[Long-ass video clocking in at a whoppin' 5:05] Salutations, and apologies for the distinctly lengthy, somewhat self-indulgent, purportedly “useful” video above. In my defense (and I’m nothing if not defensive), I’m both: (a) woefully (or not) out of practice; and (b) pressed for the kind of time needed to write a shorter letter. We’re looking [...]
self-improvement
There is a truism in acting that you cannot play a villain if you view him as such, because every character is central to his own life story and never, ever sees himself as a villain. The first thing you are supposed to do as a good actor doing responsible script analysis is to comb [...]
In a way, all the things we do to help us get things done are tricks: Carving up our schedules in this way or that. Eating our biggest frogs first. Even accountability is a trick of sorts. If you take on an exercise buddy or join a mastermind group or self-help organization like AA or [...]
When I was very, very sick, my body served as its own governor. I could not push myself further than I should, because I’d be overcome by a sleepiness that would stop me in my tracks. There were times before I learned this that I literally had to lie down right where I stood to [...]
Every once in a while, you read a book you wish came bundled in stacks of 11, so that you could keep your own copy but immediately, or maybe even upon finishing Chapter 2 or 3, share the experience with a solid two handfuls of people. Improv Wisdom by Patricia Ryan Madson is exactly that [...]
For someone who never actually read The Four Agreements, I have thought an awful lot about it in the three years since I didn’t actually read it. Generally, I thought about how great it would be if there really was some very simple and straightforward “Practical Guide to Personal Freedom,” as the subtitle promises, a [...]
I’m like a broken record about a couple of things with my actors, and yes, I think of them as MY actors, because I put my heart and soul into schooling them on every hard-won lesson I’ve got. And also because I am possessive about them the way I am about MY readers and MY [...]
