First quarter checkin..or What do you need to do better to have that big year

Hello Heroes!

Hope all is well with you in all things professional and personal. Its late March which means 2 things 1. The NCAA tourney is in full swing and. most importantly, 2 We are nearing the end of the first quarter of the year.

 Some of you don't like to look at the year this way..that's totally fine. For others, it may help to divide the year up like this to keep you on track. Said another way, if you look at the first quarter and you aren't quite living up to your own expectations you can refocus and still have an amazing rest of the year. One of my big points this year is no more wasted time..so in the spirit of that lets talk about how to maximize the rest of the year

Take a look at your current self

I'm big on the idea that the best version of you is all you need to be. You cant likely achieve that in 3 months but if this is the year you want to commit to that process, you need to check yourself and your habits to see that they are synced up. Write down some of the most important best self items and see how your doing

You want to learn a language                 How many language lessons have you completed so far?

Be the fittest version of you                   How many workouts per week?

Smartest Version                                    How many books so far this year?

Best romantic partner                             What new things are you doing for them?

These are some of my items that I'm working on. When I grade myself on those items the results are mixed. Ive read 6 new books this year and I'm averaging 4-5 workouts a week which is good. I haven't been consistent on the other two items which is not so good. The point of this simple exercise is that I can now look at my schedule and say "Ok self..i need to allocate more time to these items"

After doing this, the only goal is to make sure that my next 3 months match the goals that I have with the corresponding ACTIONS to help me be that best self. Take a look at what you have done to improve yourself this year...if you haven't done enough, recognize that, own that and DO MORE

Its hard work guys but you will never regret time and effort spent on improving yourself and your life. 

Keep grinding guys!

Ahmad

@MoviestarAhmad on IG, Twitter and the semi defunct BidChat

Fall in love with YOUR process..Love YOUR life all the time

Greeting heroes,

It has been some time since I have spoken via this medium. Part of it has been by design as my focus is figuring out things about myself and finding out what I need to do differently to improve my life, my career, my everything. Part of it has been losing focus on the blog and all the good it helps me with. As you can tell, this is not a moneymaking blog. Not that there is anything wrong with that but my main idea here was to give me a forum to grind out some pages and keep track of this crazy journey. On some level I keep thinking that you guys don't want to hear about the mundane stuff but in reality..that's all a part of it. All that said, let me get to the point of today..

Success is about loving your process....

Seems like I hear all the time some famous athlete or billionaire saying "Trust the process". I tried to do some looking into this to find out how it could apply to my own goals. Your goals by themselves are not the thing you are working towards. The real thing is who and what you become on the journey to those goals. The habits and things you do every day. The good choices you make on a regular basis for the sake of your career, health, fitness, love...that's YOUR process. Its going to be a lot of stuff and some of it will be frankly very boring. The way to get through is you have to fall in love with YOUR process. Fall in love with eating healthy to fuel your body. Fall in love with meticulous study and practice on your desired craft. Fall in love with the repetitive choices that will take you from where you are to the person and situation that you are destined for. For the longest time I have been guilty of being exclusively goal oriented. That takes you away from the here and now and enjoying every second of this one time we get around this world.  Time you spend not embracing and enjoying the now is time wasted. It may take you 10 years to reach your goal...that doesn't mean you should spend 10 years hating your life because you are not as rich, famous or fit as you desire to be.

If you love YOUR process..daily, weekly and monthly..you will love yourself and love your journey the whole way.

How's the movie stardom going?

This year has seen auditions pick up again. That makes me happy although I am not booking as much as I would like. Ill just keep grinding. I recently got an Iographer and filmic pro so that I can make short films with my IPhone. So far it looks like it can be a new avenue for me to take control of my career. I'm half way through my first feature length script but ill let you know when i have 100 pages. 

I wish you all well and i will talk to you again soon. No more 12 month layoffs. I had to go through that time of introspection but you guys deserve to see it all. 

