Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Happy Things That Feed Your Soul


2,469: words in Blog #1.
2,420: words in Blog #2.
2,033: words in Blog #3.
704: words in this Blog, #4. Bet ya didn't think I could do it, huh?

Today I ventured away from my patio oasis (pictured on the right) and out to the Java Detour in West Hollywood (http://www.javadetour.com/) to publish my blog. It's quite the interesting coffee shop. They have plenty of coffee and tea, of course, and they have baked goods and some food....and at night, they have alcohol and bartenders....it's different and I like that. AND they have free wi-fi as opposed to Starbucks or Coffee Bean that charge you some ridiculous hourly charge. The city of West Hollywood has been promising city wide FREE wi-fi for years now. But apparently building a pay by the hour parking lot was more important after wiping out seemingly 50% of the street and free lot parking. Priorities??

Today is a gorgeous day, I'm feeling great, I'm 9 days away until my trip to Tribeca for "Spork" and 6 days away from our "Relish" premiere at the W Hotel in Hollywood. So I wanted to talk about Happy Things. No, it's not the name of my next feature. Happy Things are the little things you should do EVERY DAY for yourself that make you happy. It's a pretty basic concept and it seems so easy that it can go unnoticed.

This business is a very difficult, all consuming, stressful, competitive and never ending job. Every day we run the rat race of trying to get ahead, whether that's going on auditions, interviews, taking meetings, getting new headshots, printing resumes, reading scripts, rehearsing, holding auditions, having conference calls and on and on and on. And while this is all very intense and sometimes almost a bit much to handle, it can also be fun in that crazy way. Why would we do this if it wasn't fun to some extent? But there's always a way to make it MORE fun and MORE enjoyable.

Sometimes that doesn't mean doing something specifically industry related nor does it mean changing the way we run about our day. Sometimes it means taking a break from all of that and doing something that feeds your soul. That "something" is different for each of us and it doesn't have to be a big thing or a big deal nor does it have to be all that time consuming. But I think it's very important to do at least one of these things every day. It can be as simple as watching an episode of your favorite tv show, grabbing a coffee with a friend, reading the NY Times in the park, plugging into your headphones and melting into a few of your favorite songs. Or, for me, it can be gardening, which is an interesting feat on a concrete patio. As you can see from the picture above, I've transformed my patio into a garden. The patio is about 3 times the size of that picture and the entire patio is covered with plants and flowers. I spend time out there every single day watering, picking off the dead leaves, making sure the star jasmine wrap around the stakes and not my other plants, reading the paper and drinking my tea, writing my blog, etc. I love it out there. It smells amazing and it's relaxing. It kinda takes me back home to my parent's house on Long Island and I breathe in the amazing smells and hide away from the craziness that is this business. And it can make all the difference in my day. You have to take care of your body, mind and soul. Without sounding too much like a self-help book, it's true. Try it. Find the little things that make you happy and make sure you do something, anything, each day. It can make a potentially stressful day just a little bit more doable.

Now....see....this blog is noticeably shorter. And if, just maybe, reading my blog might become somebody's happy thing, than maybe I've just made them a little happier.

Comment back and let me know what your happy things are and what you did TODAY.

Much love and happiness,
Jeremy Gordon, CSA

4 comments:

  1. Jeremy,

    I find this to be true more than most people realize. Everyone has their list of priorities, and things they are committed to; whether it be a job, a significant other, a pet, or a project. No matter what you have going in your life, you have to find a little time for yourself. Your sanity depends on it.
    When you lie in bed at night, and you have those few moments before you fall asleep when you stare into the black or up at the ceiling, the truth is: you ultimately answer to one person regarding your happiness -

    Yourself.

    And if things aren't the way you want them to be, it is never too late to make one little change in the right direction. These little changes eventually add up to the big change you were looking for. Having patience is the most difficult thing about change. If it is for your happiness though, then it is well worth it.

    When it comes to this business and industry I think a lot of people forget to stop, look around, and realize we are working in the most creative capacity in the world. Something that is true for me as an actor, applies to every position in this industry. When you were a kid and someone asked what you wanted to be, inevitably we all said : "Fireman, Doctor, Vet, Athlete"
    Only now do we realize we work in an industry that allows us to be all of the above and more. We are the dreamers and creators. Find something to do that you love and you'll never work another day in your life. We've all had those 20-hour days where you're exhausted and can't see straight by the end. But don't confuse exhaustion with discontent. If you enjoy what you do, take time to appreciate what you do.

    Becaause happiness is synonymous with hard work. And happiness is worth working for.

    Chris

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  2. Congrats on going to Tribeca man, very cool! : )

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  3. OK, so I'm a day late, but this is sage advice you give. And I guess it's what keeps me going! Because I do read the paper, take long walks, write poetry, and play the piano. And I do crossword puzzles, which is close to an addiction for me!

    I only do some of those things every day. :-)

    And tomorrow I'm taking a full day off and going shopping, then to lunch at a favorite, authentic Mexican restaurant and on to a movie with with friend. Fun!

    Have a thoroughly wonderful Thursday, Jeremy!

    Mary Alice

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  4. I'm catching up on the blogs I subscribe to and low and behold I'm reading yours and I get a shout out in your blog for being the first follower. It was pretty surreal, incredibly funny, and the equivalent to seeing myself on tv for the first time. I must have read that section five times lol. Thank you. And let me apologize to your mom I didn't mean to upstage her by being the first, sorry moms

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