Success, failure and the in-between

I have a small, close group of friends with whom I discuss media and entertainment a lot. We have shows we watch together and we enjoy critiquing whatever happens to be the subject of the moment. It has become a long running joke that my contributions often start with "I heard (insert accomplished creative name) on Terry Gross and they said _________." What I have come to realize though, is that what is different about Terry Gross and some others (Charlie Rose) is that their interviews generally center around how a person rose to prominence and often the setbacks they faced. If one were to simply watch "interviews" on Late Night and the Tonight Show, one might assume that superstars were destined for fame, they were simply fulfilling a destiny.

One of my favorite interviews from recent years was with Jason Segel of How I Met Your Mother (you can listen to it here). He talks a lot about how he experienced early success after high school of being cast in Judd Apatow's network dramedy Freaks and Geeks only to have it canceled mid-season and did not work again for years. In light of his success over the past five years, most of his fans probably never imagined the years he spent questioning if he was wasting his time chasing his dream. What shows like this highlight is that often there are many, many setbacks before success and it's the people who grow from failure and persevere that are likeliest to experience success.

Here is another good thought from This American Life host Ira Glass about creativity and sticking with it:

Words of Wisdom

It's Wednesday and it's easy to lose momentum at this point in the week, which is why I provide you the sage words of one Barney Stinson. Barney is the beloved resident bro on CBS' How I met your Mother played by Neil Patrick Harris. Until last year when I heard the phrase "30 minute CBS sitcom" I would've thought of Two and a Half Men, the highest rated network sitcom on television. With all due respect to the fine comedic acting skills of Jon Cryer and Charlie Sheen, I never tuned in. A friend introduced me to HIMYM via season 1 on DVD and I was hooked. The show is quick and witty. The continuity is one of my favorite parts. You've got to love a show that rewards its viewers with references to episodes from three seasons prior. If you do start watching the show, I highly recommend starting with season one as the show is essentially a continuing narrative. Here's to the middle of the week and finding inner awesomeness.