It's probably not shocking that the best advice I ever received was from a theater teacher.
I was upset because I was trying to plan a theater event, and my type A personality was taking over, which obviously didn't go over well with the other people on the event committee.
When it got to point of me shouting across the room at everyone, my teacher told me that I was no longer needed for the discussion, and that once everybody else had a chance to talk, I could contribute then.
I was furious and hurt. It didn't seem fair that all these people who didn't really care about the event were going to get to have a say in it, whereas I was totally dedicated to it and being punished for my dedication.
After the meeting, my teacher approached me.
Great, I thought, I'm going to get yelled at again.
"Kevin," he said, "I don't want you to be upset, but you need to learn now that the hardest thing in the world is caring about something more than anybody else does."
At first, it didn't even sound like advice. It just sounded like a huge pack of pessimism dressed up to sound wise.
Then he went on by saying--
"In theater, you're always going to be upset if you let how much you want something make you think that means you deserve it. It's not about who wants the role more, or who wants to direct the play more, or who cares more about the event. It should be, but it's not. That doesn't mean you shouldn't stay passionate about it, but you can't get aggravated with people when they don't have the same passion that you do."
This seemed even more frustrating to me.
"So what do I do then," I asked, "Just work with people who don't care and not get upset?"
I remember he looked around, almost as if he was about to tell me a secret.
"No," he said, "What you do is learn to take the passion you have and inspire it in others. That's your job as an artist. To inspire."
I'll agree that it may not be universal advice, but it was exactly what I needed to hear.
Now whenever I'm overloaded or too busy, and I feel like nobody cares as much as I do, I remember what he said--
It's my job to make others feel what I feel.
That's the best advice I ever heard.
I was upset because I was trying to plan a theater event, and my type A personality was taking over, which obviously didn't go over well with the other people on the event committee.
When it got to point of me shouting across the room at everyone, my teacher told me that I was no longer needed for the discussion, and that once everybody else had a chance to talk, I could contribute then.
I was furious and hurt. It didn't seem fair that all these people who didn't really care about the event were going to get to have a say in it, whereas I was totally dedicated to it and being punished for my dedication.
After the meeting, my teacher approached me.
Great, I thought, I'm going to get yelled at again.
"Kevin," he said, "I don't want you to be upset, but you need to learn now that the hardest thing in the world is caring about something more than anybody else does."
At first, it didn't even sound like advice. It just sounded like a huge pack of pessimism dressed up to sound wise.
Then he went on by saying--
"In theater, you're always going to be upset if you let how much you want something make you think that means you deserve it. It's not about who wants the role more, or who wants to direct the play more, or who cares more about the event. It should be, but it's not. That doesn't mean you shouldn't stay passionate about it, but you can't get aggravated with people when they don't have the same passion that you do."
This seemed even more frustrating to me.
"So what do I do then," I asked, "Just work with people who don't care and not get upset?"
I remember he looked around, almost as if he was about to tell me a secret.
"No," he said, "What you do is learn to take the passion you have and inspire it in others. That's your job as an artist. To inspire."
I'll agree that it may not be universal advice, but it was exactly what I needed to hear.
Now whenever I'm overloaded or too busy, and I feel like nobody cares as much as I do, I remember what he said--
It's my job to make others feel what I feel.
That's the best advice I ever heard.
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