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.

High School Class that Changed My Life

During my senior year in high school I took a class called, "Living and Dying." The course was taught by a terrific teacher and an influential mentor. "I'm going to die young," he began the class by saying. "I know it." Only he didn't say it in some morbid or ominous way. He was trying to get our 17-year old minds to understand our time on earth is finite. We all hope to live for many, many years but the trick is to live like we're not guaranteed tomorrow.

Yesterday, as I sat in a coffee shop shortly before meeting a good friend, I overheard a couple of friends who'd run into one another. "How you doing?" one asked. "Hey, one day closer to Friday."

Coincidentally, that was another one of the lessons I took away from my "Living and Dying" class. "Don't jus try to get through the week," our teacher told us. "Those days you're trying to speed through are all part of your life."

When we live with greater intentionality and an understanding that someday we'll miss the very moments we were trying to blow past, we'll grow to appreciate that life is simply all those little moments added up. 

Living on a Whole New Level

Over the years, I've worked very hard to cultivate strong daily habits and the right mindset. I've read the books, joined the newsletters, and attended some of the webinars. 

Still, we always have the ability to raise our game to another level. And in the process of trying to do so, I've noticed some holes in my approach. I've started to take inventory of what's holding back. And sometimes we've been trucking along doing the same thing for so long we don't even know what our bad habits are anymore, or how we're getting in our own way.

For instance, I realize I need to eradicate excuses. It's holding me back from reaching the next place I want to get to. I also need to develop a stronger heart/soul mentality as well. 

What I'm slowly discovering is that EVERYTHING needs to work in unison. If they don't any progress you gain is not foundational or sustainable. Being really proficient in one arena of your life and not in another will eventually catch up with you. It's like working out every day, but then going home and not eating well.

Once we get aligned mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually and become protective of things like time with family, education over entertainment, and eradicating toxic people from our lives, I have a feeling we'll really start living. 

There is No One Way

If you think you’ve found "the way," chances are you haven't. I believe the key to growth, personal fulfillment, and living a life of value means be open to constant experimentation.

No single method is the right one, and what works for you may not work for someone else. Even when you've stumbled upon an ideology, or method of thinking that compliments your life it will hopefully evolve over time just as you should.

Lessons Learned Traveling the World

Last summer, I had the great fortune of traveling to several countries in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. It was an opportunity to re-connect with friends, see parts of the world I hadn't visited before, and much needed reflection.

I wrote each day about my journey, while asking someone in each new place for the best piece of advice someone had ever given them. The insights were profound, while refreshingly simple.

http://www.worldambler.com/ 

On the very last day of my journey I found myself in Warsaw, Poland. My final discovery was perhaps the most poignant -- at least at the time:

Living life on your own terms, which is to say, an existence of nonconformity is like any other meaningful pursuit. It takes practice and time to hone your craft. But in time, you slowly get better and better, eventually skilled at shooing away the chatter and noise of those who project their own fears and failures upon you. The notion that you must live a certain type of life wanes in its ability to ruffle you because you have become a master craftsman in living life the way you see fit.

Don't Waste Time Complaining

Everyone knows making a living as an artist is hard...very hard. I've discovered there are a few ways of approaching this realization:

A. You can complain.

B. You can move forward undaunted and create your own opportunities. 

I worked very hard as an actor, but also quietly, (and sometimes not so quietly) grumbled about the "injustice" of the industry and how unfair it was. Looking back, I wasted so much energy and time not turning my frustration into initiative.

We all know the arts is not a meritocracy - the best man or woman seldom wins on their merits alone. 

So what? Now What? 

Refuse to accept the status quo. Be bold. Be a mover. Be a shaker. Create your own content and thus opportunities. People will take notice.

And whatever you do, DON'T WASTE ANY MORE TIME.

Old Theaters

Whether in New York, Los Angeles, or the San Francisco Bay Area, I often find myself strolling past old theaters. Many were clearly churches, synagogues, or community centers at one point and depending on the type of actor you are, perhaps you already view the theater as a tabernacle of sorts anyway. Maybe the transition is all relative.

I love looking at the upcoming seasons posted outside the doors and when I get a chance, I'll even go and check out a show. My reasoning is simple. The longer you do anything the easier it becomes to lose perspective and forget why you fell in love with something in the first place.

Being near the theater, any theater, reminds me of the fervor, the enthusiasm, the passion I once couldn't contain. I allow myself to get back in touch with that young man who was once convinced one monologue would change the world.

It's not about living in the past or trying to recreate what once was. It's simply a way of reminding myself why I still need this so very much.