Summary: About 10 weeks ago I had open-heart surgery to repair my aortic valve and to replace a portion of my aorta. I am delighted to say that it turned out just fine. Naturally I began to wonder what this experience had to teach me about acting. Then I realized that the surgery and my recovery were teaching me to be patient. Now patience doesn’t mean not doing anything. Patience means doing everything you can to aid and move a situation along and understanding that all things take time and move at their own speed. So if you’re building your acting career, it is important for you to have patience. You need to do everything you can to be prepared for when opportunities present themselves to you. Take classes and practice auditioning. Network and create projects with friends. Put yourself out there and don’t get angry if things don’t move at the speed that you want them to. The hardest part of learning patience is giving up control. We tend to think that we have control over how things work and turn out. But that simply isn’t true. Patience is hard lesson to learn and an essential virtue for actors. Life provides us with many teachers, if we’re only willing to listen. So don’t wait until you’re a patient to learn patience. Take the time now to learn this important life-changing lesson and it will serve you in your acting and in everything you do. Thanks to Dr. Bruce Lytle, cardiac surgeon, and all the doctors, nurses, and staff at the Cleveland Clinic. Links: Cleveland Clinic: Sydell & Arnold Miller Heart & Vascular Institute Dr. Bruce Lytle
