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Once upon a time I had a little company called Worldstage. There was so much I wanted to do with that little piece of energy and creativity, in another business, the music business. It became the pinnacle upon which all my dreams sat, not the one in high school I had drawn, in which I was standing on the precipice, but a real company with a business plan and everything.

It was like a bus. It took on every passenger and gained momentum, like the one in Speed, sometimes too furiously and fire-lightning-like, the one in the video by Wendy O. Williams where she is just standing on the top of the moving bus and it is jolting along through the desert, while she machine guns and torches everything in her path. At times, with that little part of me, I felt as if the whole world was for me, and at other times, as though they were against me. But I just kept careening along.

When you careen, at such a speed, if you keep your eyes wide open, you will see many things, and when moving so fast, and being so determined, inevitably other people will try to climb on your bus. Successful people know to attach themselves to a “rising star.” This is one of the first things I was told in the music business, where they are full of pithy phrases and advice. So, not only is it good to keep busy and keep people talking, but you have to have a plan. If you are going to take that ride, make it exciting, make it a show, make it worth the price of the ticket. Don’t bore people. Show them some sweat. No one wants to watch bad, better, best and pay the price of admission. Everyone has an agenda, even coming to a show.

You have to steal it, somehow, not all the time, but at the right time, when the opportunity presents itself, you have to be ready to take that step, jump in, go for broke. That’s what it is all leading up to, right? And the more you think about it, set the mind reeling, racing and get the creative juices flowing, the more interesting you are to other people. Don’t stand still. Life is too short. There are times when you just do it and when that time presents itself, do not close the door, let other people see you falter or fade. In the words of Shakespeare: nail your courage to the sticking place because you may not get another chance.

I tended to look upon my efforts as a culmination of my zeal, passion and desires, but such a step is really the beginning of the real learning process, when what you learn counts, is directly applicable to your chosen profession, and when you set before yourself a mandate to sink or swim, you will invariably do just that, one or the other, sometimes both. Sink and swim, because you have to fail to learn how to appreciate success! Sometimes those ultimatums are life changing, point breaking, and really require all of your senses to be employed, but they can turn a negative into a positive, an idea into an enterprise, a dream into reality. Just keep piling up the positives, gaining experience dealing with situations you create or opportunities others lay before you. Don’t leave any stone unturned! With 48 hours per day and 8 days per week you can get a little bit ahead.

Mistakes are inevitable and should be embraced with both hands, examined, and not made again! These steps (one after the other) are not the end of the journey, but the first venture in taking the real one. Sometimes this is scary, gut-wrenching, daunting and exciting, even dangerous. But no step will definitely result in nothing, and half-trodden roads, as we know from playing video games, sometimes turn up a myriad of overlooked or missed opportunities by others, so fear not! Be scavenger-like, ever watchful, predatory, all-seeing-don’t be afraid to sift through the crumbs, the treasures, like the sales at major department stores. You will always find something if you really look. Like any artist, it is what you DO with the opportunity that can make it a masterpiece. Just don’t mind the haters and keep on dancing!