10,000 NOs. Matthew Del Negro. Читать онлайн. Newlib. NEWLIB.NET

Автор: Matthew Del Negro
Издательство: John Wiley & Sons Limited
Серия:
Жанр произведения: Банковское дело
Год издания: 0
isbn: 9781119691853
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and sports legends, you're bound to uncover one of the great contradictions of the motivational world: that everyone who has risen to the top of their field claims to be “the hardest worker in the room.” From Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to Will Smith to Ultimate Fighting Champion Conor McGregor, every one of them will tell you, “I'll die before I'm outworked.” Well, for the sake of our culture and entertainment, let's hope all three of them are never training in the same room. All kidding aside, the point is that, for anyone who wants to make a major impact along the lines of Oprah, Mother Theresa, or that incredible kindergarten teacher at your child's school, a strong work ethic is required.

      While there are many areas in my life where I do not feel naturally gifted, I was blessed with a relatively strong work ethic right out of the womb. Some of my earliest memories involve a fascination with chipping away at a task or skill in order to reach a goal that was not within my immediate grasp. This is not to say that I didn't enjoy lying around watching movies or daydreaming as a child, but I'm guessing that if you asked anyone who has known me throughout the various stages of my life, they'd bring up my work ethic pretty early in the conversation. Not only did my work ethic feel like it was in the fabric of my DNA, it was also honed by parents who were first-generation Americans and grandparents who told me stories of making the transition from Italy to the United States and then weathering the Great Depression. There were so many stories about sacrificing now in order to benefit later that somehow it all seeped into my subconscious.

      If you did not have that kind of influence, the good news is that work ethic can be learned, trained, and coaxed out of its dark cave if you have the right piece of meat to lure it. This point may be best illustrated by 10,000 NOs guest Terry Knickerbocker's journey. Knickerbocker, an acting teacher with his own studio in Brooklyn, New York, is known for guiding actors like Sam Rockwell into Oscar-winning performances. The signature quality cited by Knickerbocker's students, clients, and employees is his incredibly detailed and dedicated work ethic. But earlier in his life, he was a self-described underachiever who would get high all the time beginning in the ninth grade. His appetite for work was only whetted when he discovered his passion for acting. He began to get roles, but soon realized his raw talent would only take him so far.

      “I didn't know what the hell I was doing, but I kept on getting these parts. I realized I reached a plateau here and I needed to train.”

       —Terry Knickerbocker, Acting Coach

      “You can be like Jack Horner and chisel a plum

      And think you're a wonderful guy.

      But the Man in the Glass says you're only a bum

      If you can't look him square in the eye.”

      —“The Guy in the Glass,” Dale Wimbrow

      Passion and interest certainly play a part in consistently chipping away at a goal for long periods of time. But something that I think may be overlooked by many, which is the key to increasing a strong work ethic, is the mindset that usually accompanies this process. Contrary to what many people may believe, almost every high achiever known for their incredible work ethic developed it because a voice inside their head told them that their God-given talent on its own was not good enough to get them to where they wanted to be.

      “We are not particularly well-spoken, we are not particularly good-looking, we are not particularly intelligent, we are … generally speaking a B-minus across the board, and yet we just fucking killed ourselves, and worked our asses off and found a way to push that boulder up the mountain. And I think people look at us, and rightfully so, and they think, ‘If those guys can do it, I think anybody can do this.’”

       —Mark Duplass, Filmmaker and Actor, on the massive success he and his brother have had in Hollywood circumnavigating the system

      As an actor, I know fear every time I'm on a new set in a new role. My consistent training has reduced this fear. And over time, my experience has provided me examples that I can draw from, of times where I have overcome my fear in the past, which helps me to keep it in check. But new environments can bring new challenges that sometimes make me feel like I'm starting all over again. When I was young and I'd hear a legendary actor like Gene Hackman wonder if he was ever going to work again once he wrapped a film, I thought it was an insincere ploy for sympathy. But now, as a consistently working actor myself, I finally understand his statement. The years have taught me that I can never predict what is coming next. Likewise, on a new set with new players and material, a fear that I won't have what it takes to hack it can sometimes creep into my psyche. My specific career, where much of my work has consisted of extended stints on other people's shows, has brought this challenge up for me repeatedly.