The rivalry is with our self. I try to be better than is possible.
Luciano Pavarotti
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It has been popular for many years for young actors and actresses who come to New York and study acting with some teacher who is probably a bone head and can't act his way through a door, to say "I know what my limitations are." I tried to dissuade them from saying that.
I have never ever said that in my life. Why identify limitations? Why measure yourself up to the point of your capabilities and stop there? Why draw a line between what you can and cannot do and never step over it?
I never learned how to sing. I've done four musicals and two operas. I never took a dance class in my life. I played Zorba, a dancing role, and performed in two major modern dance programs. I never learned to play the piano. I accompanied dance classes for two years. I never took any formal training as an actor. I had a fifty year career on the stage. I never took a class in painting. Now I paint. I never got a college education. Now I write.
I'm not bragging. What I'm saying is it is possible for us to do things we can't possibly do. It is impossible to run a mile in less than four minutes. That's a medical fact. Man can't walk on the moon. That's a physical fact. A black man will never be President of the United States. That's a political fact.
I know what my limitations are. And every time they show up, I grab them by the tail, swing them around over my head and smack their nasty faces against the wall. There are things I can't do, because I haven't done them yet. In my senior years I'm not racing around tracks, walking on moons or running for political office. I don't have to do those things, and neither do you. But in my arbitrary retirement I'm always looking for the impossible things I haven't done yet.
Join me.
DB
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SPRING QUESTION
(This is not a contest.)
Summer is comin' 'fore you know it.
In your opinion what is the most amazing thing that could happen during this decade? Make it as outrageous as you want but keep it within the realm of what you consider a possibility.
15 responses so far.
Answers will be published the first day of Summer.
Thank you.
dbdacoba@aol.com
DB - The Vagabond
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4 comments:
I'm in =) xox
I know I like to keep trying, the word limitations are not in my word listings at all. Some days it's not as easy, but go for it. It's worth seeing what you can accomplish if you don't put restrictions on yourself. Restrictions ownly LIMIT (where have I heard that word) you and that's not exciting. Live life to the fullest.
I only think in terms of opportunities to learn and improve.
I know my limitations but it did not stop me from doing the impossible.
Being a single mother without support is one daunting impossibility. With that limitation, my girls benefited and thankfully they did not go off the rail. Or I will be banging my head on the wall.
It is actually the determination that motivates people to go against the odds, do well and be counted.
Great thought to digest.
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