Be your own shonen protagonist: Follow your dreams

[TheFixer14]

Lately a bit down lately. Not depressed. But somewhat frustrated. I've had a weird year. I did voice direct and act in an Edgar Allan Poe Radio play, got my book of short stories published, got a short that I did last year into some festivals and it got picked up for online streaming by a big company, got a voice over role on a cool new web show, and new representation. But I've had a lot more struggles.

A film that I've spent a year on isn't happening any time soon. I've seen moved on to a different film and I am developing some other projects. I also have missed on a few big auditions both on camera and voice over.

I was beginning to be like "damn, I want this **** to be over." My goal is to be able to an able to write/produce/direct my films, live action shows, and animated shows as well as act in them and act for others on a consistent basis. Also to write graphic novels for these films and shows before they come out. I've been able to act on stage, film, t.v and write/produce/direct/star in my own shorts. But not on the level that I want. Then I started reading the manga Bakuman.

Bakuman is about two 14 year olds who create their own manga and try to get it serialized. What inspires the guy who does the art for it is the girl of his dreams (who has a mutual attraction to him) wants to become an anime voice actress. So the deal is that once he achieves his dream and his manga becomes an anime that they will get married.

It's a very nice manga. But what I like about it is that it reminded me of something very important: following your dream is about the hero's journey, not the destination.

Dreams are what make life worth living. I love this line from the manga when the writer tells a girl who dumps him because of his manga dream after she asks if he would regret not succeeding as a manga writer. He said that he would. But he would regret not trying even more. I'm the same way.

We all should look at our dreams as a hero's journey. In Bakuman it's presented like a shonen protagonist manga minus the epic battles. That's what going for our dreams is like. It's all about the journey that we take.

I hate hearing about how people take it safe and have back up plans. If you have a back up plan, just do the back up plan because will never succeed at your goal.

Don't worry about money. Find a way to earn a living and go after what you want in life. Life is about risks. If you take none then why live?

 

[Papa_smu]

I think if we could reflect on what we tried to accomplish in lives now, I'd say we gotten pretty far. I'm glad you gotten a little further with your dream

 

[BlueAlpha1]

Lately a bit down lately. Not depressed. But somewhat frustrated. I've had a weird year. I did voice direct and act in an Edgar Allan Poe Radio play, got my book of short stories published, got a short that I did last year into some festivals and it got picked up for online streaming by a big company, got a voice over role on a cool new web show, and new representation. But I've had a lot more struggles.

A film that I've spent a year on isn't happening any time soon. I've seen moved on to a different film and I am developing some other projects. I also have missed on a few big auditions both on camera and voice over.

I was beginning to be like "damn, I want this **** to be over." My goal is to be able to an able to write/produce/direct my films, live action shows, and animated shows as well as act in them and act for others on a consistent basis. Also to write graphic novels for these films and shows before they come out. I've been able to act on stage, film, t.v and write/produce/direct/star in my own shorts. But not on the level that I want. Then I started reading the manga Bakuman.

Bakuman is about two 14 year olds who create their own manga and try to get it serialized. What inspires the guy who does the art for it is the girl of his dreams (who has a mutual attraction to him) wants to become an anime voice actress. So the deal is that once he achieves his dream and his manga becomes an anime that they will get married.

It's a very nice manga. But what I like about it is that it reminded me of something very important: following your dream is about the hero's journey, not the destination.

Dreams are what make life worth living. I love this line from the manga when the writer tells a girl who dumps him because of his manga dream after she asks if he would regret not succeeding as a manga writer. He said that he would. But he would regret not trying even more. I'm the same way.

We all should look at our dreams as a hero's journey. In Bakuman it's presented like a shonen protagonist manga minus the epic battles. That's what going for our dreams is like. It's all about the journey that we take.

I hate hearing about how people take it safe and have back up plans. If you have a back up plan, just do the back up plan because will never succeed at your goal.

Don't worry about money. Find a way to earn a living and go after what you want in life. Life is about risks. If you take none then why live?

I'm with you bro, but it's hard to live without money. If you're rich, life is easy. But there are only a few ways to get rich: inherit it or win the lottery by chance, OR be great at something (a sport) where you can get a big contract; OR be just be good enough at something AND know how to market it.

