It WILL Happen

For twenty-some odd years, I worked with a guy whose underlying philosophy was that you should approach every production day believing that you would accomplish everything that was set before you. It might be a rundown that included 70 items with a 7pm scheduled out, but as far as he was concerned, you approached it as if you would, in fact, finish 70 items by 7pm. Did it always happen? Of course not. But each time, he went in with the belief, and that belief was what drove the day. And sometimes, against all odds, we did actually finish at 7.
 
I knew then that his was a philosophy I agreed with. What I didn't know was how rare it was, and how much I would miss it when I went out into the world. Often believing something is possible is the key to making it happen, yet I frequently encounter people who say up front, "it can't be done." Let's face it, if you start with "it can't be done," there's no momentum to get it done. There's just a path to failure. And while artistic endeavors might take time, if there's no momentum toward getting them finished, they will be art that no one ever sees.
 
I don't expect every job to move at the pace at which we worked in the last days of One Life to Live (the ABC or the Prospect Park versions). But getting things done is about more than just pace. It's also about the belief that things CAN be done. And about holding onto that belief--that momentum--until they are.