Subscribe To
This Site
LEARNING DECEMBER 2007
LEARNING DECEMBER 2007 - Archive What I Learned Yesterday - Saturday/Sunday December 29/30 2007 TOP 10 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS I LEARNED THIS YEAR 1. There are many qualities that I look for in someone to build a team -- but nothing really matters unless they carry one trait: THEY WON'T QUIT That comes from inside and it's a flame that never goes out. And those are the people who have deep a understanding of love and that's how magic happens. When you're down, tired and feel that there's nothing left inside, you look at the person on your team next to you --- and because you love them and can't let them down, you begin to find new energy and creativity inside of you. And that's how great things happen! There's no other way 2. Organizing, Organizing, Organizng - the 3 keys to a happy life. 3. If someone in your life is not worthy of your presence, or you just have different ideals, get rid of them as fast as you can. Rip that bandaid and feel the temporary pain in order to stop the great pain that can happen in the future. 4. Negativity and judgement are the greatest viruses the human race has right now. 5. I guess the legend of God really has a lot of truth to it. He works like a madman to build the world in 6 days and then has his day of rest. That's the way to do it - 6 days of work and make sure you have that day of rest. The day of rest is as important for the mind as it is for the body. 6. Never settle for anything. 7. Anytime someone starts telling how good they are at something -- "I'm a good actor", "I'm a good father", "I'm good at fixing things" etc... -- means that they are not good at it. 8. Winning is better than losing but you learn so much more when you lose to make you better at winning. 9. The trick is to always be an open book. When you hide something, it sets up a lot of pain in the future, gives you ulcers and future heart attacks and it's an element of fear. You hide in order to protect so you can fit into a situation and avoid conflict. #1 - conflict is good as it teaches you a lot. and #2 - If someone doesn't like you for who you are, then they aren't worth being in your life, no matter if they are you father, mother, sister, spouse, kid or longtime friend. And that's the bottom line. When someone leaves your life, another person always come into your life that is much better. Just a life lesson I learned. It always works this way. 1. As the Beattles said "Love is all there is." And that's the truth. And loving someone and being loved hardest way to live because you are completely open and vulnerable. But when you find the main person and the other people in your life who loves you and you love them back -- then a chicken or the egg situation occurs -- nothing else matters and you realize that's what life is all about, WHILE you realize that you can accomplish anything and obtain all the little and big goals you have in life. And then you can try to make the world a better place. Love is the greatest bullet proof vest that a man can have. Love is not guaranteed as the people you love might go away through death or by their choice because they need move on -- but it's something you can always find again because you learned what it is. And this year I learned what LOVE is for the first time in my life What I Learned Yesterday - Friday December 28 2007 Want to figure out the true meaning of 'what a smart person is?': Are there really two types of people I always hear the saying 'that people can't change.' I even wrote something about this two months ago saying that that was hogwash. I know that I change all the time. I heard through the grapevine someone I worked with on a project a few years ago making judgements on myself. They pointed some key elements of my personality and my strengths and weaknesses. This was interesting to me because I don't even know who I was just 3 years ago. I've changed so much. So those points he made were outdated and invalid as far as I was concerned. Even the strengths he pointed out about me are different now. It's scary that if I actually had a conversation with myself 10 years ago, the only thing we would have in common was sports. Sports seems to be the key streamline in my personality. But I see others that really don't change at all. There weaknesses will always be their weaknesses as they seem to be racing around in circles in life. In fact this might be most people. One of the problems I and others have is that we tend to look at people from our own personal point of view. Most people don't act and do things like I do so I have to assume they don't think like I do either. My passion is to learn - that's what keeps me going everyday. I like to travel through the scary jungles of life each day I live. I want to change all the time and that might be my strength and weakness. Others seem to not want to change at all. And their obsessions and addictions will always be present in their personality. I have to understand that and make sure those people are not in my life. So there are two types of people in life - the ones who change all the time and the ones who never change. What I Learned Yesterday - Thursday December 27 2007 Want to figure out the true meaning of 'what a smart person is?': These days in between Christmas and New Years are always the catch up and clean up times for me. I always want to have a clean slate as I head into the new year so I can think the most profoundly. I like to have the least amount of conflicts, stressful situations or disorganization around me when the last digit in the day calender changes. I am feeling a bit out of it these days because I'm not able to accomplish all of my to do lists as I seem to be at that stage where I have too much to do with too little of time. One of the wishes I've had my entire life is that I could control time. This is something I need to figure out. To control time within the boundaries the world has given me. There is a clock that we invented to gage when the days begin and end. I have to work within that clock and it's my mission to accomplish this. What I Learned Yesterday - Wednesday December 26 2007 Want to figure out the true meaning of 'what a smart person is?': Pausing for a bit before finishing his point, Jose concluded very seriously that 'It's tough doing the right things because most people don't know what the right things are. Including me most of the time.' And I think most of us think we are doing the right things when maybe we're not. So we think we're smart when maybe we're really not that smart at all. I went to the movies today and got caught in traffic with people at the shopping mall. It seemed that everyone was out for the boxing day shopping madness. We are a culture of possessions upon more possessions. It's that simple. Maybe it's a good thing, I don't know. The easy point to make is how awful it is, but maybe it's not that bad. People learn a lot while they shop for things. Many of us