We discussed creativity, perspective and the road to success. Success defined by your own happiness and accomplishments and not by other's standards. "It sounds like you work three jobs so you can ski, am I right?" he asked when answering a question for a 22 year old girl in the balcony. "I guess you're right" she said. "Then, my dear, you're living the dream. You know they write songs about being 22, enjoy it. They don't write songs about being 40."
Her question, in so many words: "When did you know what you wanted to do with your life and how did you get there?" Such a clever man for pinpointing the way in which she was working to enjoy a passion of hers. She has found success, of some sort.
Near the end of his discussion, Ira said, "All you need to do is one great thing and people will notice you." He's a living testament to this notion... he has worked in public media since he was 19. While his parents questioned his talent and ability to do something great with his Semiotics degree from Brown, he kept plugging along. He played us a clip from when he was 26 -- 7 years into his career. He laughed at himself, at the writing, at the intonations in his voice. He explained after 7 years he "still sucked!" but he loved working in "a job that was never boring." After giggling at himself along with the rest of us, he gave some great words of advice, "Just keep putting stuff out there, because you will get better."
This is so true for all of us -- artists, musicians, writers, skiers, business people... for EVERYONE. It's the age old saying, "Practice makes perfect." If you want to succeed in something you're passionate about, above all, never give up.
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Since I love lists so much, here are three things I learned from Ira Glass:
1. Perspective
During the evening, Ira shared a number of stories with us that had been aired on This American Life in the past. He would play clips and would give us more information about each story and about each individual being interviewed. Preconceived notions about who these people are were thrown out the window. He said something very profound about the ability to capture a relatable and heartfelt story in the midst of something much larger like war. It's those stories, he explained, that make this life exciting and the world around us seem so much larger.
2. Success is Never Being Bored
No matter what, you have the opportunity to stray far from boredom. Even if you're working a 9-5 job, you can still find time to enjoy your passions. To have a life that is successful outside of monetary means, outside of your 9-5 and outside of what everyone else thinks amounts to success. You can work three jobs just so that you can ski in Jackson Hole and you still have found a level of success that means something to you.
3. Keep Putting it Out There... and Never Give Up
This is the most important lesson I learned last night that really made me reflect on the past few years and all of my endeavors. Just because I haven't succeeded in the way I want to yet, doesn't mean I won't. I've read so many quotes about success from people who failed countless times before they finally made it. Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, Ira Glass.... they all experienced failure before success. The difference between them and the people who never found success, is that they never gave up. They kept putting themselves out there until they found that "one great thing" that got them noticed.
These lessons remind me of the ones I learned last year after seeing The Life of Pi. In case you still want to read more of my laborious writing, here you go:
Recently, I saw the Life of Pi with a very dear friend who came home to find me somewhat low and lazy on a Saturday night. He literally scooped me up, took me to dinner and drove me to the theater. Having read the book at the age of 18, the extraordinary story of survival and unbridled hope didn’t resonate with me at the time — it was just a good book about a kid who survived at sea. To be honest, I probably didn’t even finish.
After dinner I expressed how thankful I was that my friend had grabbed me from the house and taken me out… “The universe works that way” he said when I expressed how fortuitous it was that we arrived at the theater just in time for a movie even though neither of us knew what time it was. The only movie playing at that time was the Life of Pi. It’s true, the universe does work that way. Two strong themes, hope and faith, kept me asking for a sign that everything will work out despite all the change I was going through in life… it didn’t hit me until half way through the movie that this was it — seeing this movie on this night was exactly what I was looking for.
Feeling low and taking all the incredible things in my life for granted as many of us do far too often, Life of Pi was just what I needed to snap out of it. It reminded me to be grateful for all the amazing things I have and that the more grateful you are, the more you get from life. In the midst ofbeing lost at sea, Pi, reminds himself over and over “…above all, never give up hope.”
The three things I learned from the Life of Pi:
- Despite those feelings we all have at some point in our lives — that nothing is good and that nothing will ever be good again — there isalways something to be grateful for. Always. Three things I’m grateful for at this very moment are: (1) the incredible people around me who know what unconditional love is and their ability to demonstrate it through thick and thin, (2) lazy mornings where I can sleep in, leisurely enjoy a homemade breakfast with a cup of Earl Grey while looking out over a vineyard and the ocean, and (3) the beautiful blue skies and warm sunshine that allow me to write this outside. Write down what you’re grateful for today, it will make your day that much better.
- “You must take life the way it comes at you and make the best of it.” This not only inspired me, but also reminded me — we can take life the way it comes at us but we also have the power to steer our lives in the direction that we want. We just have to remember this even when times get rough… and to make the best of any situation. Such a strong message yet so simple.
- Finally, “…above all, never give up hope.”
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