Synopsis
Discover your life purpose, cast yourself in the roles you want to play, and write the life story you dream of living by becoming the star of your own life.You are a member of a grand production team known as “existence,” with a once-in-an-eternity chance to play you! Each day is a one-time performance, never to be repeated. At the end of your play, once your part has been performed, your costume is retired and your role will never be reprized again.Life is not a dress rehearsal. Your time here is short. We are all here to tell our life story. We are actors who have been cast in a role. If you are blessed with good health and no unforeseen calamity, you have about six to eight decades to make your contribution on this world stage. That means you have taken the time to create and cultivate your own character, to find your own relevance and purpose, and created successful ways to perform the actions your roles require.To manifest a compelling story takes intention and focus. Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright David Mamet observes, “It’s hard to write a good plot, it’s very hard.” The same is true for composing a satisfying and meaningful life movie. Writing a good plot in our own life is difficult because we do the same things confused actors and amateur writers do.• We get lost and self absorbed in our own dramas.• We repeat the same old story line again and again.• We don’t know how to generate heroic characters.• We make weak choices because we can’t see the bigger picture.• We don’t allow our characters to take risks because we want to play it safe.• We don’t want to be judged by our critics.• We give up too easily.• We avoid what makes us uncomfortable.• We don’t take the time to discipline our talents.• We don’t face our dragons with valor.We don’t have the nerve or imagination to star in our own lives!So how does one go about writing a good plot? How does one prepare for his role? You begin by getting to know the subject matter. In your story, that would be you.Playing You! A Star is Born, is a training program. In this book you will be learning the Eighteen Magic Questions actors use to create fascinating characters and deliver compelling performances. While I have placed in the pages of this workbook some of the most profound secrets I have learned in my years as an actor and teacher, this is not a book for actors per se, it is a book for anyone who wants to use acting skills as foundational tools to improve their own life performances. Building a foundation for your character is the difference between playing out your story in a vague unconscious way or playing you in an inventive and heroic way.This is a skill. This is an art form. This is a discipline. This is magic!Like an actor creating a character, you need to:* Get to know and appreciate who you are and why you are here.* Be clear on what you want, what your aspirations are.* Know what your strengths and weaknesses are.* Become aware of the ways you sabotage yourself.* Discover effective ways to overcome your obstacles. *Make a realistic plan to reach your target.*Take appropriate actions to achieve your heart’s desire.At the end of your life, if you have succeeded in being conscious and responsible for your creations, your character will have been awake to his/her hero’s journey. You will have found your purpose for being here. You will see where you have fulfilled your intentions in inspired and effective ways.Standing in the wings before you go on stage, you have a choice: will you make this one-time performance a vibrant, meaningful one or will you squander your gift of mortality on mindless story lines and uninspired plots? What do you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
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