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Archive for the ‘Choices’ Category
Wednesday, February 27th, 2008
Wow! I just had a huge recognition last week when hanging out with some of my really good friends in the freezing cold of upstate New York. I really don’t like just being with myself. I’m so good at distracting my own attention off of me because when I do sit and focus on me, I feel so uncomfortable that I want to just run away and hide.
I spin around like the Tasmanian devil looking for whatever I can find to take my attention away from whatever it is I’m feeling at the time. I was telling my friend about this in the car, and he said, “That’s funny, given what you do for a living…” And I felt like a complete fraud all of a sudden!
For someone who claims to produce genuine experiences of life, who “harnesses” truth of moments and communicates them to a wide public of people for a living, I sure don’t do that in my life.
I can’t believe how challenging it is for me to sit and feel the truth of every moment without needing to get up and go for a pee or get a glass of water or fly to New York or go see a movie… Anything to get me out of my own genuine experience of being. It’s crazy, so I’ve given myself a task– a daily practice that I’m committing to so that I’ll (hopefully) build myself into someone that loves feeling genuine emotion, that enjoys just sitting and reflecting on the time at hand. I wonder how that will affect my acting if I’m not running away from myself and my own experience all the time.
Hmmm… Interesting musings!
Thanks for tolerating the vomit of ideas!
Ciao for now,
Allison
Posted in Choices, Fear, Thoughts | 96 Comments »
Monday, November 12th, 2007
Hey, team! I hope everyone has been enjoying the little video blog thingies that my dear Tabby has been throwing up over the last little bit. They’re really cool, and, well, let’s be honest… I love to talk, so they’re really fun for me to do as well. I’ve been so inspired as of late, and I’m feeling more and more consistently aware of how lucky I am to be living this life.
I’m looping around and around in my head about that grand and overbearing question “Why am I here?” Just recently, I’ve come to a somewhat vague, but kind of nice conclusion—I think I’m here to make stuff and appreciate stuff that others have made… To spread joy, passion, and enthusiasm through my own experience and expression in the world—simple, right? I kept thinking that my “purpose” had to be this ridiculously complicated thing, but when I get down to the core of it all, it feels like the only real significant reason any of us is here is to find our true selves and the things that make us unique from anyone else in the world, and to express that in a joyful and honest way. I guess the journey of life is whatever happens while you are on the quest to do so… I like this.
Maybe it is because of my fear of failure, but this seems to make the approach to failing and trying new things really exciting rather than daunting. I mean, if I could truly look at everything I do for what it is, just another way to understand and express me in the world, it would kind of take the edge off the outcome. So now, it’s just taking the steps to do so and trying to be compassionate with myself when I get off track or get confused or caught up in other things. What do you think your purpose is? It’s such a weighted word that I don’t think we ever really explore… So let’s do that! I don’t know… Chew on it if you want and share… Throw your hat in the ring. I mean, why not? Right?
Oh, and hey! I never let you all know what happened with my birthday gift that you so beautifully gave to me! I donated it to a theatre project dedicated to aiding all people in their pursuit to finding and expressing their passion in the world. The company is called World Audience Productions, and it’s run by a friend of mine who believes that we can use theatre and acting as a way for people to overcome their greatest fears and truly get in touch with what it means to express themselves in a joyful and exciting way!
I have such a passion for theatre, and I really believe that it can do so much more for this world and the people in it than just simply entertain. The woman who’s building this theatre company is working towards developing a place where all people can come and explore themselves through the art of theatre and acting. It’s really beautiful to see some of the things I value most in my life combined and actualize. Thanks so much again all of you! I’m so constantly overwhelmed by the amazing support and enthusiasm I get from all of you beautiful people! YAY!
Ciao for now,
Allison
PS—For those of you waiting for your pictures, you should be getting them this week, and I hope you all receive them okay! If you don’t receive them by U.S. Thanksgiving, please contact Tabby.
