Discipline

So last weekend I had an interview with a movie producer, G. Anthony Joseph. We met up at the Pink Pepper, which is a Thai restaurant in Hollywood. Let me just say that he’s a great guy and a genuine person, which is so refreshing to find in the entertainment industry. I’ll try to make this blog post quick, because I still have to work on my feature about him and if he reads this he’ll wonder why I’m not focused on the task at hand.

Anyway, I felt compelled to commit a few words to my chance encounter with G. because talking to him gave me a little more clarity in my career and in life in general. My last post was about inspiration and riding the wave when it comes. After my luncheon with G., I’m all about discipline now. In short, I can’t rely on motivation and inspiration to keep me going if I plan on getting to where I want to be. I think I’ve let a few important things fall by the wayside, because I wasn’t seeing the short term reward. I have to get back into the swing of things and keep forward motion going.

So here are the areas of focus in no particular order:

  • Keep on top of my deadlines: I’ve gotten really lackadaisical about this and it’s bitten me in the ass more than once.
  • Exercise: For a while there I was pretty disciplined about working out. What I enjoyed most about it was the ability to sleep less and feel just as rested. I think I stopped working out because I mainly did it for body image purposes and realized that I didn’t have anyone to impress. Now that I have to maximize my waking hours, I’ll definitely need to rely on less sleep.
  • Health: I smoke – very rarely – but I smoke. I also eat garbage that I pick up at fast food joints. If my plans for Valentine’s Day fall through, I’m probably going to spend the weekend stocking up on chicken breasts and learning new and interesting ways to prepare them. Oh, and I think I’ll be putting smoking on hold for some time. Starting now.
  • The Web site: I think it’s time to go whole hog with the entertainment webzine angle for ol’ Working Author and open up the site to freelance writers. There’s no way I can keep up with the amount of content I need by myself. I’m not set on this yet, but I’m getting there. I’ll keep you posted.

On an unrelated note: I’m getting a little traction with my screenplay. Looks like Mr. Actor just might come through after all.

Editor-in-Chief/Publisher
  1. Inspiring words, Rene. Having worked with G. Anthony Joseph a few times, i concur with your analysis of the man. He’s an inspiration.

    I see you wrote this article about discipline in February. How goes your goals since then?

    About your Exercise comment … were you saying that you intended to get back into exercise, or that it was no longer as important because your motives were no longer relevent? Hopefully not the latter. My experience is that my creativity as a writer is at its best when i’m staying physical and eating well.

    My best to you and to the success of your efforts. Ric

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