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    The Great Gordino Newsletter - Issue 315 - Mon 16th May 2005
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    Archive Issues online at - gordonbryan.com/archive

    Hi There,

    I hope this new week finds you well.

    I've had a strange old week.
    I found myself still coming down from the high of not getting
    elected at the, er, election.
    I've been thinking long and hard about whether to do it again
    next time, and if so, whether to start right now.
    At the moment, my latest thinking is that if I were to do it next
    time, I could leave it until about a year beforehand, because we
    will all know when it is about a year away.

    So, that leaves the question of what to do with myself in the
    meantime.
    Hmm.
    I've been plodding along quite happily for a good old while now,
    comfortable but not really challenging myself.

    One goal achievement product I came across way back when, I
    think it might have been written by Earl Nightingale, had a great
    analogy about goal achievement and boats powered with
    outboard engines.
    It goes something like this...

    Some people have great energy and determination, but no
    direction - their boat goes very first, but only round and round in
    circles.

    Some people know where they want to go, but struggle with
    energy and determination - their boat goes in the right direction,
    but oh so slowly, and the engine keeps cutting out, letting the
    current take them back to where they were.

    Some people don't have any direction, and couldn't muster the
    energy even if they did - their boat goes nowhere - it just sits in
    the middle of the river until it rusts.

    Some people, and you might be ahead of me on this one, some
    people have a firm sense of direction, and powerful focused
    energy - their boat goes in the right direction with inevitable
    progress.

    Good, eh?

    Having made plenty of journeys in my boat, I have lately chosen
    to switch the engine off, kick back, make a cup of tea in my
    portable kettle, and enjoy the view with a good bar of chocolate!

    The election campaign got my engine started up again, and
    reminded me how much fun it can be!
    Now I find myself in a different place upstream, and am thinking
    that maybe I've done enough relaxing for now, and need to find
    a new direction.

    OK, enough with the boat stuff, but you get the point!

    I was reminded not too long ago of a passion of mine - the
    performance.
    I raved in March about seeing Laura Michelle Kelly play Mary
    Poppins in London.

    Then in April, I saw psychological illusionist Derren Brown's show.
    What I call the 'crushed red velvet' atmosphere gets me
    everytime, and I always seem to ask myself why I'm not on the
    stage regularly!

    The main reason is that although it is immensely satisfying, so
    much so that it's actually hard to put into words, it is also hugely
    competitive, insecure, stressful.
    Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying, and I took the decision
    that I didn't want that kind of stress at the moment.

    On a similar vein, along came a show on TV just to help my little
    debate.

    A program called 'Musicality' was one I wrote a lot about.
    It was a talent show, but unlike Pop Idol, the aim was not to
    show people up, but find amateur musical performers, and let
    them star in the West End for a night.

    At various stages, the 5 winners were postive, negative, sure,
    unsure, the works, but they ploughed on, and starred in Chicago
    for a night.
    9 months of effort for 1 night!

    This new program followed what happened to them afterwards,
    which is pure gold for a people-watching-goal-achievement-writer
    like me!

    Unsurprisingly, they all wanted to continue in the world of
    musical theatre.
    It didn't take long though for their bubbles to be burst.
    In a meeting with the producers, they were told in fairly certain
    terms, that unless they got proper, formal, recognised training,
    they wouldn't get very far.

    That didn't go down too well with the 5 winners, like a cup of cold
    sick to be honest, and they were all determined to prove
    themselves.

    To me, it shows that so many industries are so fixed in their
    ways, that even though they proved themselves as more than
    capable on the hardest stage, without the TV show they were
    thrown back in with everyone else, no favours, and in fact,
    further down than most due to the lack of training.

    So, in that situation, do you give up and go home?
    I should say not - I wouldn't and neither did these 5.

    Auditions came and went.
    One of them landed a lead West End role immediately, doing 8
    shows a week for 6 months , which is a great example of the
    gruelling schedule for theatre performers.
    Another got a job in a show that she didn't really want to do, but
    took it.
    A third got asked back to do a 4 week run in Chicago again, and
    found it really hard to be away from her family.
    The 4th was young enough to accept a scholarship offer to a
    theatre school.
    The 5th went to loads of auditions, did really well, but kept
    losing out to more experienced people.
    After 9 months, he went back to his job as a teacher.

    What a fantastic show, and a timely reminder for me of just how
    tough it can be.

    So hmm again, I'm still pondering, but whatever I decide to do,
    it'll be fun, and I'll keep you updated!

    I'll see you next week, and here's the thought - where are you
    on the boat/engine/river scale?

    'Til Next Time,
    Health and Happiness,
    Gordon
    email me at gordon@gordonbryan.com - you'll have to copy and paste
    thanks to the idiot online spammers!



    
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