Several months ago, I had the great fortune of visiting Belgrade. Just a few hours into my stay I struck up a conversation with a woman named Milicia at a coffee bar. I asked her if she had any advice on what I should do, or see during my stay. "Just take in the people," she said. "It's the best part."
Last night, I took her words to heart as I walked up to 91st Street for a workshop. The unseasonably warm January day in New York allowed for a slightly more leisurely pace. I looked around as if for the first time. People walked swiftly past me en route to presumably important things.
Taking in our surroundings reminds me of how a mentor once shared how each day she sits in silence to simply observe and listen as if it were all a beautifully staged play.
Geraldine Paige once said, "If we could only listen to each other on the stage like the animals in the forests do - as though our lives depended on it."
What I gather from taking people and our environment in is how it can influence our artistry. The more aware we are of our surroundings and the people around us, the likelier we are to be more self-aware.
It's hard to listen on stage if we don't listen well in life.
It's already January 6th, which means New Year's resolutions have already been broken and old habits have been renewed. If there's anything I've learned when it comes to incorporating a new and productive habit into my daily routine it's to start slow.
If your goal is to train for a marathon don't start off training for 3-hours day, especially if you've never worked out before. Instead, start small and gradually build up. With consistency your confidence will grow and the discipline will slowly become cemented and integrated into your other habits. By the 40th day you'll feel "off" if you don't do it.
One of the most common questions I'm asked by friends and colleagues is how to develop the discipline of writing each day. My suggestion is to write each day for 5- 10 minutes. If it helps, pick a specified block of time and location where you write with no distractions, no exceptions.
Once you've gotten the hang of it, slowly build the amount of time you work for. You can go from 5 to 10 to 15 to 30 and eventually an hour or so a day. The facility with which you'll be able to do it may even surprise you.
Start small and whatever you do be consistent. And of course, be patient with yourself.
