The Value of a Stroll

The Greek physician Hippocrates once said, "Walking is man's best medicine." As someone who has spent a great deal of time traipsing the streets and narrow avenues of New York, Shanghai, and Budapest to name a few, I can tell you the man was on to something.

The constant cacophony of firetrucks racing down 7th Avenue, or my talent for finding the one person screaming into their mobile phone in a quiet corner of Central Park often left me in a daze. If drama school had taught me anything it was the importance of deep listening.

As I got older, I realized that hearing someone was not just about taking in someone else's words, but attentiveness to the world, and especially your own thoughts.

It was by putting my phone on airplane mode, or leaving it behind all together I began to realize the value of a little stroll. Thoughts and solutions would reveal themselves in ways I couldn't have imagined if staring at a touchscreen, or browsing the Web. My unconscious mind was free, offering a rare moment of peace amidst the lion's den of constant frenzy and distraction.

The next time you're feeling creatively stumped, or need a moment to collect your thoughts, consider lacing up your shoes and taking a little walk. It may do you more good than you realize.

You're More Versatile Than You Think

I once hear someone say,"Sometimes it's not about moving on, it's just taking a break from everything, and concentrating on yourself, because at the end, who's there? You." If the day finally arrives when you need a pause from your creative endeavors, fear not.

I certainly felt signs of doubt first nudge, then tug, before the echoes within were simply too loud to ignore. I still loved being an actor and writer but my soul was telling me it was time to explore what else the world might have in store for me.

"But what to do?" was the question I kept returning to over and over. Since the age of 11 there was only one thing I cared to do. I didn't know how to regroup and start the long road of finding another calling, if one even existed. Moreover, I felt like I was only qualified to do one thing - perform.

But as time went on I realized I'd been equipped not just for delivering a monologue on stage, or hitting my mark on a film set, I had been given tools to contribute to the world in much broader and creative ways than I could have ever imagined. I had my acting career to thank for my dogged determination, work ethic, persistence, and took great solace in knowing I'd take a chance and pursued my dreams; a surprisingly rare accomplishment I discovered.

I also learned to have absolutely no fear of failure. When you're told "No," in one form, or another for ten years, you develop a pretty thick skin which prepares you for more than you realize.

You too possess many talents you haven't begun to recognize. You're not defined by one thing alone.