an expression I heard thrown around when I was a young actor. Young people often want something so bad they're willing to sidestep the journey. But as you get older in life you start to appreciate the value of the "long-game," and the importance of staying ready. Nothing worth attaining happens quickly. Getting older awakens you to that reality and even helps you appreciate it.

3. A smarter kind of hustle. Today there is undoubtedly a culture of "no days off" being heavily promoted. But working hard means nothing if you don't work smart. And working smart means taking time for self-care and realizing there are more important things in life than professional achievements. Becoming more is ultimately more important that achieving more. 

Friendship

I listen to a podcast called, On Being with Krista Tippett. On a recent episode she replayed an interview with very interesting man named, John O'Donohue, an Irish poet, philosopher, and former priest. 

Tippett's interview with O'Donohue was one of the last he gave before his unexpected death in 2008.  

I found part of the interview particularly interesting as I'd been reflecting a great deal on the relationships in my own life. Specifically, how they evolve and grow over time. I perked up when I heard Tippet ask if our generation is less capable of love, commitment, and meaningful relationships to which O'Donohue responded by saying the following:

I don’t think we’re less capable at all. I think we’re more unpracticed at it and there for more desperate for it. I think it’s a matter of attention really. That if you really knew how vital to your whole spirit and being and character and mind and health friendship actually is you will take time for it.

The trouble is for so many of us that we have to be in trouble before we remember what’s essential... you hold desperately to things that make you miserable. And that sometimes you only realize what you have when you're almost about to lose it.

I think it’d be great to step back a little at one’s life and see around -- who are those who hold me dear? Who truly see me? And those that I need? And to be able to go to them in a different way.

Be More Intentional

This week I've seen a real clarity in my work. I credit a new technique I learned and have been trying to implement into my daily routine. 

Before each task I ask myself two questions:

1. What is my intention for doing this? 
2. How do I want to feel when doing it?

Think about how often we just go through the day on autopilot, rarely taking the time to question why it is what we do. For years the lack of examination caused me to keep busy without questioning for a moment if what I was doing had any value.

By asking yourself those two simple questions (which takes literally 2 seconds) you prime yourself before tackling your objectives. If it connects with a broader and deep-seated "why," you're driven to do the best work you can. 

And when you condition yourself to feel energized, optimistic, or driven before the work you're more likely to see it through. 

Setting your intention and priming your mind are incredibly powerful techniques for doing your best at work that matters. 

Thinking Without Thinking

I recently finished reading Malcolm Gladwell's book, Blink. I remember enjoying it a great deal when I first read it several years back. A course I'm teaching in a few weeks required I familiarize myself with the work again. 

Not surprisingly, I stumbled upon many insights I'd completely overlooked or forgotten since the last time I read the book. But one part felt especially poignant in this day and age of limitless and readily available information. 

Gladwell argues when it comes to making thoughtful decisions information is not the key but understanding of that information. When we have too much data on any given topic it becomes more difficult to see the forest for the trees. We're crippled with indecision. 

He then referred to an interesting observation by the father of psychoanalysis himself, Sigmund Freud who takes how we're taught the think about decision-making and flips it on it's head. 

Freud contends that when it comes to making decisions that are deemed less important we should think deliberately, carefully weighing the pros and cons of each outcome. But when it comes to big decisions he argues the opposite:

"When making a decision of minor importance, I have always found it advantageous to consider all the pros and cons. In vital matters, however, such as the choice of a mate or a profession, the decision should come from the unconscious, from somewhere within ourselves. In the important decisions of personal life, we should be governed, I think, by the deep inner needs of our nature."

In other words, when it comes to matters of the heart trust yourself. You somehow already know.

The Importance of Overlooking Information

Today there is a prevalent theme of "hustle" being promoted on just about every social media platform out there. Good luck avoiding a hashtag accompanied by the word, "grind." A culture of "no days off," has undoubtedly been popularized the last few years. And with the endless amount of free content available it's difficult to decide what may or may not be of value.