"Fall in love with the process"

Cheers!

Ahmad
@MoviestarAhmad on IG and Twitter
www.ahmadruss.com

The Different ME so far in 2016

Hello Everyone!

Geez it has been a minute since I had a chance to speak with you guys! Certainly I hope all is well. I have been busy which is the main reason for my absence. Largely been busy restarting and reworking me. Ive talked before about you being your most important project. So going into 16 I thought about the things I either need to do differently or the things I need to get back to in order to be my best self. Its always a combination of those two ideas. Looking at where ever you are in life, there are some things you do that have helped you get there. The other side of that coin is there are things that you are doing (or not doing) that are holding you back from being the best and getting to your dream. So here are some of the adjustments I am making

-Getting up early
Ive adopted the 5AM concept into my life. Simply put my first alarm Monday through Saturday is always at 4:45AM. The idea being that even if I snooze once, I am on my feet at 5AM. This is such a basic one and when you look at biographies of successful people in various fields they all talk about this with some getting up even earlier. I may graduate to that point but for now getting up that early gives me more day to get more stuff done.

-Morning rituals
Your habits are who you are to a large extent. At the least, they can be key to you getting where you want to go. I have to thank good ole Tony Robbins for getting me to focus on this one. For me they get me in the right mindset to start my day. Mine is simple so far. Get up, Pray and be thankful for a few minutes. A guided meditation from you tube, review my most pressing goals. It does not take long

-Read more
For the last few years I haven't had a book goal per se, just read as I like. I need to get more new knowledge in so my goal for this year is 3 new books per month. Ill likely mix in a few re reads of books but people who do big things constantly invest in their minds as well as their bodies..which leads me to...

-Going back to real running, Muay Thai, BJJ as fitness
Weight rooms are nice and I feel they should be a part of a full fitness. At the same time, the best shape of my life has always been when martial arts was my core workout. If you run marathons, pilates or yoga..props to you. For me, being in fight shape at whatever age you are is the highest form of fitness


If I can do these things and take even more risk this year, my belief is that I can get somewhere. When I get there ill sure thank you guys who stayed with me on this crazy journey.

Also, I'm probably going to move to wordpress soon.

Be your best...every day all the time and get a little better each day


Ahmad
@MoviestarAhmad on IG and Twitter

The power of quiet early morning prayer...

Hello everyone

Hope all is going well for you guys! For me its Ramadan which is to say I fast from food and water from sunrise to sunset every day for about 30 days. If you have never done it, it seems daunting but for me its the best time of the year for two reasons....1 The discipline and submission of it all brings you closer to god and 2 you would be surprised how clear your mind is when you don't have anything in your stomach.

The clarity always helps me move on and work through the obstacles that might be happening in my life. I have them just like you do..so today isn't about complaining its about moving past the right now

Your right now exists..it is real. For you to deny your immediate term reality is the pinnacle of unhealthy delusion. (yes, I think some delusion is healthy) For you to wallow in the negative parts of your reality makes you a prisoner which is also no good.

Accept your right now and know that it has no bearing on what you can become..what you can be in 6 months or a year or 5 years. Don't get down on yourself and don't give up hope. While you're at it....don't give up actually putting in the work necessary

Other Ramadan thoughts....

Pick your thing and go at it. Ive learned now, the hard way, that you just have to keep working on your craft and keep improving

Your mind is your window of opportunity in this world. It can be your demise or your salvation depending on how you use it

Be excited about yourself and your life at all times

Its your dream! live it every day. We all have those days were we get bogged down by the bad stuff..just don't let it last for extended periods

I know in my heart that I was put here to do something epic :)


Talk to you again soon guys,


Ahmad
@MoviestarAhmad
on Twitter and Instagram

Less and more...or defeating your main opponent

Happy Cinco de Mayo guys,

Since I haven't put anything out in a while I don't have a lot of lead up..just thoughts that go through my head as I'm trying to get to the next level of things. Most of this is stuff I say to myself as I'm working to improve me and my situation..


