Stumbled upon an incredible TEDx talk from Joseph Gordon-Levitt last week.

Tried to write something based on his idea, and honestly, it just felt like I kept adding unnecessary fluff to an already outstanding presentation…

…so this today’s Habit Example is almost entirely his words!

Enjoy 🙂 

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TEDx talk by Joseph Gordon-Levitt

“I’ve been lucky in my life to get a lot more than my fair share of attention.

And I’m grateful for that because, it’s a powerful feeling.

But there’s another powerful feeling that I’ve also been able to experience a lot as an actor.

And, it’s funny, cause it’s sort of the opposite feeling cause it doesn’t come from getting attention…

…it comes from paying attention.

When I’m acting, I get so focused that I’m only paying attention to one thing.

Like when I’m on set and we’re about to shoot and the first AV calls out “rolling” and then “speed, marker, *clap*” and then the director calls “Action!”

I’ve heard that sequence so many times, like, it’s become this Pavlovian magic spell for me.

“Rolling, speed, marker, *clap*”… and something happens to me.

I can’t even help it.

My attention narrows. And anything else in the world that might be bothering me or might grab my attention… it all goes away and I’m just… there.

That feeling - that is what I love.

That, to me, is creativity, and that’s the biggest reason I’m so grateful that I get to be an actor.

So, there’s these two powerful feelings:

• There’s getting attention

• and paying attention

Of course, in the last decade or so new technology has allowed more and more people to have this powerful feeling of getting attention for any kind of creative expression — not just acting — writing, or drawing, music. Everything.

The channels of distribution have been democratized… and that’s a good thing!

But I do think there’s an unintended consequence for anybody on the planet with an urge to be creative. (myself included, cause I’m not immune to this)

I think that our creativity is becoming more and more of a means to end.

And that end is to get attention.

So I feel compelled to speak up because in my experience:”

1. What’s 1 way you can choose to focus on paying attention today more than you strive to get attention?

2. How can you practice letting go of the need to get attention? (whether in person or via social media)

3. What 3 people in your life could you give your undivided attention for 10 minutes today?

Watch Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s full TEDx talk here.

What ideas popped in your head while reading? Hit reply and let me know!

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- Kody

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P.S. These take 5 hours to research, write, and design. It only takes you 5 seconds to share.