It’s All About Strategy

It’s called having stars in your eyes.

Some naivete.  Some youthfulness.  Some self-imposed pressure.

All normal.

During a recent trip to LA (land of movie stars and actors), as I was leaving a hip café, I came across a young man who asked me in a sheepish voice “Excuse me, can I ask you where the nearest bus station is?”  He looked young and his tone was very weak, almost to the point where I wanted to ask him if he was ok or if he had eaten in days.

Instead, this turned into one of the most incredible encounters of my so-far life.

After some conversation (an hour and a half worth) my friend (who was walking with me) and I discovered that this young man was not only not at all dangerous, but rather, an 18-year old kid from Macedonia who had lied to his parents about backpacking through the States, and instead got duped into giving some “actor” $5000 so he could stay with him, and get introduced to major studio execs so that he could “make it big in Hollywood.”  This kid had true stars in his eyes, and told me with every ounce of conviction that he is the most talented actor, singer and dancer in his hometown and that he just knew that if he could get in front of a studio exec, that he could hit it big.

Only problems were: he had no money, no contacts, and as this “actor friend” of his just kicked him out, he had no place to stay either.  He said he was perfectly fine sleeping on the street.  I wasn’t about to let that happen.  Instead, even though it was 2:30 in the morning, I sat this kid down and the teacher and life-coach in me kicked in.  I gave him some true lessons on life and how it’s perfectly wonderful (even essential) to have a dream and to go after it and take risks – the only part he was missing was the idea that he needed a strategy.  He had no idea how he was going to do anything.

He continued to talk about how he was going to have millions and live in a great mansion (Hugh Hefner-style).  Again, I had to remind him that true successes doesn’t actually happen overnight, but that he needs to plan and strategize how he was going to do something.

I really tried to say things in such a way as to not discourage this young man from having a dream, but I wanted to instil some reality and need for strategy into his young, impressionable mind. 

At the end of our conversation, he couldn’t stop saying how much I helped him, and how he just received so much information.  He also couldn’t stop talking about how he still had so much to learn, but how grateful he was that he met me.

I think I was the one who was grateful to have met him.

I was reading an article about world-renowned and celebrated physicist Stephen Hawking, where he states that Earth may not be habitable after a certain point (that may be sooner to come than we think) and that human survival may depend on humans inhabiting space. 

I found this very interesting and as I kept clicking on link after link, I was taken to a website all about Stephen Hawking and who this incredibly accomplished man is. At the risk of sounding like a giddy little schoolgirl, I think Stephen Hawking's contributions to the field of physics and science are beyond incredible.  Not only has he been perfecting his craft and field of study for around 30-plus years, but he currently occupies the same post at Cambridge University once occupied by Sir Isaac Newton (yes, THE Sir Isaac Newton). 

What is even more fascinating is that this is someone who has been battling Lou Gehrig's disease for decades and only has the use of one muscle in his right cheek which he uses to communicate with a computer.  Regardless, his focus on his work, and his family are so exemplary.  What Stephen teaches us about human behaviour is that at any given time, a person can look at their situation and circumstances in a positive or negative way by what aspect they choose to focus on.  Now, I'm not saying that everything in your life (or mine for that matter) are perfect (not even close), but I  believe there is something to learn from someone who can do great things and have a great disposition in the face of some incredibly trying times. 

On the other hand, there are so many examples of people out there with all the beauty, money, love and riches in the world who killed themselves with drugs and other things.  Elvis Presley, John Belushi and Kurt Cobain to name just a few of the great and amazing artists who were so loved and respected for their work but were clearly battling their own demons. 

As someone who has seen her fair share of unfortunate situations and has been dealt some pretty crappy blows in her time, I find comfort in the fact that I make sure to find something redeeming and a valuable lesson, even in the midst of sometimes devastating situations. 

In the end, whatever has happened to you, you can either allow it to lick you completely or you can learn from it and grow from it.  Sometimes easier said than done but with some distance from the situation, you will hopefully get the lesson out of it.