live in a society where we have the freedom to explore and see what's out there. Of course mass advertising likes to tell us what to buy and do, and that's the fascination of it all. You don't have to buy it but what forces you to buy it!? I learned yesterday that I'm really too much in love with the world to really be mad at anything. My favorite saying is 'it is what it is'. And that's all that it really is. What I Learned Yesterday - Tuesday December 25 2007 Want to figure out the true meaning of 'what a smart person is?': Loving the InLaws Christmas Eve was with my family and Christmas day was with my girlfriend's family. I am trying to understand the true value of what Christmas is and it's fascinating to observe how other family's do it. Most family's have their Christmas routine. Same time/place to open presents, same meals for breakfast/dinner etc.. and those routines are the rocks that hold everything together. And it's what makes Christmas special for each family. Christmas will definitely stray from the religious aspect as time evolves as I personally don't see organized religion lasting much longer. And no matter how much the corporations try to destroy it with their mass advertising campaigns, it will stand the test of time and still be around say 200 years from now. Location is everything and Christmas lands on the perfect day on the calender. It's a chance for people to reflect on the year and look back and see how much they've grown and/or learned -- then set themselves up for the new year where things will be much happier and better. But most importantly it's a chance for people to reconnect with their family which I finally realized this year is so very important. I know many will say that a holiday shouldn't be an excuse to see your family, but I am one who is guilty of getting wrapped too much in my own world. This time of the year forces you to crawl out of your personel existence and see what's happening out there. I experienced a lot of love this Christmas and that love has opened my heart, my emotions and my brain to make me a much better person and prepare myself to be a better man in 2008. So it's a time for love and for people like myself to take stalk of who I am. Great love is about something that's bigger than me. And that's what Christmas is all about. Maybe we'll change it to LoveMas very soon! What I Learned Yesterday - Monday December 24 2007 Want to figure out the true meaning of 'what a smart person is?': All about the kids! There's an old saying in the ways of the North American family: When the first generation moves to the new world they plant the seeds of the new family. The second generation grows the tree and makes sure the plant develops to its full richness. Then the third generation is able take advantage of the fully grown tree and live safe, secure with many opportunities at their disposal. I understand this because I am a third generation North American kid who was able to live in a safe and comfortable environment so my brain and feelings can grow to its maximum capabilities. Now I'm in the midst of planting many trees and building a forest as I probably won't pro-create another generation. At Christmas Eve dinner I was able see the true richness of our 4th generation family. I have 4 nieces and nephews between the ages of 3 and 9 who are magical kids. They are being raised by parents who seem to have hit the parential stride as they learned the pros and cons of parenthood from our parents in order to make sure they get the best out of themselves. My family seems to be doing really well and we seem to be at that stage where the kids are becoming our mentors instead of vice/versa. I look at those kids and see their brllliance and understand that I might be working for them one day. And it just makes my heart pound that's so full of love I never knew I could actually feel such powerful emotions. My parents and grandparents did so much to make our lives so free and full of creativity. I am now at peace from my former angry childhood experiences as I know my parents did the best they could and still continue to want to be better people and parents. And that's all you can ask of someone -- for us to continue to wnat to grow and understand what we feel inside our souls. What I Learned Yesterday - Saturday/Sunday December 22/23 2007 TOP 10 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS I LEARNED THIS WEEK 10. I haven't stepped inside a shopping mall all year and I am a better man for it. Brain cells have come back into my system and I have formed new intelligence. So I'm assuming it's because of my non-shopping mall experiences -- especially this time of the year. 9. I am looking for a great book on the history of film that doesn't romantasize the industry or talk about how negative it is. There are so many great books that reveal the history of many industries, but I can't find one about film. Where are they? This is a strange business I work in where everything is documented while nothing in documented at all. Meaning the jist of things are revealed but not the nuts and bolts on how the jist was formed. That's what I'm looking for. 8. I am really into talk radio these days, especially after going on a radio show in Toronto this week. I thought the interviewer was poor and didn't set me up to be my 'brilliant' self. There are very few people who have the art of conversation inside a microscope. And I am now appreciating those people even more. You either have it or you don't. 7. Still don't understand where everyone goes during this time of the year. Where is everyone? 6. If I am going to celebrate Christmas I have to understand why I am. And I still don't understand why I am. This year I need to figure it out. 5. I also want to come up with my own definition of 'what being smart is'. I hear that word thrown around a lot. This person is smart. That person is smart. I even get people tell me how smart they are. I think the two biggest qualities for a smart person is #1 - they can turn nothing into something (and I'm not talking babies and #2 - someone who has a deep empathy and undestanding of human nature in moment to moment situations in life. 4. I am a master of discplining myself, am a hard worker, have integrity within myself and what's best for the world, definitely have a supportive spouse -- which are 4 out of the 5 major qualities a human being needs to obtain success. But I'm still lacking organization within my own thoughts and actions. And this is something I need to master in 2008. And it's my #1 priority. 3. There's going to be a TON of reality shows on TV in the new year. And people will watch them and the ratings will be fine. So maybe we don't need the writers as much as the writers think we need them. 2. I love Egg Nog but I am lactose intolerant so I really can't drink it. That's the madness of the world where you love something but if you take it, the body will punish you. So you have to juggle whether you want the pleasure and then pain, or stay neutral. 