I had dinner with a friend the other day, a lighting designer, whose work freelancing in theater is nearing an end. Having garnered for himself some national and international success, regularly working off-Broadway, and regionally, he has decided that the lifestyle of the freelance lighting designer is not for him. While he has projects through next fall he has been turning down work steadily to give an end date of October 2010.
I find it fascinating to see the choices that people make in life. By many external standards my friend has achieved great success. At the very least he has achieved what he set out to achieve. Being now at the place he set out to reach ten years ago his targets are shifting. We all do this to greater or lesser degrees. In my experience it takes great strength of character and a strong inner compass to be able to shift course in such radical ways mid voyage.
There are interesting parallels between my dinner companion and the show I am currently working on. Richard Foreman, a true master of the American stage, is directing his last ever theater piece. His interest now is on experimental film. He has given up his theater space of several decades and will transition full time to film. It is one thing for someone approaching 40 and considering starting a family to shift careers into something more stable and sustainable. It is something else, albeit related, for a man of 72, considered a leader in his field, to decide that he has reached the end of what he can do aesthetically and needs to find new mediums of expression.
Both of these decisions necessitate clear thinking to come from a proactive place rather than a reactive place. Too often we hold on to old ideas of identity long past their relevance to our actual daily lives. At some point we find ourselves scrambling to make up for lost time as we attempt to reorient our consciousness to this newly realized, but long existing, reality.
Too often it takes some crisis point for one to wake up to the reality of their existence. Rather than taking the time to look around and recalibrate our lives we wait until we are up against a wall and then are forced to choose between a now limited range of options.
Successfully navigating one’s life and career does not mean simply doing the job in front of you well. It is not just playing the cards you are dealt. It is knowing when to trade in your cards for a new hand or folding entirely and taking your winnings from the table.
Being proactive is what makes life vibrant and full. Seeing a challenge or a goal or having a desire and putting your full effort and intention towards achieving that goal makes for an exciting life. Grabbing life by the reins and taking opportunities as they arise or even making your own opportunities creates an adventure out of life.
Often I find people focus on endings. We see the end of some phase of life or a project or a relationship. But each of those endings are also beginnings. Having the courage and foresight to see those beginnings and transforms them into powerful opportunities for growth and transformation is necessary for inner peace and true success.
In many ways success is easy. Outward success that is. One can craft a life that looks to external observers like they have “made it.” However, just because the life looks good to an external observer does not mean the one holding the cards is enjoying the game. The appearance of success is not true success. Being true to one’s self and one’s inner vision of the life one wants to lead takes courage and continual vigilance.
This is a tough path for anyone to walk.
Good luck!
Wow. Thanks for that perspective Lucas. I think sometimes I think of myself having “abandoned” the theatre instead of having moved on to a place with it where I can bring other aspects that are very important to me (mindfulness, spirituality, authenticity…)
I appreciate you.
Glad to bring you a useful perspective. Mindfulness and authenticity are very good things indeed.