How to Take Control Over What You Can, Part 2 of 5

Hi everyone,
Welcome back. Last week we talked about doing your best to be in shape physically. Today I’d like to talk about the emotional aspect.
Sanford Meisner used to say, “To be a world-class actor, you have to have a world-class instrument to play.” And we are that instrument. That’s the cool thing about being an actor: you are the piano. We say that all the time here.
I think that’s one of the great, great things about being an actor. I think it’s the most soulful of the arts. It’s not a competition. I’m sure singers and dancers and others will have their own opinions on this, but I believe strongly that as actors, because we do act from who and what we are and our humanity, that it is imperative that the instrument be as healthy as possible.
If you’re an actor, you’re a highly sensitive human being. You tend to be pretty emotional. Like all of us, there’s the healthy and unhealthy side of our qualities.
So you want to be in balance, emotionally speaking, so you can sustain and weather the struggles, the frustrations of finding your way and making your way in this career.
I’m not going to tell you how to do it. You have to find your own way. If you’re in a wonderful relationship, good for you. If you’re not, you know how that’s not contributing to your emotional health. If you’re in a job that you cannot stand, if you live in a place that you cannot stand, these are contributing to your unhappiness, to your emotional instability, to being upset.
So again, whatever you can have control over, that’s what this series is about over these next several weeks, emotionally speaking.
I realize things will happen to us in life, and it feels like we don’t have control, but there are so many things, emotionally speaking, that we do have control over.
Be careful what you’re ingesting on a daily basis. I got rid of my television set quite some time ago because I didn’t want that constant assault of commercials and just crap content coming at me.
And over the years, I’ve had plenty of therapists, good ones and bad ones, but I’ve done everything I can to continue to try to advance this. Wayne Dyer, who passed recently, was someone who had been an instrumental teacher in helping me stay grounded and healthy.
Find your teachers. Find your classes, your books, your tapes, your TED talks, your things. Try, on a daily basis, to fill yourself up with this versus the things that bring you down.
I know there’s so much more. We’re going to offer a series some day, available for you, that will be more intensive for you to participate in. But for now, I just want to plant the seed. Start taking a look at how your day is and what you’re doing to take control of your emotional wellbeing, of your instrument, your piano.
 
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Alright, we’ll see you next week. We’ll see what we can advance for you. Thanks for joining us.