1. I need to step up times 100 next year! What I Learned Yesterday - Friday December 21 2007 The times where you think you're going to teach someone a very valuable lesson is when you always learn the valuable lesson yourself. What I Learned Yesterday - Thursday December 20 2007 I am a happy man. Our events have hit the level where I am now able to really learn. We're on our way. What I Learned Yesterday - Wednesday December 19 2007 I know that my greatest strength and greatest weakness is that I finish everything I start. No matter what it is, I always go all the way and complete my task. This has caused a lot of heartache for me because my ego has kept me into situations that I needed to abort as soon as possible. But I have to finish every race no matter if I have to crawl past the finish line. Of course this has also lead me into a lot of great situations and taught me certain character traits. I have to give my father a lot of accolades in my development. If there is a jar of peanut butter in our home growing up, that jar had to be completely empty in order for us to be able to open a new jar. You'd have to scrap every last morsel of peanut butter until the jar was completely empty. Finishing everything completely in order to move on to the next jar is how I live my life. It's the little things you learn in your childhood that make you who you are today. What I Learned Yesterday - Tuesday December 18 2007 Don't go near people who cause destruction everywhere they go. They always have an excuse for why this and that happened and ended badly, but life doesn't work that way. People are not unlucky. They make themselves unlucky. What I Learned Yesterday - Monday December 17 2007 Just watching the Cowboys-Eagles game on Sunday reinforced me that it’s all about who you decide to spend your time with in life that reflects who you are. And this is the most important element in the entire world to make us accomplish all of our goals in life while staying a happy person. I am a snob and I really am careful who I let into my life because I know people can make me a better or worst person. Why did I think about this from the Cowboys-Eagles game? Dallas QB Tony Romo is having a lights out season as he’s been playing quarterback better than anyone. I heard rumblings that he started seeing Jessica Simpson during the week. And then the entire world saw her on Sunday in Tony Romo’s box wearing his PINK Cowboys jersey. When the game started I wished I placed my entire bankroll on this game because I had a feeling they were going to lose. Jessica Simpson can’t be the greatest influence on a highly intelligent NFL quarterback! And when Tony Romo went out and threw 3 interceptions and played the worst game of his life, I wasn’t surprised. Jessica Simpson effected his mindset! So now what Romo has to do is make sure he never sees her again. Let’s hope he got some action from her, but even if he didn’t, it’s time for her to go. If he won’t do it, the Cowboys owner and fans will. And I can guarantee you that Jessica Simpson won’t step into the Cowboys stadium ever again. The Simpson clan - Jessica and that other one who got caught lip synching on SNL really have no talent at all. I’m not trying to be a jerk about it but it’s true and I’m just calling a spade a spade. They are successful (in a money making way) artists because their father is a marketing genius. That and these girl obviously learned the art of discipline and hard work to get them where they are. And I think the Simpson girls are very happy people because of it. They have the right influences in their life. Too bad they weren’t born with much talent. With our events I get to meet a lot of people and artists. I see time and time again people who are very talented but just don’t have the proper people in their lives. Negative people and lazy people are the two worst human beings you can ever set your eyes on in the world. I’d take meeting a murderer more than one of those people because at least murderers are actually taking action in their life. I consider the Negative-Lazy combination of a human being the biggest viruses in our world today. They are like cigarette smoke. You ever have that situation where you see a group of people gathered outside a building smoking together and you are forced to walk through them? And no matter how fast you walk through, you get smoke on your clothes and you end up smelling like one of them. That’s what the Negative-Lazy person is in our world. No matter how much you want to avoid them, if they come close to you, you just get some of their personality on you. So I am forced to stay far, far away from them as much as possible. Some people consider someone like me a jerk or a snob for being so distant, but I can’t help myself. For the sake of my well being and future, I must avoid them. So thanks Jessica for reminding me of this in a very indirect way. You are successful, famous and have money so I know you are a hard working person and kudos for your life. But stay away from the young intelligent athletes who have enough pressure during their season to tackle you head on. TOP 10 Most Important Things I Learned This Week 10. I really don't notice the weather much except when it's doing something extreme like a down pour or snow storm so it takes me awhile to switch gears when the season changes. I'll still wear sweaters in the warm spring and T-shirts in the cold fall. I'm a moron that way. So even though I guess it's been cold for awhile I was still wearing my spring jacket until Wednesday when I actually realized it was freezing outside. When I put on my winter jacket it was like I was a kid in a candy store. There were all these cool things in my pockets that I forgot about. I even found $6.00 worth of free coffee coupons! And just wearing my new jacket made me a whole new man. It's weird how just the simple things in life can give you so much pleasure. 9. I like to talk in an organic way which works a lot in my travels of my day. But when I'm dealing with someone and it's a tough situation, I need to just stick with the facts and talk very literal. 8. When I drive I speed all the time. So for fun I did the math to figure out what the percentage was of how often I received a speeding ticket. After figuring out that I drove about 150 times a year for the last 6 years and I got 3 speeding tickets, that means I got caught about 0.02% o the time. They say that the IRS catches only 2% tax cheats. And my friend who works customs at the US/Canadian border says that they really only catch people smuggling things over the border about 4% of the time. So that means there's a lot of illegal things happening in the world that people get away with. 7. The Buffalo Bills lost their playoff changes because of the damn weather storm. Not happy about it. I seem to really get upset when my sports team loses as it effects my entire day. I wish I could stop this but I can't. 6. I'm the most confused during this time of the year as I seem to want things to be the same but so many people change because of the holidays. It's like people shut down on December 1st and don't turn back on until January 3rd. Why? 5. I make the best submarine sandwiches in the entire world. 