Build the Right Philosophy

Before I went to college my dad told me there was no excuse for skipping class. “You can get a “C” just for showing up,” he said. His point was that half of success in life comes from the quality of our presence.

We have a choice in how we show up. And the foundation is the quality of our philosophy. In shaping my own beliefs I drew from 3 main tenets:

First, your time is limited. 

Your life is flying by! Don’t waste another second making the unimportant important or falling into the trap of believing there will always be a tomorrow.

Second, if someone doesn’t understand your dreams it’s their problem not yours. 

No matter what you do, there will never be complete agreement it’s an endeavor worth pursuing. Not everyone is going to get what you’re trying to do. And that’s okay.

Third, to not fear failure. 

Without a doubt, the greatest gift being an actor has given me is having zero fear of losing. And as hokey as it sounds, learning to sidestep failure and continue to push towards your aspirations is essential. What I've learned in an industry where you're told "No," 99% of the time is failure isn't a testament to your character, self-worth, or even talent. It's just feedback; a way to assess where you are and where you need to be.

The Man Who Flipped Everything I Knew About Hustle On It's Head

One cold winter morning I met a man who’d flip everything I knew about hustling on it’s head. For the next several years he schooled me on the importance of living a life and not just a career. 

Every morning, come rain, sleet, or snow he’d hop on the Metro North from his home in Connecticut and commute to mid-town Manhattan. For the next 10 hours he’d audition, teach, or take classes.  Just before his late foray into acting he abandoned the peace of mind that comes from supporting a family on a well-paying and steady job.

Each time he saw me get worked up over a blown audition or complain about not seeing the fruits of my labor realized he’d remind me there was more to life than being on Law & Order. He taught me you can want something without needing it; a realization that not only liberated me but also made the work more enjoyable. Not surprisingly, the minute I stopped trying to bulldoze my way to my dreams I started to book more work. 

Over the years I saw countless plays in New York. Broadway giants like Frank Langella and Tracie Bennett left me in awe, inspiring me to push the envelope in my own work. Still, their performances paled in comparison to how this man lived his life off-stage. He beamed when he spoke about his children, took the work seriously but never himself, and always responded that he was, “awesome,” when asked about his wellbeing. But the greatest lesson he imparted was being satisfied while striving towards your dreams wasn’t a form of complacency. It simply meant joy couldn’t be postponed for some professional achievement.

A Few Tips on Getting More / Better Sleep

Don't think sleep is important? Think again. Not only does getting the proper amount of sleep (at least 7 - 8 hours a night) increase productivity and concentration but a lack of rest can affect your metabolism, increase your risk of diabetes, and contribute to depression. 

As someone who once prided himself on bulldozing through the day on just a few hours of sleep, I've finally come to the realization that you don't lose time when you sleep. You actually gain it back in the increased productivity. Here a few quick tips on changing your sleeping habits.

1. Make the room you sleep in a "No Screens Zone." Get a $5 alarm clock if you use your phone to get you up in the morning. Laptops, smart phones, and anything that glows goes in another room so you can both avoid temptation (remember it's easier to avoid distraction than to resist it) and calm yourself before rest.

2. Try going to bed and getting up at the same time. Resist the temptation to get up if you can't sleep. Lay in your bed until your set time arrives. There's a good chance you'll eventually doze off if you give it enough time.

3. Have a cup of water at your bedside. Drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning is a good way to get your day going. Aside from the fact we need water to survive, drinking lots of water has a major effect on your energy and brain function. Drinking some water early in the morning can also help your body flush out toxins and fire up your metabolism. 

"Because I saw you come in." A Master Class by Kobe Bryant

"I always tried to outwork people. That's just how I made my mark," former NBA player and Duke standout Jason Williams said during a recent interview. He also shared the story of how he once prepped for a game against the Los Angeles Lakers when the team's lineup consisted of none other than Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.

"This is the championship Lakers. I'm going to get there at 3:00 (in the morning). I want to make sure I make 400 made shots before I go back into the room and sit in the sauna." Apparently, Williams wasn't the only one with that idea. As he walked into the stadium he saw Kobe Bryant already working out.

"I worked out for a good hour, hour and half," Williams said. "When I came off after I was done I sat down and of course I still hear the ball bouncing." Williams was floored Bryant was still working out, especially since he was already in a dead sweat when Williams arrived. 

He decides to unlace his shoes and watch Bryant not only from a strategic standpoint but out of curiosity to see how long the former MVP planned on continuing his rigorous workout. "Another 25 minutes and he got done," Williams recalls. "I think I've seen enough," he remembers saying to himself. That evening Bryant scored 40 points. 

After the game Williams asked Bryant about his famous work ethic so he could understand why Bryant put so much effort in improving his craft. "Hey Kobe, why were you in the gym for so long?" he asked. Bryant looked at him and said, "Because I saw you come in. I wanted you to know it doesn't matter how hard you work. I'm willing to work harder than you. You inspire me to be better."

Williams walked away thinking, "I need to start doing more."  

