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“Do what you love and the money will follow” said the voice
on the tape. My business coach’s voice. The tape consisted of about 50 “Prospermations” and this one stuck in my craw. I cringed
every time I heard it, which was just about every morning. It was depressing.
On the flip side, what excited me? The
answer came back “become a playwright.” Ugh. “Yeah I’d love to do it, but…”
“But what? Don’t make excuses for yourself.
You have a degree in theatre. Find out how to do it and write.”
Myself was very convincing. The feelings were so strong
and compelling that it became non-negotiable.
I knew the model. I had worked with a business coach who had assisted
me immensely. So I began doing research on the web to find a coach who would tell me the truth about my ability. But I was
nervous so I reverted to what had worked for me in the past: networking. I emailed a trusted friend and superb teacher, Dr.
Jack Wright. He put me in touch with his colleague, Dr. Ron Willis, retired from KU. Ron had a host of credits and accolades
that I learned about later. But most of all he had what I needed: experience. He liked retirement and knew the time commitment
to a student could be crushing so there was some concern. But I soldiered forward, we came to an agreement and began.
It
was the best experience I have ever had as a late-in-life learner. Conservatively it sliced two years off my learning curve.
The
procedure we used was this: I emailed material to him and then we teleconferenced for an hour a week. Instead of “Tuesdays
with Morrie,” it was “Mondays with Ron.”
With his permission, I taped the call and then listened to it over the next
week (sometimes 10-15 times), wrote more, emailed it to him and then we talked. At the end of three months, we had a play.
One of Ron’s fortes is conducting readings and he advised me so that I could hear the words spoken. After that, he kicked
me out of the nest and told me in a kind way, to self-regulate. So I began a new play, totally different from the first and,
in Ron’s terms, I became my own “shit detector.”
This was a very positive experience for me. At 49, I didn’t have time
to take classes and yet I wanted to learn with a passion. Quickly.
What worked for me can work for anyone. Here are
the steps: have the desire, hire a mentor (pay them, they deserve it), listen to them, follow instructions, tape the coaching
session and listen to it over and over and over, implement, build on what you’ve written (stand on your own shoulders as Ron
puts it), stand up for your own beliefs (it is your play) and don’t ever be deterred from your dream. And trust. You must
trust. I allowed Ron to make an incision in my skull, take my brain out, rearrange some things and put it back together.
You
may be tempted to cut corners and have a friend coach you. Don’t do it. If you are older, like me, you’re wasting time. Hire
the best and pay them.
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"Do what you love and the money will follow" -
Jeff Combs
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