4. I'm looking for a team. Many people thrown together to obtain one goal. And it doesn't work if you bring say 12 people to do 12 separate jobs and hope that the main goal can get accomplished. It just doesn't happen. Those 12 people must do what they do best while also understanding what the ultimate goal is. 3. You ever listen to a successful Hollywood Producer in an interview? They have to be some of the smartest people in the world because they are talking about the creative ends of the project while also understanding the practical marketing ends. I still wonder why actors and directors get all the acclaim. And personally I'm more a director than anything else. But I understand it all starts with a smart producer and actors really have less than 15% to do with making a successful film. 2. Actors agents are the most polarizing personalities in the world. Some of them are the greatest people I've ever been fortunate to have met. Others are the biggest assholes I've been unfortunate to have met. It's funny really how black and white it is. And no matter if they're nice or a jerk, very few of them realize what it takes to really use this business to their advantage and make a shit load of money for their clients. They are definitely not 5 step thinkers as they are always living in the first step moment. 1. I'm really taking a risk with the film festival lineup I programmed for WILDsound's event this week. Either people are going to love it or hate it, I'm not too sure. I've been on a role since July and I need to take another big risk to see where I need to go to raise the bar. What I Learned Yesterday - Friday December 14th 2007 Christmas has me by the balls I am the Scrooge of the present time. I just realized that. I haven't thought about Christmas until yesterday when I was in the shopping plaza near my apartment and there were four hard core Christmas carollers singing songs. I was blown away as I really didn't realize it was X-mas time and that these people actually still existed. It was like these people came out of one of my own movies. I've always have a very polarizing relationship with Christmas. In a lot of ways it brings out a lot of great emotions out of people that's good to be around. But working in a grocery store for 9 Christmas's like I did can really do a lot of damage to a person's soul. People are at their worst during this time when they are forced to go to a grocery store and shop for food for the Christmas season. I was a Dairy manager for 4 of those 9 Christmas's and I still haven't forgiven people for what they did to the Eggs section each year during this time. I was the son-of-a-bitch who had to clean up this mess! During my childhood I loved X-Mas. Santa used to come down our chimney and bring me presents! When I was about 6-7 years old I was realizing that Santa wasn't true but I decided to hang onto the lie for as long as possible. When I just had to come to terms that he wasn't true, I got angry and decided that the lies people told me were an exact result of Christmas as a whole. So ever since then I've hated Christmas much to my mother's obvious discomfort as she knew I always liked to rock the boat and this was another example of me doing it. During my drinking and drugs years I conformed to Christmas and ‘played the game' as I like to call it. Then I sobered up and didn't celebrate X-mas at all. From 2002 to 2004 I didn't do anything for this holiday and really treated it as another day. Then in 2005 I was falling in love with someone and she asked me to come for Christmas at her family's home. I was hesitant to go at first but just the thought of going really brought a nice feeling into my heart. All I had to do was go as I really had no responsibilities at all. And I was so glad I did as it was just a very comfortable time for me. I got to relax in this incredible cozy home and feel at one with myself again. It was the first time since I was 7 years old that I felt the tenderness of the world again. And I owe Christmas (and my love's family) for that feeling. But last year that feeling went away as I started to feel a certain amount of responsibility. And that was when I realized why I am a Scrooge for this holiday. It's that feeling of having to give people gift's and play some sort of Christmas role inside of our now Capitalistic Christmas machine! So when those carollers sang yesterday I was reminded of the tenderness of the holiday I love but those negative feeling crept up on me and I felt angry. My girlfriend has a pact with herself to keep herself inside of the goodness of Christmas and not see the negatives of it. She doesn't give gifts at Christmas and therefore expects nothing in return. This code she has lets her understand what Christmas is about. I guess anyone can go to a store and buy someone a gift - but what's really the point of it?! She gives people gifts all the time during the year as she creates a painting etc.. or sees something in a store that the love ones in her life will absolutely love. She doesn't need X-Mas to tell her it's time to give people gifts. The problem with this code is that the youngsters don't understand this. Combined my girlfriend and I have 6 nieces and nephews 8 years and younger. They expect gifts damnit because everyone else gives them gifts. And you can't step over the parental line and explain to them why you don't give gifts! So we lose our personal integrity if we give gifts and looked at as cheap if we don't give gifts. As we move closer to this invented holiday that I guess a religion came up with - and that's the religion I was brought up in???; I need to check myself to make sure I am not a Scrooge. I am in that vortex of our brainwashed society where I can't just have any feelings for it because there was that time when I did. Christmas has me by the balls and it's my choice to feel good about it instead of bad. So I might as well feel good about it. What I Learned Yesterday - Thursday December 13th 2007 I learned that watching the people you love from afar when they don't realize you're watching them, could be the greatest feeling in the world. What I Learned Yesterday - December 12th 2007 I am not afraid of anybody really. But I'm afraid of the people who remind me of the people I who I used to be afraid of! You ever met a person who reminds you of someone you used to be close with from your past? A past boyfriend/girlfriend, boss, aunt/uncle etc.. A person who triggers a negative emotion for you because they just look or act like an important someone from your past? For some reason I'm having a conflict with someone just because they remind me so much of my Ex. And this conflict is so easy for me to solve on a usual basis as I'll just do what I usually do. But this