Always Have a Point of View

There were two types of people who'd walk into an audition room. There was the actor who'd read the part the way he or she perceived the casting director wanted the part to be read. The choices were often indistinguishable from the actor who'd auditioned for the exact same part just a moment before.

Then there was the actor who came in and made bold choices; someone who had a distinct point of view and wasn't afraid to claim the time and space they needed to tell the story on the page in their own unique way.

The actor who made bold choices didn't necessarily get the part, but unlike the actor who made stale and obvious choices, the former left an impression with the casting director. They stayed on the "mental rolodex" of the CD and it wasn't uncommon for them to receive a phone call down the line for a part they'd be great for.

I learned the importance of having a point of view and not just following the crowd. I learned to trust I had something worth saying and if I believed in the essence of my message there'd be others who would as well.

How Not to Be Like a Lion

This afternoon as I was trying to illustrate to my students the importance of focusing on the main idea of a reading passage rather than getting bogged down with details I shared an interesting fact I'd heard many years ago. Lion tamers often use nothing more than a simple chair to keep an (understandably) angry lion at bay. For years I wondered why an animal that can easily weigh up to 480 lbs. didn't just attack the trainer. The lion clearly has the strength, speed, and ability to do as it pleases. At least one would think.

Apparently, the reason a lion tamer is able to manipulate the animal's movements is because when the lion sees the 4 legs of a chair it becomes completely overwhelmed. The lion doesn't know which leg to focus on and as a result zeroes in on none. He then becomes completely paralyzed with indecision, thus failing to take action against the trainer dictating its movements.

We are living in an age where we practically need to go to war against distraction. I read on average we're interrupted every 3 minutes and that it takes 11 minutes to regain our focus. See any problems with that math?

Make success easier for yourself. Create an environment where it becomes more difficult to fail. Have a tough time getting to the gym in the morning but know you have to? Leave your sneakers by your bed. Not eating enough fruit? Put them in a place you have to walk past several times a day.

Remember, it's easier to avoid distractions then to resist them. The better you get at cultivating an environment that'll help you thrive the easier it becomes to focus on the one thing that really matters.

6 Principles that Will Make You a Better Artist

A few summers ago, I was performing in a tiny black box theater on East 4th Street. My friend Sarah and I poured our hearts into this play, rehearsing for weeks for what we thought was a sure hit. On opening night, there were three people in the audience.

Later that evening, the two of us took a heavy stroll. “What’s the point of all of this?!” I bemoaned. “We put everything we had into that show and nobody cares! Why are we doing this?”

It wasn’t until I hit spiritual rock bottom and began pursuing interests outside of acting—like traveling and serving my community—that I realized how incredibly important the work we do as actors is. The problem was my focus as an actor had been so linear that I’d failed to gain any perspective on the bigger picture.

In time, my mission shifted to helping other actors empower themselves using experiences and insights I had gained over nearly 12 years as an actor, writer, community volunteer, and world traveler. I call these lessons, “The 6 Principles,” and I’m sharing them with you today to hopefully help you come to the same realizations and revelations I did (but a lot sooner).

1. Lifelong learningFor years, I read nothing but plays and scripts. I was a one-dimensional person. In time, I realized the importance of diversifying my knowledge. I read about history, philosophy, psychology, science, finance, and leadership. The more I learned, the more I felt compelled to live a richer life. Acting alone no longer defined me and I refused to equate my self-worth with an IMDB page.

2. TravelThere’s nothing like visiting a foreign country, butI didn’t need my passport to stroll through Prospect Park or spend an afternoon wandering around the botanic gardens. Each place, near or far, offered me a chance to challenge the assumptions I held. But the greatest lesson was the importance of following my curiosity and protecting my inner tourist.

3. ServiceWhether you’re serving food at a homeless shelter or tutoring at an after school program, society works best when we all help each other out a little bit. It was while volunteering that I discovered there would always be someone who has it tougher and that helping people help themselves gives integrity to your ambition. Most importantly, helping challenged communities offered me perspective. Suddenly, not getting a callback for “Law & Order” wasn’t the end of the world.

4. Define success on your own termsThe real superstars in my life were friends with full-time jobs who still found time to sing, write, act, or play. I marveled at how they’d babysit, teach, or wait tables just so they could pursue something they loved. I learned true success is becoming great at something you love to do, and attainment of your goal is not the point but rather who you become in its pursuit. I started to recognize the accomplishments I had overlooked and realized I was already living the dream.

5. CreateThe “perfect part,” was never going to land in my lap—I needed to create it. With action came an awakening to my potential. With the remarkable technology available at my fingertips, I had no excuse to not get started. Today, all you need is a smartphone and an idea. I could get my voice out into the world and it wasn’t about the number of hits or followers I received, but the satisfaction I gained from starting and finishing something important to me.

6. Allow for changeWhat you want at 20 will be different than what you want at 40. It doesn’t mean you’ve quit a dream, it just means you’ve evolved and what you value most in life has changed. It finally dawned on me that all those years in voice, movement, and acting class had little to do with acting. Instead, we were being taught to take risks, speak our minds, be lifelong learners, and do something kind for someone else. If we were fortunate, we might become great actors along the way. The point was to be open to where life might take us.