You’re just ONE of these away from whatever you want in theater . . . or in anything.
There has been a lot of time for reflection during the last five and a half months. (Can it be only 5 months since Broadway shut down? Why does it feel like we’re stuck in some Back To The Future-like time-space continuum.)
One of the things I’ve realized is that there have been a handful of moments in my life when I took a hard right turn to something much better than where I was.
Like one moment I was lamenting where I was, wondering how I could get out, and the next moment I was saying, “Whoa . . . this is MUCH better!”
“Ok, ok,” I said to myself as I wrote down some of these moments. “So what was it that got me to take that turn and . . . produce my first show, start a blog, get married (for a few examples of my personal life-changing events).”
It took me about an hour to unpack each moment to figure out what each one had in common.
And the answer was so simple it was shocking.
The first domino that got me to do all those things and a bunch more?
Someone gave me a piece of advice.
That’s right . . . it was someone else who lit the fire.
And it didn’t take much. A few words in most cases. The right question. A quote in a book.
But for whatever reason, they resonated and bam, I took a right turn to a much better life.
Now, those few words weren’t from someone random on the street. All the people who poked me with their advice were experts. They had all been through a lot of the same @#$% before me.
But in each case they only had to say one thing . . . just ONE thing . . . that forever altered my life for the better. Like the MUCH better.
(One of them was Hal Prince, by the way, which I talk about here at length.)
So what’s the point of me telling you this?
Well, if you’re looking for a positive change in your life in the theater or in anything, here’s an exciting and optimistic way to look at it . .
You are just ONE piece of advice away from getting exactly where you want to go.
That’s it! A few words from the right person could forever alter your destiny.
Sounds easy, right?
It is.
Just follow this three step formula to getting to where you want to be.
1. Seek out wise words from experts. Mentors, books, whenever and wherever. Devour content from people who have been through it before you and achieved success.
2. When you find an expert who you respect, be open to advice. Or, like my 5th grade Algebra teacher would say, shut up and listen.
3. Act on the advice.
Do that and watch the eff out. The change won’t happen overnight, but one day you’ll look back and say, “Hey – my life is better – how’d that happen?”
And you’ll realize it was someone who said the right thing to you at the right time . . . and you seizing that moment.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to shut up and listen to a few more folks right now, because there is a lot of stuff I still want to do. And I know they will help get me there.
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If you’re looking for theater folks to listen to and give you actionable advice, come to this. There is nowhere else you can hear from so many theatrical gurus in one place. And past attendees have called it “life affirming” and an “influential experience” for all the reasons above. See you there.
Podcasting
Ken created one of the first Broadway podcasts, recording over 250 episodes over 7 years. It features interviews with A-listers in the theater about how they “made it”, including 2 Pulitzer Prize Winners, 7 Academy Award Winners and 76 Tony Award winners. Notable guests include Pasek & Paul, Kenny Leon, Lynn Ahrens and more.