girl just triggers too many emotions for me and I have the fear bug when it comes to her. This is because I never resolved the initial emotional conflict I had with my ex as that relationship was left unresolved. All the practical elements were resolved but the actual feeling part of the breakup was not. I guess it's hard to resolve everything with the people you choose (or they choose) to leave behind on your path of life. But I am seeing that these emotions never really go away and always creep up on you when familiar situations arise again in your life. It's amazing how I can go mano to mano with any higher up businessman or artist in the world, but this one person, who really doesn't really have anything to do with my future life, I am scared of. Ah life! I think I have to go back to my past and resolve my conflict with my Ex in order to resolve the present conflict I have with this lady who reminds me of my Ex. I learned yesterday that I need to resolve everything with anyone I'm close with when I know we are beginning to venture on our separate ways. What I Learned Yesterday - Tuesday December 11th 2007 There's nothing romantic about it! I have never been a fan of movies really. I kind of treat each job in this strange industry (actors, directors, producers etc..) like a Plumber doing his job. I even think there's more romance in an expert adding a new pipe in a house than an actor playing a character in a film. I understand the process of acting but have no idea what a Plumber does. I jumped into this industry because it's really the only thing I can do. It chose me. I do love great stories but I'm more interested in the process of how to tell a great story than actually reading or watching one. And I am still curious why people think this industry is so romantic and why they have these TV shows that glamourize things. This is a rolling up the sleeves, have no real life industry where workaholics are really the only ones who should apply. I'd rather meet NFL Quarterback Tom Brady than anyone in the Entertainment industry because I'm more in awe of what he does than any director or actor. Brady and his coach Bill Belechick are the only two people in the world who I'm really interested in meeting because what they are doing is really special and genius-like and there's no one in the arts who come close to them right now. They are as close to any role model I have. I used to feel such awe for professional athletes but being on the sports show Off the Record many times and meeting so many pro athletes, I now understand that this is just another business they are working in and it's really not as good as people think it is. Yes they make a lot of money, but these guys have to work HARD 60-80 hours a week and fight through many conflicts and fears each and everyday. And their time-line of making money averages 2-6 years and after that the big paychecks are no longer there. Not to mention that professional athletes work inside their own community with different rules than the real world. If you run into trouble with the law or say have a narcotic addition, you're suspended without pay and treated like a child by the owner who owns the team you play for and basically you as long as you're under contract. Plus a God-like Commissioner can take money away from your paycheck for things like throwing a football in the stands or if your uniform is tucked in the wrong way. Athletes are well paid slaves inside the madness of their business and it's not nearly a special as I once thought it was. In the arts there are no rules like that. Robert Downey Jr. or Charlie Sheen can fail a dozen drug tests, go to prison for a bit and then sign a million dollar acting gig the next day. There is no"Keyser Soze" in the arts! They only can just invent one. If you have a great supply from the world for your artistic skill, then you are well compensated. But the true geniuses in the arts are people who do it for the love and if they make money, then that's a cool thing and if they don't then that's fine too! When I first started, I worked as a PA in the main stream film industry for 18 months. I've been on many films sets and have met a whole lot of movie stars and top tier film directors. I've learned from their processes but these people are just as normal as anyone else in the world. In fact, they have really tough jobs and work very, very hard to make something look very easy. I guess that's what people's fascination is for movie stars and singers. They make something that's extremely difficult to do look very easy and seamless. So all people see is the glamour of the job. I am a bit jaded working in this industry and that's what happens to anyone who works inside of a business for a long time. But there's no romance in these businesses. TV Shows and magazines make it romantic and therefore people are brainwashed to think they are missing out on something. I have two close friends I grew up with in Niagara Falls who each are married and are raising a family. One is a cop and the other is a US/Canada border customs agent. They have the life as far as I'm concerned as they really have a great smell for human nature. They look at what I do and think I'm crazy. And I am crazy! But I didn't chose to be crazy. Life did. I meet many people every week in this industry. Most of them I know won't be around in 2 years as they will go back to the real world. And I can always tell who are the ones who just can't help themselves and will stay in this industry forever. There's no retirement either in the arts. You choose this field and you work until you fall over while working. That's the way it is. If you think that's romantic then okay. But it's not. What my friends do is much more romantic than anything I'll ever do in my life. What I Learned Yesterday - Monday December 10th 2007 I have to learn the art of being inconvenienced. Yesterday a few things happened that were out of my own control that effected my time and therefore a lot of my day. This bothers me a great deal and I only see the negative from it. There must be a positive that can come out of these situations that I have to figure out. Life just hits you with setbacks and sometimes you need to just be patient when they happen. Most people who know me see that I don’t have much patience for most things. I have patience for big picture things but day to day operations I like things to be done 2 minutes after I come up with it. This could be the biggest negative in my personality and I know I must do something about it. When I get that impatient emotion in my system I’m just not a good person. And when I’m not a good person a sliding scale happens and I become an even worse person hour by hour. This all has to do with my ego as I hate when things don’t go my way. I’m like a big baby who is crying because Mommy is 5 minutes late to give me my bottle. I really don’t have a solution to my big problem but I now realize that a solution needs to happen. And that’s step #1. TOP 10 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS I LEARNED THIS WEEK 1. I don't think a person can ever motivate someone else. We can inspire them and boost their confidence, but each individual must motivate themselves to do or not do certain things. A hard lesson I finally learned. 