The last one is the only one most of us are ever going to have a chance at. I wasn't blessed with amazing physical accumen that is going to make me a pro athlete, and I'm not going to win the lottery. My best hope is to turn a talent into a product or service and learn how to market it. Sounds easy enough but starting a business from nothing is harder than climbing Mount Everest.

So I'm always flip flopping on this issue. "Just quit your job and follow your dreams" is silly, shallow advice and a lot of vulnerable people get taken for a ride by these "life coaches" in the self-help industry who pedal this fluff in their overpriced products.

I get frustrated when I don't work a regular job. I feel free but am permanently worried about money - because it's not coming in. OTOH, I get frustrated when I do work a 9-5 job because I feel like a caged animal chained to a desk, knowing we were meant to live for so much more than this, but I don't worry about money and can buy just about anything I want being a single man with few responsibilities. Seems like the grass tends to be greener no matter which side you're on.

Sadly, after a failed 3 month stint with a big company followed by 45 days off, I'm about to accept another job in insurance sales. I'm dreading it, but it's close to $20 an hour and that allows for a decent standard of living in central Florida.

My dream is to work remotely as a freelance travel agent, helping people with their travel while I myself travel the world. I want to work entirely from my phone and computer wherever there is an internet connection (so I get paid whether I'm home, at a hostel in Amsterdam, or on a cruise ship.) I don't know if I'm going to start my own company eventually or try to get hired onto one and try to climb the ranks and earn my freedom once my foot is in the door.

BTW - are your books available on Amazon? I wrote one too about this very topic.

 

[TheFixer14]

I'm with you bro, but it's hard to live without money. If you're rich, life is easy. But there are only a few ways to get rich: inherit it or win the lottery by chance, OR be great at something (a sport) where you can get a big contract; OR be just be good enough at something AND know how to market it.

The last one is the only one most of us are ever going to have a chance at. I wasn't blessed with amazing physical accumen that is going to make me a pro athlete, and I'm not going to win the lottery. My best hope is to turn a talent into a product or service and learn how to market it. Sounds easy enough but starting a business from nothing is harder than climbing Mount Everest.

So I'm always flip flopping on this issue. "Just quit your job and follow your dreams" is silly, shallow advice and a lot of vulnerable people get taken for a ride by these "life coaches" in the self-help industry who pedal this fluff in their overpriced products.

I get frustrated when I don't work a regular job. I feel free but am permanently worried about money - because it's not coming in. OTOH, I get frustrated when I do work a 9-5 job because I feel like a caged animal chained to a desk, knowing we were meant to live for so much more than this, but I don't worry about money and can buy just about anything I want being a single man with few responsibilities. Seems like the grass tends to be greener no matter which side you're on.

Sadly, after a failed 3 month stint with a big company followed by 45 days off, I'm about to accept another job in insurance sales. I'm dreading it, but it's close to $20 an hour and that allows for a decent standard of living in central Florida.

My dream is to work remotely as a freelance travel agent, helping people with their travel while I myself travel the world. I want to work entirely from my phone and computer wherever there is an internet connection (so I get paid whether I'm home, at a hostel in Amsterdam, or on a cruise ship.) I don't know if I'm going to start my own company eventually or try to get hired onto one and try to climb the ranks and earn my freedom once my foot is in the door.

BTW - are your books available on Amazon? I wrote one too about this very topic.

This is true. At some points you gotta do a job for the money. Even with acting, I'll take a commercial voice over gig that I don't care about because it pays $7,500 when I rather do Shakespeare in the park for free. Gotta pay the bills
But I think it's important to always keep in mind where you are heading.

The only limitations that we have are the ones that we put on ourselves We are all capable of great things if we give ourselves the chance. I remember when Denzel Washington was speaking to actors and he said that if you have a desire then it's already yours. It's up to you to go get it.

Steve Jobs had an interesting quote about money. He was poor and that was okay. So when he was rich it really didn't matter. He never did anything for money. He just marched to the beat of his own drum.

There are times where we gotta do what we got to do. But that's why we must see life like a shouen protagonist. There will be many ups and downs. But you are the one constant. You can make your dream happen. You just gotta keep going.

PM me and I'll send you a link to my book.