Here’s a little something that’s been inspiring me a lot lately. I’m going through a whole bunch of life-changing stuff. It feels like the years of friggin’ gunning it is bearing some kind of fruit. A case of finally getting what you want and you get scared. 

This video, of a speech by Neil Gaiman addressing a bunch of students,  which I’ve been sharing with everyone lately, aptly addresses all my fears and insecurities in true ‘Gaiman’ fashion. It puts things in perspective. 

Then there’s only one way to go. Anywhere but here will be a good place to go. That makes here not such a bad place and not that scary. 

Here are some of the excerpts from the speech which didn’t make the little visual above but I actually really love: 

• People who know what they’re doing know the rules, and they know what is possible & what is impossible. You do not. And you should not. 
• The problems of success can be harder, because nobody warns you about them.
• The one thing you have that nobody else has - is you. The moment that you feel that you are walking down the street naked, exposing too much of your heart and your mind, showing too much of yourself, that’s the moment you may be starting to get it right. 
• You get work however you get work. But people keep working in a freelance world because their work is good and because they’re easy to get along with and you deliver the work on time. People will tolerate how unpleasant you are, if you do good work and deliver it on time. People will forgive the lateness if it’s good and they like you. And you don’t have to be as good as everyone else if you’re on time and it’s always a pleasure to hear from you.
• I learnt to write by writing. I tended to do anything as long as it felt like an adventure and to stop when it felt like work, which meant that life did not feel like work. 

And here’s a long one (*Para-phrased):

“If you have an idea of what you want to make, what you were put here to do, then just go and do that. And that’s much harder than it sounds.Normally there are things you have to do before you can get to the place you want to be. 

Sometimes the way to do what you hope to do will be clear cut. Sometimes it will be almost impossible to decide whether or not you’re doing the correct thing. Imagine where you want to be, an author whatever - imagine that is a mountain, a distant mountain, your goal. As long as you keep walking towards the mountain, you’d be alright. Whenever you’re not sure, you can stop to think about whether something is taking you towards or away from the mountain.”

The last thing he said which really caught my attention was a piece advice he had received from Stephen King but ‘spectacularly’ failed to follow himself. 

“Enjoy the ride.” 

I fully intend to do my best to remember that last one.

I remember reading about this and just saw links on fb from friends talking about it again. 

Samantha Tan became the first Malaysian to be accepted into the Actors Studio Drama School in New York, a very big deal.

Read more about her exploits in this interview.

So, if you’re one of those sitting around complaining about how it ‘is’ in Malaysia. Do something about it. 

PITCHIN.MY In other news, this may be of help in your search of HOW to get out there and do it; a Malaysian version of the successful Kickstarter (American website).