Ever heard a “Whenandthen-er”?
“Whenandthen-ers” sound like this:
“When I lose 20 pounds, THEN I’ll get headshots.”
“When I have every song in the universe memorized and perfected, THEN I’ll go on auditions.”
“When I quit smoking, THEN I’ll take voice lessons.”
“When I get my teeth fixed…”
“When Pilot Season starts…”
The best “THEN” is the “THEN I’ll be happy…”
“When I get that series, THEN I’ll be happy.”
“When I make my first million, THEN I’ll be happy.”
“When I get a boyfriend/girlfriend, tour, new car, house, apartment, THEN I’ll be happy.”
There’s no law against being happy right now. There’s no credit card for happiness. Happiness is a bill we owe ourselves everyday. It can’t be saved up for later. So, practice happiness every minute, every hour, every day. Sometimes you won’t be so good at it, but if you practice it constantly, you’re bound to get better.
Artistic careers are fluid things.
Artistic growth is like water in a river; it continually flows from the source.
“Whenandthen-ing” dams up the river and puts everything on hold. It’s up to us to knock down our own dams and let the river roar.
Be the Mississippi River.
Forget “whenandthen-ing.”
Happiness is within this very moment.
Start.