94 Marbles
Part of my strength as an actor comes from what I've
learned all these years: when you play a villain, you try to get the
light touches; when you play a hero, you try to get in some of the
warts.
John Forsythe
A friend from work lent me a Little Red Riding Hood and the Big, Bad Wolf costumes for Halloween. Not sure which one I’ll choose - the "good girl" or the "bad guy". Maybe I should wear both the wolf’s mask under the red riding hood - more of a Taoist statement of the balancing act: you can’t have one without the other. Within the hero lurks a villain, within the villain exists a hero.
It’s become clear to me, over the last 271 marbles, that once the antagonist was removed from the story, I was forced to acknowledge the antagonist within myself. It was time to face my inner Big, Bad Wolf. According to Dara Mark’s, author of The Inside Story, this is the heroine’s journey. Whereas the hero’s journey is and exterior adventure where one encounters transformational forces and returns a victor, the heroine’s journey is a delving inside in a discovery of who we really are. Times of “death,” like a breakup, are a perfect opportunity to embark on a personal heroine’s journey.
Lately, my heroine’s journey has made me aware of my negative mind that has the microphone a little too often for my liking. I recently heard Pastor Joel Osteen say, “Whatever you say after ‘I am’ will come looking for you.” I’ve heard this belief expressed many times but never so succinctly. He continued to explain that the best indicator of where you will be in five years is the thoughts and beliefs you have today. The challenge is to recognize negative thoughts when they enter my awareness and override them with a positive “I am” statement. This is a tad trickier than it would seem. It’s a bit like living with mice in your home for years only to decide that they’re no longer welcome. There’s a lot of cleanup work to be done and those darn rodents are persistent - they keep coming back to nest.
Today I played with new “I am” statements. When I noticed myself going into an insecure place, I said, “I am secure,” and “I am confident.” Oddly, this simple sleight of mind seemed to do the trick to shift my mood. It’s time to start using my mind as an ally.
Where do you see yourself in five years? Do your thoughts now reflect your dream reality? If not, what would it take to shift your thoughts to fit your aspirations and goals?
John Forsythe
A friend from work lent me a Little Red Riding Hood and the Big, Bad Wolf costumes for Halloween. Not sure which one I’ll choose - the "good girl" or the "bad guy". Maybe I should wear both the wolf’s mask under the red riding hood - more of a Taoist statement of the balancing act: you can’t have one without the other. Within the hero lurks a villain, within the villain exists a hero.
It’s become clear to me, over the last 271 marbles, that once the antagonist was removed from the story, I was forced to acknowledge the antagonist within myself. It was time to face my inner Big, Bad Wolf. According to Dara Mark’s, author of The Inside Story, this is the heroine’s journey. Whereas the hero’s journey is and exterior adventure where one encounters transformational forces and returns a victor, the heroine’s journey is a delving inside in a discovery of who we really are. Times of “death,” like a breakup, are a perfect opportunity to embark on a personal heroine’s journey.
Lately, my heroine’s journey has made me aware of my negative mind that has the microphone a little too often for my liking. I recently heard Pastor Joel Osteen say, “Whatever you say after ‘I am’ will come looking for you.” I’ve heard this belief expressed many times but never so succinctly. He continued to explain that the best indicator of where you will be in five years is the thoughts and beliefs you have today. The challenge is to recognize negative thoughts when they enter my awareness and override them with a positive “I am” statement. This is a tad trickier than it would seem. It’s a bit like living with mice in your home for years only to decide that they’re no longer welcome. There’s a lot of cleanup work to be done and those darn rodents are persistent - they keep coming back to nest.
Today I played with new “I am” statements. When I noticed myself going into an insecure place, I said, “I am secure,” and “I am confident.” Oddly, this simple sleight of mind seemed to do the trick to shift my mood. It’s time to start using my mind as an ally.
Where do you see yourself in five years? Do your thoughts now reflect your dream reality? If not, what would it take to shift your thoughts to fit your aspirations and goals?
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