Don't Do Too Much

There's a famous story about the day Jack Lemmon received a master class in acting for the camera by director Billy Wilder. The two were on the set for the classic film, Some Like it Hot starring Marilyn Monroe. At this point, Jack Lemmon had done a considerable amount of theater and television but was still relatively new to the world of feature films.

As the story goes Lemmon was in the middle of a scene when Wilder stopped him. "Less Jack. Less," he said. Lemmon supposedly took the note and resumed the scene. A few minutes go by and Lemmon feels like he's really cooking when once again he's stopped by the Academy Award winning director. "Less Jack. Less." Lemmon scratched his head, took the note again, and continued to plow along. The scene goes on for a while before Wilder stops him for a third time, "Less Jack. Less." At this point Lemmon's had it and screams, "Billy, if I do any less I'll be doing nothing." Wilder supposedly smiled before saying, "Exactly."

Too often we feel we're not enough when the truth is we're infinitely interesting. The key whether on stage or off is to trust we have a voice and something of value to offer without overcompensating for what we mistake to be deficiencies. 

Lessons from a Delayed Flight

On the way back from Central America yesterday my flight had a layover in Houston. One hour gave way to two, then three, and by the time we took off the flight had been delayed nearly six hours.

But a remarkable thing took shape as I looked around the terminal. I didn't see a single person complain. Yes, people were understandably frustrated, tired, and wanted to know what was going on but everyone maintained a sense of poise. And at the root of their poise was an understanding there was simply nothing they could do about the situation.

Instead, I saw passengers use the time productively by catching up on work, reading, writing, and enjoying the company of family and friends. There were a handful of strangers who even bonded over the minor setback. 

Sitting at gate C43 turned out to be an unexpected master class.