I certainly struggled over the years trying to figure out what podcast to listen to, seminar to sign up for, or the latest entrepreneurial book to pickup. I devoured information convinced I was a sentence, or quote away from forever having my life.

But what I discovered is your success actually hinges on your ability to overlook information not just consume it. Because if everything becomes important than nothing is important.

As counterintuitive as it sounds you have to cultivate the ability to focus in on content you think can help you, apply it, measure it, and then proceed based on those results. 

Ridiculous Stories

Yesterday morning I got a call from my mom. "Can you come home tomorrow?" she asked. My parents had been out of town for several weeks and were getting ready to leave on yet another little excursion. "Sure," I said.

As soon as I hung up my mind immediately began piecing together an elaborate narrative of all the things that could be wrong. Somebody's sick. They've decided to move. On and on my mind went taking me to dark portals each more daunting than the next.

When I finally arrived my parents were in good spirits. We sat and caught up. Had a wonderful dinner and even watched a quarter or two of a football game. The night couldn't have been more pleasant.

When I got in my car and made my way home I considered how often we invent ridiculous stories about events that will likely never happen. 

As Mark Twain once said, "I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened."

The Beauty of Having Less Time

In the summer of 2013 I travelled to a small town in South Africa called Chintsa Village to volunteer as a teacher. When my teaching obligations came to a close I drove to a city called Port Elizabeth. Not long into the drive I turned on the radio and was met by the distinct voice of a South African preacher in the middle of a sermon. I'll never forget his words:  

“Take my house. Take my car. You can even take all my money,” he said. “But PLEASE, do not take my time!  Do not take my time because that I cannot replace!”

Moments later the station mysteriously faded out. But those few seconds were all I needed to radically reframe how I viewed my time.

I finally understood my life was flying by. I did not have the time to build a business and be around people who refused to get out of their own way and seemed fixed on taking me down with them. I began to let go of what was not serving me and be liberated by the reality that my time was finite. As a result, I focused wholeheartedly on work that mattered to me despite what others thought. And in the process, I developed the ability to define success and what living fully really meant.

6 + 4

6 Ways Actors and Artists Can Empower Themselves:

1. Lifelong learning

2. Travel

3. Service to others

4. Define success on your own terms

5. Create your own opportunities 

6. Understand that dreams change

The 4 Truths of Creating Your Own Opportunities:

1. Don't wait -- Begin today

2. Adopt the right philosophy

3. Avoid toxic people / environments

4. Flow rather than muscle to your goals

Know the Best Decision then MAKE It

There's a great interview with investor, hedge fund manager, philanthropist, and founder of Bridgewater Associates Ray Dalio available online. While promoting his new book, Principles: Life and Work, Dalio reveals the fundamentals that made his company, which oversees $150 Billion in assets, such a success.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz_PzdVJxB0 

"Most importantly, you have to know what the best decisions are and then you have to have the courage to make them."

His point is there is a profound divide between knowing what to do and doing it. The two are not binary. 

You Can't Wait for Inspiration

Songwriter, producer, arranger, and performer David Foster has won 16 Grammys in his career and been nominated 47 times. He's produced musical giants like Michael Jackson, Madonna, Whitney Houston, and Seal to name a few.

During an interview he was asked what he did to overcome any creativity blocks. "Is there anything you do routinely?" His response surprised me. He said, "No, there's nothing I do routinely but what I'll do is go back and hit it again. And I will make myself get through it. I won't walk away from it. Just grind through it...People say, Where do you get the inspiration for songs? There really is no inspiration. You get up in the morning and get to work."

If you're waiting for inspiration to strike you before beginning meaningful creative work it's likely you'll never begin. The key is to just start, be consistent, and be committed to making art even if it's not mind-blowing every time. Because it won't be.

Start. Do. Do. Do.

Satisfied Doesn't Mean Settling

One night after a long rehearsal a group of my classmates and I headed down to a popular watering hole called, The West End Bar. Students like Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and Lucien Carr spent hours there during the formative years of the Beat Generation.

The place had changed quite a bit when I arrived. (I'm gathering the fusion Cuban dishes and karaoke were recent additions.) But that night I couldn't help myself and decided to partake in the latter.