Less whining...more working
Less excuses...more accountability
Less stress...more focus
Less tears..more blood and sweat
Less prove em wrong...more prove YOU right
Less complaining...more enthusiasm
Less defeats...more training and prep
Less sizzle...more steak
Less of the bad you..more of the best you
Less thinking...MORE ACTION
Less limits...more unlimited belief
Less reminiscing...more of you in this moment

The battle is always with yourself guys. I can certainly attest to that. There are no shortcuts to mastering you or your universe but you can do it so long as you do less of the self destructive stuff and more of the dynasty building stuff


Quote for today "Stop whining about the career, body, family or money you don't have and DO SOMETHING about it...everyday"


Ahmad
@MoviestarAhmad on instagram and twitter :)

My Dark Phoenix Moment

Happy holidays gang!

Usually when I go stream of consciousness it goes a bit south. At the same time the honesty is always a good feeling and I always promised to those that read this I would be totally honest..

When you get down to the bottom of it, I really think I am special. I don't think I'm better than anyone else, or worse for that matter, but I know I'm special. My parents always told me so. Like every one's parents did. Rough times and situations have happened and I didn't always connect to my inner belief of being extraordinary. When I did fully connect to it..boy did my whole world change. I started walking with my head higher than ever. The world started to open up to me and opportunity came from all directions. I always knew that I was destined for big things even when I had no idea what I wanted to do. Well that lack of focus did lead to a little bit of drifting..but when you drift with a strong belief in your own epic destiny..you end up having adventures all over the world. On some level I got to the place that I think most people wish to reach at some point in their lives..i really believed that I could accomplish ANYTHING. Didn't matter what it was. When Barack Obama was elected president I called my father and didn't talk about this moment in history or anything like that. I told him "You know dad, I kinda thought I would be the first" He had a good laugh but I was dead fucking serious. If that's what I wanted I believe I could have done it. So I thought a more worthy thing to do with my considerable special-ness and power cosmic was to become a moviestar..

The downside to this epic belief is that when you aren't quite at the lofty levels that you expected to be, it hits you hard. Ill say it till the day I die but if you show me a happy loser ill show you a long time loser. Ive now passed my Hollywood birthday and since college, I've been doing this as long as I was working a "real job" as in a real job with no serious thought of a different pursuit as opposed to the day jobs I work now. I didn't expect to be at the same level but I still feel like I am in the open wilderness. I'm alive, I've got all my fingers and toes but I don't have a compass and no compass would work anyway. I cant navigate by the stars although they are nice to look at. There are people who can help but they cant all the way help as each path is unique through this wilderness. A lot of times I reject their help as I am hard headed. I would hope that by this time I would have maybe gotten on top of a rock and seen the way out no matter how far away it must be. It definitely takes a toll on how special you think you are. :)  The fact is that I wanted this wilderness. I chose it on the idea that I can do anything and I cannot wane in my self belief now.

I see friends that stayed on the path I left doing very well in all the traditional sense. That makes me very happy! Ive seen some old enemies that are house shopping in the south of France. That made me frustrated in the moment I heard it whereas now I have had time to process it. Truthfully I must thank them for the re-focus and motivation. So here I am..approaching a birthday and now with a severely injured knee that recently punctuated how much of a wilderness I'm in. Trust me, having a knee injury in college with a full professional physical training staff at your disposal was no fun..it certainly isn't fun as an under insured starving actor. This is about as un-fun as my life has been for a while. But it is always darkest before dawn.. Whats the point of all this??

I promise to myself and my family and everyone who loves and supports me that I will get through to the other side. Im prepared to burn myself in my entirety down right now and be reborn as the person I know that I am inside. I promise that you will not know of a person who works harder than me going forward to make the most of himself in all things. This isnt about acting, money, business, finance or even a big house on the hill. Its that ive finally come to the point where I understand that when I live the life I imagine in my head and go after it..it works out for me. 

