Platitudes And Winners

Former Ohio State Head coach Jim Tressel one of my favorite coaches (and hated by many) wrote a book called "The Winner's Manual."
Talk about ego.
But he is a winner. Though fell out in a small form of disgrace.
That doesn't mean his platitudes aren't wrong.
It's amazing how our lives can be guided by a simple attitude change. Though fun, being miserable in a miserable town isn't how life should be lived.
A few things in the book have more to do with...perspective.

"If you heed your fears, you'll die never knowing what a great person you might have been" - Dr. Robert Schuller

"Champions believe in themselves when no one else does"

"Faith doesn't mean the absence of fear. It means having the energy to ahead, right alongside the fear" - Sharon Salberg

"I can accept failure. Everyone fails. But I can't accept not trying." - Michael Jordan

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams" -Eleanor Roosevelt

Mrs. Roosevelt's statement and the one of fear sticks with me the most. There is no success in no having dreams to begin with. Dreams, to me, use to mean...pipe dreams. I would guess my Mother instilled in me this lesson that dreams are frivolous. Not because she was some angry bitter woman. But because she was always on survival mode. Dreams are frivolous to a third world nation. Even though Disney has you believe dreams is all they had. That's bullshit. Faith is what they have. And they push alongside it, and are surprisingly much more content than people who dream. It is the cynic in me that would tell you your dream is dumb and unattainable, if you go too far beyond your capabilities. To which Bette Davis would argue "Attempt the impossible in order to improve your work." And no one wants to fuck with Bette Davis.
My point?
Making movies is scary shit. Mostly because you want the people involved to feel they are doing something worthwhile. Always in the back of my mind, they have many more sacrifices than my own. I do not know their daily struggles or concerns, but make it a point to address them if need be. To me I owe it to them to make something they are proud of. This is the fear. The solution, for me, is to keep making stuff to the best of my abilities. I have no guidelines or pressure from "the bank" to deal with. But I do have an obligation to the my cast and crew. It's a lot to handle. And I would be lying to say that it is fun. My directing friend smiles whenever I bring this up. He works a very unstable job and can't think of any other way to spend his money than to put it into his projects. I do the same thing. So the stake are higher. Though, his attitude is the money was well spent. To me, not enough money to make it the way we wanted it to be. Guess who gets more done? (actually I do, but his attitude is still better than my own).

We lost a lot of platitudes as we get older. These faith based chances we make no longer just involve ourselves. We drag in loved ones. And they care only that you are healthy and happy. Though the pursuit of excellence in filmmaking requires a herculean effort very few people understand. Even I don't understand a lot of times. Above all this, you must constantly remind yourself the privilege of having any opportunity regardless.
I was walking around Hollywood Boulevard the other night and saw all these faces fascinated by...Hollywood. Most of these faces understand the mechanics of making movies, but the commitment to be in the company of greatness is still elusive. Regardless of what YouTube or Instagram have you believe. There isn't a platitude that ever encourages you to show ass shots to get "likes".
So I like to offer my own platitude:
Keep your head up. And make things!