One. Year. Old.

One year ago today Soccerboy in LA began! When I started I had no idea where it would take me, or even if I’d really have anything to say that would take me farther than one month. I’m surprised. And grateful. This is the most amazing journey, and it has been/is nowhere near easy. It was always fun and compelling, but the learning curve was steep.

A week after the first feature I wrote one titled One. Week. Old. When I look back, that feature is surprisingly in tune with the obstacles and successes I have encountered in the past year. This is just a taste of what I’ve learned on this path of following my dreams.

Believe in your work. Love your work. Pour your entire being into your work. Make brave choices in your work. Never settle for mediocrity. Demand the best out of yourself every single day, and when that begins to feel old renew that feeling.

No one is going to give anything to you – you must be prepared to do it yourself. It may be surprising at first, but you get used to it. As soon as you realize that you have complete creative control, you’ll love doing it all yourself. Doing it yourself also means that when things go wrong, you are the person who has to fix them. The longer you wait to get things fixed, the longer you will wait for results. All sorts of results – results you can’t even imagine.

As soon as you begin to get results, people will try to take everything away from you, or explain it away. They will call you crazy, or worse. They’ll say “You got lucky,” or “You’re not talented,” or “Your work isn’t good.” Even if you’re getting genuine compliments from people, there will always be the buzz of vultures. Sometimes they’ll even be brave enough to say hurtful things to your face. Let them, congratulate their courage but Never Defend Your Work. Besides, how are you going to let someone who sits on their ass all day and does nothing creative get inside your head? Then, move along. Once you’re far enough away, you’ll realize that their hatred is simply ceremonial; it confirms that you are winning. When you’ve done something for yourself, no one can take it away from you.

Don’t trust everyone. Look directly into people’s eyes and you will know who is worthy of your trust. Immediately.

Know when a compliment is genuine. Never be afraid to hear constructive criticism.

Surround yourself with supportive people. Become a supportive person – it’s much more fulfilling than you realize.

Maybe most importantly: Be a nice person. I like being nice, compassionate and loving. It’s one of my favorite things about being human. In fact I think that’s what’s missing from the world and causes a lot of our problems. It also makes it much easier to build personal and business relationships. The problem is when you are nice, many people will perceive that you are weak and will try to stop you, fuck you over, overlook you or dismiss you. You must remain strong. You must always be willing to stand up for yourself and your work. And if you have to, remind them that being nice is just a choice.


Never. Give. Up.


[© MMIX MD TOTAL all rights reserved]

One. Week. Old.

I think that this would be a good time to talk about dreams. Everyone is well aware how ambitious the people in LA are, the entire Entertainment Industry is here. What people don’t expect is the fact that most people are here because they have/had dreams that really surpass(ed) their desires for fame. Indeed, a lot of people here get lost because they forget to follow their actual dreams. The dreams that inspired their days, and gleefully kept them up at night. The ones that helped them connect with other people, and helped them view the world in a way that made sense. And to be fair, it is quite easy living in LA, to get away from everything that is actually important. To be frank, it’s a great place to live. The weather is fantastic the whole year round! Our winter feels like early fall for most of America. You can do things outdoors every day, even when it rains. And the sun. Oh, the SUN! This doesn’t even bring up all the distractions that things like the Sunset Strip cause.

But – dreams are important. They are much more important than we realize. Consciously or subconsciously, we live by them. They determine our emotions about our lives. I firmly believe that dreams are a major reason for being on this planet. Our innermost desires, beyond self-serving ideas, are most likely thoughts about bringing us all together. We will get distracted, if we want to be distracted. We can feel helpless, if we so choose. But chew on this, maybe every obstacle we encounter is meant to bring us closer to our dreams and not farther away. I don’t assume it’s meant to be easy, and I can’t prove what’s out there in the Universe, but I refuse to believe that we were put on this planet to be unhappy and unfulfilled.

Never. Give. Up.


This special edition is dedicated to April and Joshua.




© 2008 MD TOTAL all rights reserved.