The movie industry is notoriously hard to break into. One man who was able to conquer this is Mark Duplass. Mark started in the independent scene, making movies for next to nothing. Now he is working in a variety of roles all across the industry. A few years ago he gave a speech at a film festival that centered around one main idea "the cavalry isn't coming." His point was many filmmakers, actors, ect... expect to one day get a big break and then just have everything handed to them. While there have been a few cases of this happening, in this day and age it is up to the individual to make things happen. A modern day filmmaker cannot just wait to "be discovered" instead they must actively seek out opportunities and create their own content.
Looking at this lesson objectively its clear that this doen't just lesson apply to filmmakers. The average person cannot just wait for their goals to magically accomplish themselves. Tiny steps taken everyday will create results. If one gets into a routine of procastinating, making excuses, and not doing anything to further oneself, then one's goals will not manifest. Waiting for opportunities to show up and present themselves on a silver platter is nothing more then wishful thinking. To get ahead we cannot wait for oppurtunities, but instead we must create them!
The Power of Visualization
Posted: November 02, 2020
Two years ago I competed in the U.S. Open, a national karate tournament. My name was called and I squared off against a guy that stood quite a few inches above me. The moment the judge said "Fight!" I was immediately grateful for the advice I had recieved beforehand. I was told "don't just train mindlessly, visualize! Visualize not just winning the fight but also the worst case scenario. Picture the one technique that you have a hard time blocking and imagine what you would do in response."
For me the technique I was most afraid of being attacked with was the sidekick. And lo and behold the guy I was sparring loved to throw them. Since I had imagined this specifc scenario in my head, I was able to stay calm, and put up what I think, was a good fight. To me, this scenario proved the power of visualization. When you take a goal and picture it in your head, you become so much more prepared for any obstacle that may stand in your way. I encourage everyone to not only visualize their goals, but also visualize potential obstacles that may arise. Then if we picture solutions to those obstacles we give ourselves the gift of confidence. And with that confidence we can go out and accomplish anything we put our minds to.
Action Creates Motivation
Posted: October 26, 2020
I think I speak for everyone, when I say that some days we just want to do nothing. We just want to sit and watch TV, eat, and maybe sleep. However, if this is all we do all day, everyday, nothing would ever get done! Everyone has a hard time motivating sometimes whether it be Michael Jordan, or Esther who works at the supermarket. We all struggle with motivation.
What can push us through these hard days is taking action. Once we accomplish one thing, often this will lead us to complete another and then another, and before we know it we have had a productive day. However it all starts by taking a step forward. We don't have to start our day off by taking a gigantic leap, or tackling an extremely hard task. It could be something simple like waking up early, or just getting in the car to go to the gym.
The most important thing to recognize is that you cannot wait around to feel motivated. The easiest way to become motivated is not to wait for some miracle to make you feel ready to go, but instead to actually go out and do something. So action creates motivation.
Breaking Down our Goals
Posted: October 19, 2020
Recently I read a book titled "The Miracle Equation" by Hal Elrod. The book discussed how a combination of unwaivering faith + extraordinary effort allows us to achieve our goals. However, the most interesting part of the book for me was about how to set goals. Hal talked about how people give themselves years to accomplish their goals. While goal setting is very beneficial, giving ourselves too long to accomplish those goals is dangerous.
Lets take losing weight for example. Setting a goal to lose 20 pounds in one year is something many people strive for. However I think most people could accomplish that in a shorter amount of time. If someone sets this goal for one year, and in six months they have lost two pounds, technically they have made progress. In addition that person can say to themselves "Hey I still have 6 months left to lose the last 18 pounds!"
My question would be, what if this person set a goal every month to lose 5 pounds? If we take this big year long goal and break it down monthly, we'll see better results. If we followed that goal of losing 5 pounds a month, we would be able to lose 20 pounds in 4 months! Compare that to someone who gives themselves a year. In the same year that one person lost 20 pounds, we would have been able to do that and then have another 8 months to set other goals. Now its still okay to set large yearly goals, but in order to be more efficent we should combine it with small monthly goals that will propel us towards our large one.
Keeping your Sword Sharp
Posted: October 13, 2020
In Japan, the Samurai are taught to always keep their sword sharp. Instead of waiting for a battle to manifest and then readying themselves, the samurai believe in being prepared at all times. To constantly have their sword ready for use. In this way sharpening a sword is an ongoing process. One that must be done everyday, in order to not only be prepared but also to improve.
Even though most people will never get into a sword fight, the philosophy of the samurai is still beneficial. If we regard our sword as essential skills, we can easily ask ourself "am I keeping my sword sharp?" In martial arts sharpening your sword would entail training every day. Stretching, running, any kind of fitness is a good way to keep your self in shape. However we must also remeber that sharpening one's sword is not limited to just your personal fitness. It also applies to our mind. Reading, for instance, is a great way to keep our mind sharp. Our brain is a muscle and like any other muscle we must excersice it or risk losing it.
The biggest takeaway from the lessons of the samurai is their focus on day to day tasks. If we constantly sharpen our own skills we will without a doubt see improvement in ourselves. Don't be the person who neglects their skills, instead be like the Samurai and keep yourself sharp and ready for battle.