So with that said..its time for me to start physically rehabbing to get my body strong. Training in all the skills i need to move forward and make my talent strong. Feed my mind more knowledge to make my mind strong and really hone in and move my life towards MY VISION


There is no quote here..but thanks for reading!


Ahmad
@MoviestarAhmad on instagram and twitter
www.ahmadruss.com

Either the right place or the right track..which is YOU?

Greetings everyone!


Happy couple days after labor day. Its always bitter sweet as it signals the calendar end of summer. Here in southern cal the sun is still as bright as ever. As hot as its been..its still home for me.

A few weeks ago I sent out a tweet that got an old friend to call me out of the blue. They asked me what was up and I told them that the tweet said it all. I wasn't in physical danger then and i'm not in danger right now as I write this. What I was feeling at the time was pretty direct but did sum up the last few months I spent away from this blog. The realization I basically came to went like this..

Its ok to not be in the position you want to be in life..and its ok to not be on the right track but it is NEVER ok for both to be true simultaneously.

Its pretty sobering to think about that. At that moment I looked at myself and my situation and honestly acknowledged that both of those things were true of me and my reality. It can creep up on you while your focus is on your temporary job or when you allow yourself to become a captive to your current situation or the current obstacles in your face. I will never allow that to happen again.

Part of my struggle came as I turned away from this blog. I forgot that it was very therapeutic and  that people read it and asked about what I had to say next :) to those people I give you eternal thanks! I wont turn away again.

So what do I do now...very simple...I am not in the place I want to be. I don't own a home, or have a family nor am I established in my career to where I have earned the right to take a break to reflect. Thats OK..so long as EVERY DAY going forward is spent working on and being on the right track to get there. I know the work I need to do and its simply time to apply the consistent effort in all aspects of my life. My perma-positive outlook has long been a major strength to lean on at all times. I got bogged down and forgot that for a while.

Sometimes you have to call yourself out in order to move forward. :)


Quote of this post

"Get going. Move forward. Aim High. Plan a take-off. Don't just sit on the runway and hope someone will come along and push the airplane. It simply won't happen. Change your attitude and gain some altitude. Believe me, you'll love it up here."


Thanks for reading guys. Hit me up on twitter and instagram

Ahmad
@MoviestarAhmad on both

Summer time...Self improvement

Happy May everyone!

As always I hope this message reaches you in good health and spirits. It feels good to express myself writing again

Summer time is here..so how did your almost first half of the year go? We set some big goals and wanted to move closer to our dream. Some of you have put in the work and have earned a summer off. Good on ya! Hop in your private jet and go lay on a beach til your hearts content. I've done it..and it aint bad :) but I definitely have not earned a full summer off. So here is what you and I can do to have a productive summer and give us a great shot at finishing the year strong.

Don't lose hope if you haven't set the world on fire like you wanted to this year. Just make sure that you relax a little less and work a little more. Remember, don't take a vacay if you haven't worked enough to earn one. All that said, 3 things we can all do together this summer..

**Take stock of your skills and craft. Ultimately if you arent better at what you do than you were 6 months ago, let alone better than your competition, you arent going to dominate your field. Take a hard look at your skills. Call an old teacher..check out new ones. But you have to have the skills to pay the bills

**Feed your brain. Knowledge outside of your wheelhouse always helps. At the least the knowledge broadens your pool of intelligent conversation partners. If there is one thing that I have underestimated in the pasts its having random but intelligent discourse with people of all shades. It doesn't always have to be quantum physics but (along with 3 books in your field) pick up at least 3 new books this summer that you haven read

**Visualize to actualize. How should your year be going? Lots of you say its not what I want or not where I want to be..ok..fine. WHAT DO YOU WANT? Take a serious look and plan it out and see it in your mind. It may not happen according to plan but when you can see it your actions can help you be it.

