Monday, December 24, 2012

Being different might be the key to your success


Are you afraid of being different?  What if your quirks made the difference in how successful you were?   Would you take a chance and risk getting criticized?

Jim Carrey did.

Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert mocked Carrey's acting and movie Ace Ventura calling it "an appallingly bad movie" in a review almost 20 years ago.

"Jim Carrey, the star and cowriter of this mess, is so obnoxious, he makes Jim Barney and his Ernest character seem as brilliant as Chaplin's Little Tramp," said Siskel seen in the clip below.

The comedian turned actor's physical comedy had never been done before.    Carrey, 50, notes that when you do original work, there's a chance you're going to get criticized (I could not find the interview online).

Was Ace Ventura (1994) a "bad movie?"  I'll let you judge.

The movie budget was about $12,000,000, and it made $107,000,000 at the box office worldwide.  That's not bad for a movie with an "obnoxious" character.  That same year Carrey made millions in a film, his first, through Dumb & Dumber (1994).  He began making $20,000,000 per film, beginning with The Cable Guy (1996), according to his biography on imdb.com.

To be fair to Siskel and Ebert, they admitted to making a poor judgment of Carrey and his acting in Ace Ventura.

Here comes the ABC family show lesson:

Don't be afraid to be different.  Don't let fear prevent you from doing something peculiar, out of the ordinary. It's our differences that make life interesting.  Maybe it's our differences that make us successful.

~JL

Sunday, July 10, 2011

The Blonde

The Blonde


     Aimlessly wandering was exactly what Dylan was doing in Philadelphia on a Saturday morning in the fall.
     Dylan was one of those restless guys constantly on the move. Philadelphia afforded him the opportunity to get this out. He loved going to Elfreth's Alley, the art museum, and center city, which were all separated by huge chunks of blocks.
     The sparse trees throughout the city were beginning to turn color. Green leaves gave way to reds, oranges, and yellows. He had one hand in his hoodie and the other was holding a Starbucks coffee. It was as dark as the evening before.
     He took small sips of the coffee.
     Mmm.
     He looked at the words L-O-V-E written in scarlet red with the L and O stacked on top of the V and E. He became distracted by the fountain shooting water into the blue sky behind the letters. He observed the pool the fountain water fell into. Nobody had their feet in it.
     It's certainly not the summer.
     Dylan stopped studying the landmark and moved through the streets as a cheetah would in thick grass looking for prey. He was walking towards the location of the Rocky statue, at the Philadelphia Art Museum.
Rittenhouse Square popped into his mind.
     Maybe I'll check it out. It's on the way.
     Rittenhouse Square was packed with people as Dylan sipped the strong coffee. Guys and girls were holding hands and talking. The women smiled with their mates. Dylan always loved a woman's smile. Some couples would embrace in a kiss. Older gentlemen walked their Weimaraners and Golden Retrievers enjoying the suns rays as they darted in between Philadelphia's skyscrapers.
     Dylan continued walking hitting the pavement quicker than most walkers. He looked ahead to see where the next block began, and he slowed down like a car coming to a red light. She was walking towards him with another girl.
     She's beautiful.
     The woman looked only a few years out of college, had long blonde hair and was taller than most women, even some men. Her face was carved with the finest biology of skin and molecules. It was like beauty was born with her face. She wasn't wearing makeup. Dylan became a little anxious.
     Don't stare.
     The blonde smiled and turned to her sister as her lips moved. Her smile revealed white teeth.
     I don't have a chance.
     Dylan and the blonde got closer to each other, and he tightened his grip on his coffee cup clinging to something for comfort. Her green eyes met his blue eyes, and Dylan smiled without showing his teeth. She smiled back, and Dylan felt his heart beat a little quicker. The two passed each other as street cars would traveling in opposite directions.
     I have to talk to her.
     His running shoes stopped above the concrete and one of the laces flopped up. He turned around and walked towards her.
     “Hey,” he said raising his voice.
     “Hi,” she remarked startled.
To be continued...

JL

Sunday, May 8, 2011

For my mom on Mother's Day


A Mother's Day poem

You brought me out of the womb on a Wednesday
Without an epidural how were you able to stay at bay
You made me feel better those nights I was sick
With medicine or soft words you knew just the right trick

Having you come to my baseball games was such a thrill
I never had to worry about who would pay a bill
It was fun to go to D & D and bet on the number of cops
Not every mom was like you and those moments rocked

As I got older I was allowed to drive on your lap
Sitting in that gold Volvo could make me want to clap
I loved to watch my mom get ready for work
It was awesome just to sit there, we both have our quirks

Random texts about my writing show me you care
Like notes on my bureau in march every year
It's great to know you are proud of your son
It is forever etched in stone that I love my mum

love,
Jon


Sunday, April 10, 2011

The plight of a human

Human behavior can be a spectacle to say the least.  Not too far from animals (take the feline below), psychologists have attempted to explain how humans behave and how we become the people we are.  Ultimately, regardless of perspective, this leads to growth and change.


quirky creature

Psychologists have explained human development through sexuality, cognition (thoughts), and social.  Freud made his Psychosexual theory of development(5 phases).  Piaget's Cognitive theory of development looked at development in 4 phases.  Erik Erickson chose to see the process from a social perspective, which involved stages that ran into a person's middle years.

However, I believe human behavior cannot be summed up with one theory.  It cannot be given boundaries with ages through phases. 

The growth that a human experiences is a process.  I like to think of Dr Carl Rogers' book entitled On Becoming a Person: a Therapist's View on Psychotherapy.  As with becoming a person, the same can be said of an aspect in a person's life.  When there exists an area needing attention, it takes time to work on that area.  It's a process that doesn't end. 

Consider the individual who is shy.  This impacts his relationships.  He does not have the easiest time talking to women.  He struggles with speaking in front of people.  Fortunately, he has the insight to know this needs to be worked on.

Eventually, he works up the courage to join a public speaking group.  Overtime, he manages to go up to a random woman and talk to her (see the male below putting the moves on the blonde).  Just talk.  Then, he gets the coveted seven-digit number.


man talking to a woman

These baby steps pay dividends, but he is not finished.  He has not reached the finish line. 

This process explains a lot of phenomena and is like an infinite marathon, the longest of marathons without an ending.  You can pace yourself in this marathon though.  This is the plight of a human, the plight of human growth.

JL