2. The secret to make a independent film is to get yourself a Cinematographer who is truly a Director of Photography. Someone who lives and breathes lighting and composition. Anyone can hold and shoot a camera but that doesn't make them anything. They may be a good at framing a shot too but a DP can take it to so many levels. I'm seeing a lot of interesting films with they are just not shot well. They may look good to the average eye but a professional DOP takes it to many subconscious levels for the audience. 3. A lot of people in our lives are like the character of Joey on Friends. He's good in certain moments but we never want him to be around for a long period of time. Many people in our lives are supporting characters and we'd never make them a main character because we'd begin to hate them. Wonder why NBC didn't realize that! 4. I have to admit that I'll watch the Celebrity version of The Apprentice that's coming out in early January because Lennox Lewis will be on it and I think he's an extremely intelligent guy and I'm going to learn a whole lot from him. I swore I'd never watch a reality TV program but I guess we eventually break our rules. 5. The Producers won't give in to the writers because they don't need to. 6. I really don't have any feeling for Christmas anymore. My innocense is lost as when I was a kid I remember really looking forward to this time of the year. Some of the best days of my life have been during this time. But now I really have no emotion at all for it. It's sad but maybe I also got my head out of my ass and saw the madness of this holiday. 7. My team the Buffalo Bills are 7-6 and might make the playoffs. This makes me happier than anything else in the world. This team is in my heart as they effect my mood a great deal and I wonder how in the hell that ever happened. It sort of snuck up on me during the years. 8. I'm entering that stage in my life long rehab where I'm not missing alcohol at all. In fact it's starting to give me a distaste is my mouth because when I drank I had a lot of self-hatred in me. Now that self-hatred has turned into self-love and alcohol just reminds me of a time that I don't want to go back to. Ever! 9. I think the sense of smell is the greatest of all the 5 senses. 10. Saw Old Country for Old Men and I thought it was very, very good. The Coen Brother's really nail middle American and our society's great addiction of MONEY. They always show the world such an interesting and diverse country in the US that's so polarizing you can't help but be intrigued to visit. What I Learned Yesterday - Friday December 7 2007 Yesterday I was on national television. Well Canadian national television, as I made my 9th appearance on the sports show Off the Record where celebrities and quasi wannabe celebrities (like me!) participate in a panel discussion on the latest sports topics. I like going on the show but it takes a whole lot out of my day going to the studio for the taping etc.. and I wonder whether it's worth going on or not. It's amazing how spoiled one can get in life but that's just the way it is for me now. I love sports and I love talking about it, but the way the show is and really any other TV show, is that's it's setup in such a formulaic way someone like me really doesn't have any way to stretch my ‘brilliant sports mind!!!!' I learned yesterday that I am long-winded and I need to make speeches to really make my complete point come across. I really don't like talking much in usual situations, but when I do want to talk - I really want to talk! But I need to learn the art of making the ‘fast food points' as that's where are life is going. Quick and brilliants one sentence points! Keep is simple but simple and smart. And that's harder to do than I ever realized. The art of this show is to make one great point in each of the 4 blocks of discussion and then everyone will remember you. And that's the art of TV too. One of the problems or great things (however you want to look at it) is that in order to be good in front of the camera, you have to keep doing it until your good. Because the first few times, no matter who you are, you're going to be lousy. So during those lousy times you just have to push yourself to not look as bad as you actually are. But the main reason for me wanting to going on the show is that I get to meet so many interesting and successful people. It's great to be around people who are on the top of their professions as there's always certain qualities that most of these people obtain. The #1quality I find is that they are all very honest people within their own morality and never waver from their own personal integrity no matter what. I have found integrity that is the key to life and it just seems that the more honest you are, the more this world takes care of you. It's either a very spiritual thing or very scientific thing that scientists still haven't discovered yet. But the more honest you are, the more uncomfortable many people in this world are because they just don't want to hear certain things. I always find that making people feel comfortable is the most overrated thing in the world. The more uncomfortable people are, the more they learn and in time when you're feeling very uncomfortable, your as comfortable than any other time – because you're learning the most about the world and yourself. What I Learned Yesterday - Thursday December 6th That the phrase 'well said' doesn't have nearly as much clout as the phrase 'well done!' What I Learned Yesterday - Wednesday December 5th I am figuring out if I'm a man or not. There was a list that came out yesterday naming the 25 skills that every "real man" should know. And if you don't know how to do these things, then you're not a man! It lists the following qualifications to see if you're a real man or not: - Back up a trailer Well these are 10 things that I know I can't do, much less understand what they actually mean. So I guess I'm not a man. To make matters worse, I think my girlfriend can do these things which makes her more of a man than me. I'm feeling a bit emasculated so here is my own list that makes me know that I am a man: - I can honesty say that I can take at least 80% of all men in the world in a fight. I am tall with a long punching reach, in good shape and can fight dirty for the sake of winning. But of course I don't condone fighting. - I can list on the top of my head every single World Series winner in order from it's inception in 1901 to 2007. - I can look into the eyes of anyone and dive into their soul and see their insecurities and fears. - I can read an NFL defence and understand what they are doing on a given play. - I can pleasure a woman and make her very, very happy! Reading