Posted in Charity, Choices, Fear | 87 Comments »
Tuesday, September 25th, 2007
The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. by Abraham Lincoln
It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power. by Alan Cohen
Okay, so in case you haven’t noticed, my site has changed! I love it! I think it is beautiful. So, I have decided to take this week’s blog and focus on change and the beauty of change; hence the two amazing quotes I am using this week as the inspiration. I am so totally in love with the phrase Mr. Cohen used, “in movement there is life, and in change there is power“. I just want to stand up and cheer when I read that! So often I get stuck in what I think is predictable and certain, like in some way that makes me more safe or more happy! What a ridiculous lie to tell myself! The truth of the matter is that I am only limiting my experience of my life! I want to be as full and rich and… and exciting as possible and if I really want to attain this goal I need to stretch. I need to change. The nessessity for taking risk is so huge; I can’t believe that I am only just recognizing. I think so often I get stuck in the same old same old because it feels “safe” and comfortable, but what a horrible theft from me!
Really, you have one shot at this! Why not make the most of it! I am using tons of “!” because I really want to express my excitment and passion for this concept!!!!!
Life is about living, not sitting, sleeping, coasting, and comforting! It’s about failure, up and down, forward and back… all the above! A great friend of mine was telling me about an amazing man she heard speak, and he was saying that when you go to see a film, the most exciting parts are when the characters are going through the most change. In essence, this is when the characters are going through the most struggle. Why would we ever want to cut out the most exciting parts of our life?
Ahh! How fun!
Ciao for now!
Allison
Posted in Abraham Lincoln, Alan Cohen, Change, Choices, Learning | 149 Comments »
Thursday, July 12th, 2007
This delusion is a prison, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons close to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from our prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all humanity and the whole of nature in its beauty. by Albert Einstein
This delusion is a prison, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons close to us. A human being is part of the whole, called by us “universe,” limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest - a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.
I love this quote. I am constantly surprised and moved by the words Einstein uses and the way in which he was able to spread such an immense amount of knowledge in one lifetime. I have really been seeing recently how small I make my world. I am surprised by the amount of evaluation that it takes to be a mindful and global thinker.
I feel as though I consume myself with what is directly in front of me without ever taking into consideration how this will then effect the rest of the world and I think that is a very dangerous pattern to fall into. It does feel like we, as a society, have moved into the “optical delusion of our consciousness” and it feels as though we are destroying each other because of it. In our attempt to create and solidify our own comfort we have lost that human quality called compassion.
Sometimes it feels as if somehow the people that are out of my direct contact don’t exist and therefore I shouldn’t think or be concerned about them and how my decisions effect them, directly. I have really been looking at myself lately, looking at the choices I have made for myself thus far and the choices I continue to make by the minute. What I see is a woman who is seeking compassion from the outside world, but is unwilling to give it herself. I expect others to behave in a way that I don’t behave myself. I expect others to have a worldly and mindful point of view, when in reality, that is usually the last thing on my mind when I am doing something. When I really started to see how consistent I am in this behavior and how destructive this behavior is to all of humanity, I did the least compassionate thing I could do– I punished myself, as though somehow that would evoke more compassion from me. Now, I don’t know about the rest of you, but when I am punished for something, I am usually angry. So I was definitely not doing what I wanted to do.
In order for me to see compassion in the world, I must first have it for myself. Likewise, in order for the world to change, for us as humans to start behaving as though we are all connected in this “universe,” we must first connect with ourselves– really start to see ourselves for who we are… The good, the bad, and the ugly. I am so inspired by this concept, and I look forward to my quest towards creating a more loving, friendly, safe and compassionate world for myself and all others to thrive and grow within.
Thanks for the day
Allison
PS. Be sure to check out how to get a personalized autograph from me at AllisonMackOnline.com. We’ve also started up a SodaHead account for the polls here, and a MySpace account, so add me, we’ll add you back!
Posted in Albert Einstein, Change, Choices | 76 Comments »
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