Finding your labor of love and being GREAT
Tue, 04/20/2010 - 20:12
A few weeks ago I caught Ryan Seacrest on Oprah, (yes, I'm an AI fan!) and to my surprise - I was profoundly inspired! He has an insane work ethic that would make most folks feel lazy. He said something that really resonated with me, so I want to share it with you today, in hopes that you'll be inspired to seek out the greatness in YOU, too (if you haven't!). I'm pulling from memory here, but he said that he was never the tallest, fastest, or smartest, but he had control over his time. He would go to school, then work until midnight interning for some radio station (his passion), come home, and do it all over again. Again, this is in HIGH SCHOOL! It immediately made me reflect on myself and the journey I've been on the past few years with Lost In Sunshine.
I have never been the smartest, technically the savviest, or most coordinated (I'm sorry if you've seen my dance moves!). I'm not particularly good at math (or beyond math!) and I didn't graduate from high school.
So what? Maybe I just want it more.
The idea isn't to focus on what we're not good at, or what we didn't do, but to focus on what/where we are NOW.
I could as easily say that I've overcome a lot of objections in my life, while poorly supporting myself, and I'm still alive! I paid my own way through college and graduated from the University of TX in Austin with a RTF degree, have written multiple screenplays and I'm now working on my first feature with a bad ass support (team) system. How many folks would like to be doing that?
We struggle to improve in areas we are not gifted, which is honorable, but it's not necessary for things to be hard in order for them to work. That is a terrible misnomer. Hard work is respectable, and feels good (and everyone should experience it!) but everything doesn't have to be an extreme challenge to be worthy. If it is, maybe it's the universe saying, "Hey, don't go down that road... go down this one... there's not as much traffic over here!"
Writing, I've said it before, is like breathing to me. And it doesn't matter if I'm not the best writer in the universe (although that would be ok, too). As long as I'm continuing to improve my craft - my heart is happy!
That doesn't mean it won't be WORK (quite the contrary), but it's a labor of love. When others are out partying on weekends, I'm working until 3am. But it doesn't always feel like work. And most importantly, it makes me happy, and I might even be kinda good at it! :)
I encourage you to find your Sunshine, and focus on your positives as you continue your divine journey.
BE GREAT!
With love, Jentri
“I’ve never viewed myself as particularly talented. I’ve viewed myself as…slightly above average in talent…Where I excel is with (a) ridiculous, sickening work ethic. While the other guy’s sleeping , I’m working. While the other guy’s eating, I’m working.”
Will Smith
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