Zen Pencils by Gavin Aung Than for December 11, 2023

“There are stories to be told that are still untold and characters to be portrayed that haven’t been portrayed correctly. So there’s work to be done.”

“The secret sauce of the business that I can offer is my creativity, and in order to keep my creativity alive and fresh, I have to pretend that no one is watching the show, that there are no audiences, there are no ratings; I’m just telling a story.”

“For me, beauty is me at the top of my game, going as hard as I can, without fear of what anyone else thinks. Believing in yourself when nobody else is believing in you is half the battle about anything.”

“Let’s be honest: I call myself a titan. I’ve got issues.” Shonda Rhimes

I find that very comforting. Old qualities like diligence and endurance still count. One may dream – but also should be aware that from dreaming alone dreams don’t come true. And I do believe that Bill Gates was working hard.

Dreams are nice, but if you don’t work at it, they’ll never happen.

I have an old tie bar from the 60s that says “ycdbsoya.” It stands for “you can’t do business sitting on your @$$,” which is pretty much the same sentiment.

There is no free ride, there is no magical place, it all takes work.

All of the above is true, but it begins with a dream, or in my case a dream and a baaad pun, “I dream of Whirled Peas.”

I like the “Zen Pencils” hidden in the stack of inspirational summer reading.

They set up a lot of conferences with a lotta talk and few accomplishments. Set down the booze and cigarettes — now, look, I’ve shut myself right up, haven’t I?!

For those such as myself who had no idea who Shonda Rhimes is, she is a television producer and screenwriter best known for creating ’Grey’s Anatomy’.

Outstanding…as usual.

I would tell my students, “Hard work beats talent.”

There’s this girl at work that does vision boards. Though she seems to be actually following through.

Everyone dreams, but not equally. Those who dream at night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find it vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous ones, for they will enact their dreams with open eyes and make them possible. Paraphrased from T. E. Lawrence, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. (Lawrence of Arabia)

Ah, motivational speakers. I remember the days of EST, Werner Erhard, there were a bunch of his graduates that we called ESTholes. So aggressively demanding and rude.