I want to tell you a secret.
I am an actor.
I play the leading role in a movie that has no name. I have no fans, no following, no groupies. I am not famous. I will never win an Oscar. I will play the same role in the same movie for the rest of my life.
I am also the director of the movie. I call the shots. I command the leading actor to obey a script that does not exist. I don’t own a camera, but I do have access to the most powerful machine ever created, the brain. I store the images in an often inaccurate system.
This movie will never be advertised. No movie trailers will be created. No posters will be hung up. In fact, only one person is allowed to watch this movie. It has only one fan, who may or may not like what he sees.
This is a love story, a drama, an action, a fantasy. It can be scary at times and some parts of it are rated R. The plot constantly changes. And the movie can end at any time.
The secret is, you are an actor and director as well. You play the leading role in your own movie. You are also directing it. The movie that is happening right now.
How would you rate your movie?
What are the character flaws in the main character?
What are some of the things you wish you could change about the main character?
Is the main character good or bad? A hero or a villain?
The concept of being an actor in your life allows you to view yourself in a non-judgmental way. The actor is only playing the role that the director has scripted for him.
You are also the director of your movie. The director is able to see the movie as it is being recorded.
For example, I am sitting at work bored with nothing to do, so I surf the Internet. I am the actor surfing the web. What does the director see? The director sees an actor who is wasting time. The director can call CUT, and stop or change what the actor is doing.
The director does not condemn the actor’s actions, but instead asks questions like “Is this what you want to be doing with your time?” or “What else can you be doing that is more valuable?” to lead the actor, in this case myself, to better alternatives.
I often use this movie concept in my life. Especially when under times of stress or confusion. The actor makes mistakes in life, but he is just an actor. He reads from a script. I cannot justify getting mad at an actor. It's the job of the director to re-write a script immediately to correct a mistake that the actor is in process of making. The director needs to carefully watch the actor at all times to ensure he is headed in the right direction.
The goal is not to win an Oscar with your acting or directing performance. Life is too unpredictable to have a perfect performance. Instead, the goal should be to participate in and direct an absolute masterpiece of a life. Your life.