I wish I could say that the last 3 years have been smooth sailing. It would be the easiest thing in the world to sugar coat this “fairy tale” of a middle aged man finally discovering his true passion in life, breaking free of the misery of corporate slavery and achieving remarkable success in his new career in a very short span of time.
And it is a commentary on how the modern world recognizes success that I started to get messages from strangers and acquaintences after news of my casting in The King and I became public. Before this, I was just another actor looking for work - and in the eyes of some - a deluded fool going through a mid-life crisis and an idiot for leaving a fantastic career. But all of a sudden, this wasn’t just a phase. All of a sudden, this was real and all of a sudden, people wanted to talk to me. And when I probed just a little, all they really wanted the magic formula for what they thought was a “fairy tale” success so that they could replicate it in their own lives.
But there is no magic formula. What there is - when you peel back every coat of sugar the world puts on your story - is sheer grit and tenacity, a lifetime of emotional resource, the unwillingness to give up, the clarity of purpose, gratitude and humility, and the ability to accept that there is no binary relationship between effort and result.
What there must be is the courage to keep starting over.
You have to be willing to start over. You have to be willing to quieten the voice in your head that constantly screams at you to go back to the emotionally safe life you had before. And you need to be able to start over again and again and again and again and again. Because your ego is going to keep telling you that you are a moron for allowing yourself to go back to grade school when you could be a University professor.
You have to be willing to surrender so much control of your life and discover just what you are made of are when you strip away everything else. Because those are the only things that you can take with you on this journey when you have to start over.
So, no … the last 3 years have not been smooth sailing. They have challenged me I never thought possible. But I am also immeasurably more grounded than I ever was before, and every day is a journey to discover just how badly I want my life to be a force for good.
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My name is Eu Jin. I embarked on a career as a professional actor after 20 years in the corporate world. I am a big advocate of personal growth in the performing arts. I dedicate time and energy in performing arts education, specifically in the arena of practical approaches to inner health because I believe that this lays the groundwork for a sustainable career as an artiste.
If you would like to engage in a conversation about a healthy inner life practice, please leave me a message on the "Contact" page of my website and a way to contact you. Thank you.