MIND OF A CHAMPION: WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE OLYMPIANS?

I’ve got to admit, I knew the 2012 London Olympics were approaching, but it was a distant thought in the back of my mind-- there’s so much going on in my brain at the moment, I didn’t really give it much thought.

Sometimes, to ease my mind, I watch television. It gives me a break from some of the intense mental focus I have to do. I don’t watch TV regularly-- there aren’t any shows I HAVE to watch (except TRUE BLOOD of course, LOL!). I tend to go for the non-fiction stuff: PBS, hour-long news shows (I can’t stand the 5 or 6 PM daily news shows with all of its gloom and doom, blood, guts and gore). At 7PM I watch Access Hollywood and E News.  Sometimes, when they’re not talking about who’s sleeping with who or what someone’s wearing, I can find out some interesting facts about projects going around town, who’s attached to what, etc.

This week, though, a lot of programming has been  re-routed to accommodate the Olympics! I found myself mildly interested then growing pretty obsessed with the outcomes of some of the Olympic sports: swimming, and the dual between Lochte and Phelps; the “fab five” women’s gymnastics team (and their desire to be called the “fierce five” instead). I have even watched some sports I didn’t know went to the Olympics (water polo??) and found myself rooting for EVERYONE to win. I marveled at the athletes’ physical strength as they fought the waves uphill and down, racing to the finish. Some were more “successful” than others but at this stage, when you’re an elite athlete, it all comes down to milliseconds--splitting hairs--timing and plain old fate. Look at Jordan Weiber.

The one thing I noticed that ALL the athletes had in common was their SHARP MENTAL FOCUS and their POSITIVE ATTITUDE.  I read a blog post written by Olympic Gold Medalist Gabby Douglass for ESPN (http://gabrielledouglas.com/) where she uses the words “thinking,” visualizing,”  and seeing her “dreams becoming real.” I learned a lot from listening/watching the Olympians:

1.  the importance of MENTALLY SEEING what you want to achieve

2.  the power of determination

3.  sacrifice 

4.  the WILL to be a champion

5.  intense and consistent physical training

6  belief in oneself!

I’m gonna do this stuff on the stuff that I’m working on. Do it with me, too, and let’s check in with each other on our results!

Keep Rising,

XO

Tanya Wright

www.butterflyrisingthemovie.com

LIFE . AND TECHNOLOGY...

SO…I've been thinking.

Well, lemme back up. I've been TRAVELLING a whole lot lately, mostly for stuff (film festivals, etc.) related to my film, BUTTERFLY RISING, or Los Angeles to shoot TRUE BLOOD. While travelling, I noticed tons of folks who had iPods (or the equivalent) wired to their ears-- this, too, is especially noticeable on the NYC subway train (second only to my favorite mode of transportation--walking!).

This technology thing seems to be a two -edged sword: on the one hand, technology was created so that we can complete tasks quicker and more efficiently so that we can spend our time doing the things we love (spending time with our family/friends, being outdoors, playing with our animals--huh? What? No Fido in your life? Well, you get the idea…). And, if we use tech gadgets with that in mind, work would go quicker and we could have more free time, no? Instead, I see a lot of folks--myself included-- who are using technology to numb out and divorce themselves from the rest of the world. How much time do we spend on Facebook? Twitter? These are meant to engage, sure, but what's better than using them to set a time, date and location to simply sit down and share a good ole meal (or whatever else you like to do. Eating happens to be my favorite pastime and, I think, one of the great joys of life). But, then again, I also dig getting back in touch with my best friend from elementary school who I haven't seen in a gazillion years. And I've met a lot of VERY cool people on twitter:)

I guess, as with all things, the name of the game is BALANCE. And you'll know when you're out of it (balance, that is), cause you'll start to see/hear signs: ringing ears from an IPOD on blast; neck and back problems from crouching over your computer, or heaps o'time water scrolling down your homepage and looking at the barrage of FB statuses.

Steve Jobs left modern society many gifts, but his most profound one was the speech he gave some Stanford University students (and, later, the world). I listen to it often to…remember. Here it is again--I share it with you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc

Cheers!

Keep Rising,

Tanya

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc

The Business of the Artist

This past Saturday, I had the great good pleasure of sweating it out (ah! the HEAT!) with book-loving folks at the yearly Harlem Book Fair on 135th Street in Harlem, NY. I had a booth set up for my debut novel, BUTTERFLY RISING. Thanks to all the folks who stopped by, said hi and bought a book. I LOVE to hear back from people after they've had a read, so make sure to drop me a line at butterflyrisingthemovie@gmail.com!

I also taught a free class for folks who were interested in starting a business using their art and wanted a little bit of direction and advise. My Business of the Art class is a combination of short writing, physical exercises-- and LOTS of questions!--designed to help you unlock what's holding you back from achieving your creative goals.

I left the class feeling exhilarated! We were filled to capacity--standing room only-- and I could see countless folks having these mini-break throughs! I felt like I was really helping them achieve their dreams, which seems to be a recurring theme in my life...

For those of you who weren't there this weekend, here's a quick re-cap. Think of how these might be useful to your own creative business and apply them!

1. Think about how you can create VALUE for your creative idea. Why does the the world NEED what you have?

2. Complete this sentence:

Success is _____________________.

The answers here will vary for a great many people. In American culture, success is largely defined by cold, hard cash. Be honest with yourself and what you really want. And about who it might help.

3. Brainstorm educational institutions, cultural organizations, corporations--are you in a fraternity? sorority?-- who will help you get the word out and ultimately BUY what YOU have to SELL?

The truth is, small business is the ONLY way this country's gonna get out of its economic jam. Help the country by HELPING YOURSELF! Unemployed? This may be a perfect opportunity for you to do the thing you always wanted to to do. Invest in YOU. Now, starting a business is not without endless hours of hard work, dedication and commitment. The word SACRIFICE will become your friend, LOL! Keep your eyes glued to what motivates you, the thing that's gonna keep you going when you're tired, broke, or hell, you just don't feel like it! That's what's gonna get you through the rough spots.

Lastly, many creative folks divorce "business" from "art"; all artists MUST be in control of their business in order to succeed. Use the same creativity you use in your art to create your art and apply it to the business side of things! After a while, business--and all things money-- won't be so intimidating.

XO Tanya XO

TANYA WRIGHT plays the role of DEPUTY KENYA JONES on HBO'S TRUE BLOOD. She is the writer/director of the upcoming indie feature BUTTERFLY RISING and author of the book of the same name.

http://www.butterflyrisingthemovie.com/

http://twitter.com/tanyaTTwright