Stuck? You May Have Eyes Wide Shut Syndrome

Copyright (c) 2009 Valery Satterwhite

I was enjoying a lovely dinner last night at a little French restaurant at The Farmer's Market in Los Angeles last night when I overheard a neighboring conversation. Ok, I was deliberately eavesdropping. I admit it. Those who know me already know that listening to how other people think is a favorite pastime of mine. In a not so covert attempt to hear better, I scooched my chair a little closer and ran smack into the void of quiet desperation.

A writer and a director were discussing, or rather dissing, that which is known as The Biz in this town. The focus of their entire conversation was how impossible it was to get anything produced, let alone distributed, in this town. Piling on one limitation to success after another, the diatribe was peppered with all that is bad, all that is restrictive to the successful expression of their creative endeavor.

Ok, so the tenor of their desperation was not so quiet. This is not a new or unusual conversation in Hollywood. A lot of creative people are desperately looking for a break. Thousands flock to Los Angeles every year hoping to make it, see their name on the credit roll, achieve recognition and respect among peers.

As I continued to listen to their discourse I realized that the illness that preys upon creative professionals who often face rejection and brush-off is "eyes wide shut" syndrome. I get that only a very select few ever make it, achieve their deepest dream, here in tinsel town. It is not a hidden secret that the journey to success here is a road filled with rejection and heart ache. The eyes of opportunity are shut due to the challenges, pitfalls and possible hazards of this pursuit.

"A lot of directors don't want the pressure of a movie the size of Pearl Harbor. But I love it. I thrive on it." - Michael Bay, Director

While many will tell you it's an arduous, even tortuous, pursuit most people do not realize that they have chosen the path of least resistance instead of the thoroughfare to accomplishment. Their eyes are shut to the choices they make that hold them back from the next rung, and the rung after that on the ladder of success. Everything a person shuts his or her eyes to, resists, dislikes, complains about or runs away from is a blind alley. Every aspiration chased, every authentic expression withheld or self-denied darkens the pathway to actualization of what the heart is longing for.

"I`ve been told that I`m incompetent, socially retarded, maladjusted. I still know that I couldn`t function in reality. Los Angeles is a good place for me." - Diablo Cody, Writer, "Juno"

What seems painful, limiting or defeating can become a source of strength and inspiration if viewed from a different perspective. You can focus upon and give energy to all that is not working for you or you can choose to see what is viable for yourself and others. Do you turn your attention to all the failures and rejection in your life and in the lives of others who are after similar goals? Or do you actively seek shining examples of what is and can be done to deliver the ultimate experience you are working so hard to achieve. Simply put, you can become a victim of your circumstance or the hero of your opportunity.

Open your eyes. Form and embrace a new perspective, one that is founded in possibilities instead of impediments. Speak in the direction of your dreams; in your head and in the conversations you have with others. Take action on the intuitive inspired idea that may come to you in the middle of the night. Keep those eyes open and ready for what you have the talent and ability to create when you awake in the morning.

"I don't believe in pessimism. If something doesn't come up the way you want, forge ahead. If you think it's going to rain, it will. " - Clint Eastwood