this list yesterday did make me feel a little insecure. I was never a technical guy growing up. I was given every opportunity in my childhood to understand how to fix a car, build things from scratch and go fishing. But I hated all of those things and stuck to my own personal integrity. It did make me feel a bit outside from my world as that left me sad. Until I realized that I was lucky to be different from everyone else. Lists like this are fun to read if you don't take it too personally. I guess we still live in a world where the boy grows up with blue walls and the girl grows up with pink walls. Where every thing and everyone needs to be labelled so we understand. No one wants to know anyone or anything it seems that they don't understand. What's the world about? Who knows but I guess most people want to know. And I guess that's why organized religious mainstream cults are so prominent in our society. If there is a God (and I don't know if there is or not), don't you think he/she would want us to maximize our living time instead of worshipping them? Only an insecure person would want someone to worship them and if they are insecure then they are not a God! We are all equal and special at the same time and that's the magic and irony of our existence. So I saw this list yesterday realizing that I could only really say that I could do 1 out of the 25 things they say every man should know. But I can honestly say that I am a bigger man than almost every other boy I know. That is what I learned yesterday. What I Learned Yesterday - Tuesday December 4th 2007 My energy level is at about 45 out of 100 right. The trick for me is to try to keep working and doing what I love to do while at the same time trying to boost my energy without taking a rest. Of course logic dictates that the more you work, the more your energy levels will sink down until you are forced to rest or else you'll get sick. So here I am needing a rest but I'm at that time where I can't rest because there is a great momentum happening that can't be stopped. Right now I need to make sure I sleep properly and have good dreams. It seems that the better dreams I have, the more "energies" I get. But when I have one of those fear ridden or insecure dreams, I tend to think a lot when I wake up and my energy goes down. But those dreams are important in the big picture of my life because my subconscious is trying to tell me something. But right now I can't afford to deal with those current issues. But I know I need to. So I mull over it because I always know the big picture is more important than the present. My energy goes down as I struggle to deal with things while I know when I'm finished with that issue I get bonus points and my energy levels go up. One of the most important books I've read was a book about a Holocaust survivor who spent 4 years in the concentration camps. 99% of the people died in his camp and he was one of the survivors. He talks about how he was able to survive in his book and how his entire emotional and intellectual state changed. His first primal instinct was to keep living in an environment where he could die in a splint second. Man's first instincts were survival in the beginning times of our race so we all have it and he just had to find it.. Now almost all of us are in the contemplative stage as the survivor instinct is turned off. But this man went back to man's original instincts from our beginning times because he decided he wanted to keep living no matter how bad things got. And they obviously got bad! The book was an eye opener for me. It taught me how I can shock my own body into feeling different instincts that we all have but are far back in our subconscious because we don't need them anymore. And the more I feel about things in a very original way, the more different and original emotions will come out of me. This man in the concentration camp probably was functioning on an IQ level of over 200 because that was what he was forced to do to survive. And it all started with the main emotional decision to keep on living no matter what. Right now I'm just trying to figure out how to control my energy. Of course it starts with the fuel (food and drink) I consume and the exercise I decide to do. But that's just a fraction of what I can do. I know my mind and heart can effect a whole lot more and I know it takes times of complete adversity and pain to get me to feel the most I can feel. So my life isn't that bad and I would be a fool to make it bad so I am just learning to shock my body. That is what I learned yesterday. What I Learned Yesterday - Monday December 3rd 2007 I know about at least 50% of the population don't watch football which is a shame because last night's Monday Night Game was probably the best storytelling on TV I've seen in a long time. It had everything and you're emotions were pulled into many directions. But of course the problem with watching football is that you must understand the game in order to appreciate the storytelling. I learned so much watching last night's game and that is probably why I am such a big sports fan. It just teaches me so much about life and I also know personally that playing games and sports in my childhood made me who I am today as I learned more from a day of football practice than an entire semester in the classrooms. All I have to say is that the New England Patriots are headed for history and could be known as the greatest team in the history of sports. But last night they were flat-ass lucky as they really shouldn't of won this game to continue their undefeated season. And that's what happens when you're headed for greatness - you get lucky! LUCK = OPPORTUNITY + PREPARATION Many may not agree with this, but I truly believe that we are all equally lucky. The trick is to be PREPARED for that OPPORTUNITY of LUCK. Greatness is achieved when people take advantage when the opportunity of luck comes their way. And mediocrity is achieved when people are not prepared when the opportunity of luck comes their way. And the opportunities always come!!! What I Learned Yesterday - Sunday December 2nd 2007 Everyday I get emails, phone calls, mail from my facebook and myspace accounts, text messages, approached in the coffee shop where I write, approached in the elevator, approached at the gym — by so many people on how they HAVE A GREAT IDEA FOR A SCRIPT!!! Ideas are the most overrated thing in the history of mankind. Everyone has an idea - EVERYONE! We are human beings and our first instincts in life are ideas. So if everyone has them, then they aren't that important. Ideas are like seeds. You can go to the store and buy them. So what do you do with them now? If you're not lazy you will dig a hole and put them into the ground so they have a chance to grow. But that's just the beginning. The person who grows that seed into a tree are the people who are rare. And these are the people who I'm interested in meeting. Those are the people who obsess to make that tree grow and wake