 This blog is not about Bill Cosby's sentencing. It's more about personal accountability. This blog is not about the President or Supreme Court appointments. It is a call to register to vote. (https://www.vote.org/am-i-registered-to-vote/) This blog is not about the NFL. It's a declaration of peace and justice. This blog is not about the CardiB or Nicki Minaj scuffle. It's more concerned with women supporting women. This blog is not about Fashion Week. Though I hope one day it will be! (Ayyyeee) This blog is not about MeToo or TimesUp or Believe Women. But, believe me, me too and time is up. This blog is not about immigration and border control. It is a vow to respect the dignity of all human life. Thing is, it's rare for me to post or debate publicly about the hot button topics, or latest tea, or recent tragedy. I am not oblivious nor am I without an opinion. I simply choose the perspective that builds, that elevates, that is proactive rather than reactive. It helps the pain and dissapointment. Mother Theresa was on to something: "I was once asked why I don't participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally. I'll be there." ~Mother Theresa There's a small adjustment in the mind and behavior when you go from being "against" something to being "for" something. That's the place I want to operate from. That I NEED to operate from. There's SO much noise. Negativity is such a poison, a drug. It's a habit, an addiction. Being able to filter the noise is so important. Maybe peace and positivity are like an acquired taste. Does it seem bland? Need more salt? Not for me. It's not good for my pressure (lol). There's SO much of it, all around us. There's a constant barrage of inescapable bad news, it's overwhelming. It's deafening. I have to protect my peace! Here's how I do it:
The truth is there is SO much good out there. Find it, wrap yourself in it. Bathe in it. Eat it up. We all deserve our slice of joy served warm... daily! ~enisha b janeIn my own words. E as in "elephant"
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 I had a terrible idea for a children's book a few years ago. It was about a little girl who didn't believe she had any favorites. No favorite color, no favorite cartoon character or teacher, no favorite anything. In an attempt to convince her otherwise her mother takes her to an ice cream shoppe and she is reminded that she is actually not a pitiful little human child who can't make up her mind. She remembers that she loves strawberry ice cream. It's her favorite.
I know, horrible. Anyway. It was loosely based on a phase I was going through where I couldn't confidently identify anything I liked enough to call it my favorite... of any category. I am a Libra and ALL THE THINGS make sense to me. I can rationalize or find the good, bad, or ugly of anything. (And you thought it was indecisiveness, didn't you?) So I decided to remedy this phase and write all of my favorites out. And I'm sharing them here. And I'm sticking to them! Wait... Maybe Top 5 is better! Top 5 Favorite Ice Cream Flavors Strawberry Coffee Pralines and Cream Pistachio Hazelnut Top 5 Movies Chocolat The Talented Mr. Ripley Boyz n the Hood Love Jones All About Eve Top 5 TV Shows Game of Thrones Insecure Scandal Silicon Valley How to Get Away with Murder Top 5 Actresses Viola Davis Meryl Streep Cate Blanchett Emma Stone Thandie Newton Top 5 Actors Jeffrey Wright Denzel Washington Leonardo DiCaprio Michael B. Jordan Eddie Redmayne And there you have it.  Seven whole years. It's been 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, SEVEN years since I moved to Los Angeles this week. It's difficult to quantify that much time having already passed... partly because time feels more like a construct in a climate like this one--it goes from a dry summer to a brisk fall. No winter. No rainy season. But also because, like this year, time flies by so quickly. Were we not just in March? My head is spinning thinking about it. And when you have back-to-back years like 2018 it just... goes.
