Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Meeting a very rich older guy.

Morning Party People!
          So this event happened while I was at work.  It was later in the evening at the restaurant that I work at. An older couple sat down and ordered some drinks and what not. Part of my job involves me being charming and talkative to the guests , which I was. The conversation started to become about movie and such which is when he shared with me that he was one of the guys who green lit Die Hard.
          That's when things took an odd turn. The first thing that came to mind is that this guy might be just pulling my leg. As the conversation moved along he mentioned a lot of names of people he worked with/knew. Names like Ruppert Murdock and Les Shroud. As someone whose heart has always yearned to work in Hollywood I felt I needed to give the guy my ear and listen to what he had to say.
          What was apparent to me is that this guy was a different type of human than I'm used to speaking with. His mind worked on a different level. He wasn't so much an artist but a businessman. He seemed to have two things about his mind that set him apart from other people I've known. One he had a mind that always broke things down to the simplest solutions, combine that with a great eye for talent to put in the right positions. The other thing that really intrigued me was his perception of reality.
          He told me about his achievements outside of Hollywood and the constant was that the thought of him not being able to overcome an obstacle was beyond him. There was a point A and a point B, anything else was a distraction. I have a hard time with this type of thinking as I don't always believe the simplest solution is the best. Sometimes the simple solution treats the symptom more so that the disease. I have an even harder time with that type of thinking when I see that it's effective more times than not.
          Meaning I hate being wrong with my view of life.  I'm still processing this conversation I had with the guy, I might even get his books and see what he has to say. I have to admit when someone suggests I also read Atlas Shrugged I have a strong desire to club them over the head, steal their ID cards then drop them off in the slums of a third world country and watch them pick themselves up by their bootstraps. My worst fear is they would do exactly that proving that liberals are dead wrong on poverty.
          So putting aside my own views, I really tried to listen and apply the advice he gave me. It's not everyday I run into someone like this so I owed it to myself to make the most of it. He said the main thing he did to achieve his success was he just showed up. (The simplest solution)
          There was other bits of advice he gave but that's the one that stuck out. "I just showed up Dave."
          Now I'm making a promise to myself to do that with my own life. To show up, not just for open mics and my day job mind you, but for me. I promise to show up for my projects, like my radio drama, and to personal things like my relationship with Jennie as well as my friends. The more I thought about his advice the more I found to my dismay that there is a lot of my life that I don't "show up" for. I have to thank that guy for his advice, it's just odd that it came from someone I would probably despise if I had read about him.
          It sucks when you realize you still have a lot of growing to do. On the bright side it's great I learned this now as opposed to ten years from now. Isn't life wonderful?

Till next time Party People
Keep on a Chooglin!