up early to water the tree, consult with professional tree growers on ways to make the tree grow at its highest potential, stop everything in their life when times are tough on the tree and you need to be there 24/7 to heel it's potential killing. Those are the important people in life. I wish someone would approach me and tell me that they are a tree grower and will do whatever it takes to grow the greatest tree in the world so other trees can be grown from that tree and by the time they pass on, they'll have grown an entire forest. Those are the conversations I'm interested in hearing. No one is going to steal your idea! And if they do then you don't have to worry about those people they are the lowest people in the world because they don't trust their own ideas. And they won't do anything with those ideas either because they are pathetic people who are obviously lazy. One of the things I've found is that if someone wakes up and has a great idea, at least 1000 other people in the world have the same idea at the same time. That's how life works as we are all connected and therefore our thoughts and ideas are connected too. And 999 of those people will do nothing with that idea and in order to pull ahead in the race, you have to be that 1 person who does something with it. What I learned yesterday is that I'm sick and tired of someone telling me they have a great idea. And things like pitch fests are the dumbest things in the world. TOP 10 Most Important Thing I Learned This Week 10. Out of the Hollywood system the three best films I have seen this year (and I've seen them all) are: We Are Marshall - Great film about when you overcome adversity and push forward after tragic events, you become a better person by just fighting through the pain. Such an important film for everyone to see. Plus it's very entertaining, well performed and directed. And it's based on a true story of the tragic plane crash kiling the entire Marshall University football team. Lambs for Lions - A film in my opinion that should be watched by every child in grade school today. It may be a tad Bergamesque as it's mainly about people talking about our current world. But they talk about important things that need to be said and it doesn't do it in any Michael Moore-ish B.S. propaganda way. It just states the facts and emotions of what is happening and how the American Dream has bended a bit because people really don't want to act. Mr. Brooks - A great study of human nature about a guy who has the addiction of killing people. This is where we are in life as we all have addictions, some people just have more descructive addictions. But we all have that self-hatred in us where we hate ourselves for things we can't control. This is probably my favorite film of the year. And all of these films have something in common too! No one really saw them. They all are considered failures in terms of box office numbers. This tells me that the marketing departments in Hollywood need to really take a look at how they are promoting the good films. They've mastered the popcorn flicks and romantic comedies as those films are good sometimes when you're in the mood, but they are never really about anything at all. And I think that these films dumb us down. I know for certain that I lost 2 IQ points watching 300! What's that film really about? 9. Movie History has shown us that the most entertaining films always carry the best message for our current world. They are entertaining because they are hitting the core of our feelings and we know this is important to express. Studios love to make money and the films that stand the test of time will make the most money because the DVD sales etc.. will always be present. I think we need to start making films that are about something and not worry too much about the now all important weekend box office results. 8. Routines are so important for me and I'm trying to push myself into a new routine. It just takes a long time to convert my body into it. But I must not quit. 7. Who ever said that compromise is the key to any relationship is a fool! The key to a good relationship is for a person to do what they love to do and then find something who loves them for doing what they love to do. It's that simple. And if your present partner doesn't love what you love then get rid of them right away. There's always someone out there who will love you for you being you. 6. Integrity is the key to life but it also carries so much heartache and conflict. 5. Emotional blackmail is one of the most evil things a person can do. And there's so many people who do it. We don't owe anybody anything and we don't need to change our personal integrity for not one person. Especially the lady who gave birth to you. I've seen a lot of moms in my lifetime blackmailing their kids by using their kids tender feelings to their advantage. If there's a hell a lot of moms are going to it. 4. The more religious someone is, the more likely they are going to a bad place when they die. 3. From 2000 to 2006 I really didn't watch much television. Now I'm looking around and I see that most shows are about people solving crimes or sitcoms that are Friendsesque! But I do have to say that the show 30 ROCK could be the best show I've ever seen on TV. Thursday's episode about the project kids baseball team and using that as an analogy of the current Irac War and how the US is messing things up while they keep trying, while digging themselves deeper and deeper into a hole, could be the most genius thing I've watched in a long time. The show is a comedy and its main purpose is to make us laugh. But the relationship between Liz Lemon, the idealistic very liberal showrunner and Jack, the CEO superbusinessman conservative could be the greatest relationship in TV history. This is the new Mary and Lou Grant. Writer Tina Fey understands people and she knows that the more liberal you are, the more you must accept and understand the extreme conservatives and learn from them and vice/versa. Jack wins in every episode because he understands the world we're in as Liz struggles to get it but she is probably more morally correct. If she just takes Jack's knowledge and advice and mixes it in with her current ideals, she is a magical person who can't be stopped. 2. More and more I realize that Bill Belechick is the smartest person in the world today. 1. I was watching the show the Actors Studios the other day and Ben Kingsley was on it. He was talking about how for an artist the two greatest tools are Silence and Stillness. Every artist should hear that because from my experience people think movement and being loud are the two most important tools. Time for me to shut up!!! What I Learned Yesterday - Thursday November 29 2007 I learned yesterday that I deep sleep is the best thing a person can do. And the trick is not to be distracted at all when you're in that state so you can sleep as long as you can. When you wake up you feel like you've been born again and everything is new.
|