So, I forced myself to examine each year that I've been in LaLaLand and QUALIFY each with a Big Win and a Big Lesson. So here goes: Year 1 (Fall 2011 to Fall 2012) Big Win: Booking Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn This would come about 6 months after I arrived. It was my first leading role in what would be shot like a film. I learned a ton! Big Lesson: The Follow-up Opportunity Yeah. I hadn't yet found consistency in my work. So I was not able to capitalize on the momentum of Halo or Footloose in the way I wanted to and missed some big follow-up opportunities as a result. Year 2 (Fall 2012 to Fall 2013) Big Win: Adding Humvee Driver to my Special Skills I booked a recurring role on the show Perception and was tasked with driving this military "armored" truck in a desert scene. Cast and camera crew in tow. Loved it! Big Lesson: The Consequences of the Wrong Crowd Mmmhmm. I had to relearn this elementary school lesson. I was freshly out of what would be the last booking in a few years. It was the consequence of being highly distracted. My focus was completely off of my career and being drained in a toxic relationship. Year 3 (Fall 2013 to Fall 2014) Big Win: New Acting Technique I discovered a technique that would gift me with the consistency that I had been so sorely missing. It also gave me something productive and career-driven to focus on. Acting class was my saving grace! Big Lesson: No One is Coming to Save You I learned that there are people who will laugh at your pain and watch you sink. True friends are rare. But ultimately, you are responsible for you. Year 4 (Fall 2014 to Fall 2015) Big Win: Learned the art of the Win I had to defend myself in a small legal injustice with a landlord who unfairly refused to reimburse my rental deposit. After several attempts to solve the issue myself, I decided to take him to court. I won. At a time when I felt attacked by so many forces, I determined to fight and win. Big Lesson: The Power of "No" It was after that win that I reintroduced the word "no" and the phrase 'not good enough" into my life. It didn't feel good in the moments, but in the depths of my being I understood it to be right. Year 5 (Fall 2015 to Fall 2016) Big Win: LOVE I met my husband-to-be! And despite a few battle scars and a few thick layers of protection, I was able to open and let love flow. Big Lesson: Seize the Yes! Career wise, I learned to be unafraid to cut my losses with dead-end relationships and seize new opportunities when they presented themselves. Year 6 (Fall 2016 to Fall 2017) Big Win: New Community, who dis? I landed a spot in the ABC Discovers Showcase and found a new tribe of talented, silly, actors and a relationship with a studio. I also dove into a fresh spiritual practice that also came with a community of positive, uplifting people. Big Lesson: New Levels Bring New Obstacles I worked harder in this one year than any other year in Los Angeles. I was constantly faced with my own self-fulfilling limitations and was forced to move through them. Year 7 (Fall 2017 to PRESENT) Big Win: Purpose This last year has allowed me to envision and outline a path to my purpose. My goals are clearer, bigger, and feel attainable. This year I have experienced genuine happiness far more than in years past. Big Lesson: It All Counts All the skills, lessons, and obstacles make sense now. I learned that everything I have ever succeeded or failed at are part of the story. Nothing is for nothing. It all counts. •They say we are completely different people every seven years. I'd say that's true.•  The law of abundance teaches us that the universe is infinitely abundant -- that someone else's opportunity or benefit is not our loss. That there is in fact enough (food, resource, goodness, potential) to go around. Instead we believe in lack and limitation. Some of us are trapped in one or more of the damaging illusions that Nichiren Buddhism has identified as the 3 poisons: Greed, Anger, and Foolishness. Our perception is so jaded through the lens of the 3 poisons that we can't even fathom -- let alone perceive -- the true nature of all phenomena. The world through these lenses is a game of war, is brutal, ugly. We believe everyone is either a threat or an ally and are always at the ready to fight and defend. We therefore wage war in all of our encounters, perpetuating a cycle or never ending war, brutality and ugliness. It is a cycle that we seldom recognize as being self-fulfilling. No, we will not always get what we want. Yes, some opportunities will have to be created by our own hand. No, we will not go through life without challenges. Yes, we may need to defend ourselves from those whose delusions threaten our life and livelihood. No, will not always win. Yes, we must choose what we stand for. Imagine seeing the world through a lens of abundance and joy. Our losses become opportunities, our wins become salve, our compassion boomerangs, our joy multiplies, our sorrows become a kind of release. And we then fight only to protect the bliss of peace. Our indignation is righteous. Our goals are lofty. And we encounter a swarm of support and love. The universe rushes to our aid. Guidance finds us. It seems nearly impossible until it just isn't. How do I know? I've tested out a few different lenses in my life. "A candle looses nothing by lighting another candle." ~ Erin Majors When's the last time you checked your lenses?  |
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