Saturday, February 22, 2020

There's a lot of "don't worry, stick at it, your dream will come true" on Twitter. That's not wisdom. Not everyone's dream will come true. You absolutely should ask yourself if you're barking up the wrong tree. You absolutely should ask if you could be happy doing something else.

Those of us who made it can truthfully say that it took a lot of perseverance. That getting knocked down doesn't matter, what matters is that you get back up again. But there are also people who persevered, maybe as good as us, who didn't make it. Those are the breaks.

You are not a weak person if you decide, after getting kicked in the shins a thousand times, that you've had it with getting kicked in the shins. This is your life, and there are costs to fighting for your dream. The cheery advice givers will not bear those costs. You will.

I was not terribly successful in LA. I moved to Montreal. I was supposed to become a film director. People didn't think my short films were all that. I wrote Canadian film and tv until our little pond dried up. I went into games. And that's a successful trajectory.

I had a first marriage. Didn't work out. Second marriage is amazing. And that's a success story.

One of the worst relationships I ever had was after I did a "U can make anything happen if you rly mean it!!!" type life seminar. Oh, my God, were we bad for each other. I don't think she even liked me. At one point she told me she didn't like how I drank water.

But we stuck at it because we could make anything happen. Until we came to our senses.

Sticking to this notion of perseverance at all costs made us stay with a relationship that was fundamentally no good.

I knew an actress in Hollywood who was really terrific. She had a transparent quality; her emotions just popped. But it never happened for her. Maybe she didn't audition well?

She quit to go into raising money for playgrounds that are accessible for disabled kids. That is awesome. I know another good actress who quit to become a pastry chef. That is also awesome.

Point is: if your aircraft is burning, bail. Don't kick yourself for jumping out of a burning plane. If your only legacy is the kind things you do for other people, and the joy you took in sunsets and fresh bread, you will have lived a good life.

10:54 AM

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