Sacrifice

I've talked about this before, but after watching an assload of previews over at quicktime.com and reading Scott's latest blog, I'm compelled to blather about it again.

There are several movies coming out which can talk to it, but one sticks out, Pursuit of Happyness with Will Smith. It's about the struggles of a single father keeping himself and his son under a roof and fed. His plights of employement and the lesson he's teaching his son, "don't let anyone ever tell you that you can't do anything - not even me." There it is.

You can do anything.

What nobody says, but it's quite evident in every film and every history of every person you hear interviewed on the Actor's Studio is that they made sacrifices to get where they are. Big sacrifices. Not the pissant ones that so many would-be writers claim to have made.

I'm talking about leaving your family to be closer to the work.

Shunning the social life to hone your skill (whatever it is).

Missing all the cool new shows or the latest movie because, you're getting it, you're working on your skill.

I'll never forget reading that Ron Bass would get up at 5am to write, then help get the kids off to school, then go to work, come home and spend time with the wife/family. The sacrifice of sleep and other "hobbies" has led to a fruitful career.

The downside of this is that the majority of folks have made these sacrifices early. Perhaps that's why so many Hollywood marriages seem to fail. They've made so many sacrifices to get where they are, they're missing the longing others have for commitment to others.

I don't want to take anything away from Scott and his great feelings over writing recently, so I'm posting here where he'll undoubtedly never read it, but that good feeling comes from hard work. He sacrificed, it appears, a couple days and evenings to do the work and was rewarded with a nice chunk of writing. He's talking about making another push with the momentum he's gathered from Nicholl's, but the real question, I believe, is what is he willing to sacrifice to make the push payoff? Obviously, trashing a marriage and family is insane, but there are plenty of things that can come before that... social events, TV, movies, perhaps the blog & the web for awhile? I wish him all the luck and determination in the world. Go knock 'em dead, Scott!

If there's something you want, just think about what you are willing to give up to get it.

Don't believe me? Just start reading some biographies of any talented folks - sports, music, arts, whatever. Everybody who is making a living doing something fantastic has put in the time. Are you willing to put in the time as well? If not, either face up to the fact you're not going to make it to the big time, or go do something else.