I've always said, there are two things you don't want me doing: cooking and singing. And after my performance I understood why. But what informed me more about who I was at the time were not the missed notes but rather my habit of berating myself for my performance -- even for something as trivial as singing in a noisy bar. 

Of course, it was tenfold when I'd get off stage. Nothing was every good enough. I strove for perfection each time I delivered a monologue or stepped in a black box theater. I needed to be the best at any cost, even if it meant losing a part of myself.

Looking back, I realize being satisfied doesn't mean you're settling. It simply means you give yourself much deserved credit for a job well done and have decided not to delay something that simply can't wait: JOY.  

Find it wherever you can in whatever you do. 

You're in Good Company

As a casting reader I had the good fortune of performing opposite A-list movie stars and Tony-Award Winning actors. There were times I had to pinch myself as I read opposite actors I’d long admired.

Surprisingly, the most poignant lesson I took away was not about acting at all. What I discovered was no matter how successful the storyteller, nobody is beyond getting a little nervous.

Pre-show jitters are an integral part of this industry whoever you are. The only difference is these particular actors didn’t let it stop them from sharing their voice or claiming the real estate they needed to deliver their best audition.

Remember, your challenges don’t suddenly dissipate the higher you rise. You simply trade your old problems for a set of new ones.

So if you get a little nervous before the words, “Whenever you’re ready,” rest assured you’re in good company.

Done is Better than Perfect

Some of my early screenplays were so bad my friends didn’t even know where to start with their feedback. My first try at getting a literary agent was met by well over 100 rejections. And my first few films were passed on by so many festivals I lost count.

But by not taking those failures personally and choosing instead to interpret those setbacks as deferred successes, I continued to write blogs, articles, screenplays, one-man shows, and even a book. And as I developed my voice my confidence grew – convincing me I had something valuable to offer. 

Your time is limited. Don't waste another second deliberating over how to get started. Just begin. The longer you wait the more you cultivate the seeds of excuses to grow and eventually flourish.

The Psyche of the Modern Day Artist

I spent years sitting by the phone hoping the perfect part would magically fall in my lap. Eventually, I discovered my story would never be told unless I wrote it.

These are a collection of lessons I've learned in my 12-year journey on how the modern day artist and actor must can create his or her own opportunities. 

-- Creating your own content is much easier than you think with the Internet, accessible state of the art camera gear (including the camera on your phone), and filmmaking resources like Final Draft Pro and Story Writer on Amazon. As Shazi Visram, founder of Happy Family food company notes, “If you are creative and you know how to execute your ideas, you can win and you can build something that is a living, breathing work of art.”

-- Learn from the greats. Watch interviews and read articles from the artists you admire most and pay attention to how they took bold action to get their voices heard. I highly recommend Mark Duplass's speech, "The Cavalry is Not Coming." 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZeWOAliA6Y

-- Find a team of like-minded collaborators committed to creating new and original content and getting it out through the countless channels at your disposal.

-- Just get started and learn as you go.

Volunteer

In the fall of 2009 I volunteered as a youth mentor at a high school for young men between the ages of 14 and 18. Each week we would talk about goal-setting, serving the community, and the importance of constant self-improvement. I loved my time at the school. The students dreamed big, had brilliant ideas, and taught me far more than I offered them. 

The experience in Queens was just the beginning. Soon I found myself giving resume workshops at a women's shelter, offering tips to nervous high school students on public speaking, setting up beds at a men's shelter, and mentoring a homeless man trying to get back on his feet. By 2013, I was doing similar work at orphanages and schools around the world.

The people I met from all my travels became a compass steering me towards a life of greater purpose. I redefined what was important and tried to live in accordance with my core values. Along the way I discovered a few things:

-- There will always be someone in the world facing greater obstacles than you

-- Service to others immediately takes the focus of yourself offering a dose of much-needed perspective

-- Helping people help themselves gives integrity to your ambition. There’s nothing quite like the fulfillment you get from helping, in whatever small way, improve the life of another person.