**I wont harp on fitness today, as you already know how I feel. If you aren't in summer shape today, pick something physical to work towards to get on track now. Sign up for a 5k. Take a fight if you have time. Sometimes doing that thing and committing to training for it can break you out of a short term outta shape period. For me, Im signed up for an obstacle mud-run in a couple months. Wish me luck!

Guys if you really want to do something big in life its NOT going to be easy. If it were easy everyone would do it. So no matter where you are now, don't worry and don't freak out...just get to work and get on the right track again NOW and tomorrow will take care of itself.

"I believe that everything happens for a reason..and sometimes good things fall apart so that better things can fall together"

Thanks guys for reading!


Ahmad
@Moviestarahmad on Twitter and now on Instagram if you wanna see what I see

A vastly different take on how Richard Sherman demonstrates why I LOVE the f*****g playoffs.

Greetings super stars!

I hope all is well with you. Its only been a day :) but I was talking to my sister and of course the NFL playoffs came up. If you are reading this then you have certainly heard your fair share of commentary about the "controversy" regarding Seattle CB Richard Sherman and his actions. First of all, the Seahawks vs 49ers was the best game of the ENTIRE football season! Its really sad that this was lost in all the discussion. Now, let me tell you up front what this post is NOT about. Its not a rehash of the typical story lines at play here. This isn't about race, class or sportsmanship. Its not about Compton to Stanford or the score and certainly not about whether the reporter was afraid. Not that those aren't valid opinions to express but you have all heard those expounded upon and I promised something different. I aim to deliver :) So I'm talking to my dear sister and she asked what I thought about it and to me it was very simple "Nobody gets it..Sherman demonstrated exactly why playoffs are must see TV me. Because it takes these grown men and strips away their life armor and makes them young all over again" Let me explain..

Professional athletes in the major sports live very very comfortable lives..and they have 100% earned that comfort in my opinion. The countless spent working to hone your skills to a professional level comes with a ton of perks. We all can see how comfortable and nice life is for the mega-star athletes. Turn on any gossip website and you'll see Kobe, Floyd Mayweather, Tom Brady or Cristiano Ronaldo living it up to put it mildly. You can also easily imagine the good life being lived by guys who are really good but maybe not at the top of the food chain like those guys. Think about your favorite pro team and the second and third best players..yeah those guys are having a ball too. Lets leave these class of players aside (even though Sherman is one of them) The reality is that all those guys live, in an overall sense, very comfortably. By all of those guys I mean even the guys who are on the team but just don't play much. They are still part of an exclusive club that gets the keys to whatever city they play/work in.  How comfortable? Lets put you in the comfortable life of your local non star but still professional athlete.

If you are a player under contract with a team, you live in a really nice house. If you're a rookie maybe you are renting a really nice place to see if you stick with the team. If you are a 2-4 year veteran (again not top guys on the team) you probably own one really nice house in a nice neighborhood in your city. You have 2 really nice cars. Maybe not a million dollar super car but you can easily swing a luxury sedan and a luxury SUV or sports car. Every one's personal taste is different but those cars will be customized as you like as far as color, rims, sounds etc. You're in a city that supports a pro sports team..so you have at least a few really nice restaurants and a few trendy ones too. Guess what..you get to show up at any of those places without reservations and get an excellent table. Maybe not the best table..that's for your star teammate but boy being able to walk in and sample the cuisine of the hot new chef is awesome. Any social events in your metropolis? No problem..an invitation is in the mail for you automatically. If somehow you are left off the invite list because the party doesn't think its your cup of tea..just show up. Come on in. You are always welcome. The club perks are pretty done to death..but its worth noting that you walk right in and generally are very popular with the ladies at the establishment. This is to say nothing of those who will go there to meet you after they hear you are inside. Golf much? Perfect..you have a tee time at any course you can get to.

Ok Ahmad..we get it. They get perks and its comfortable but life is bigger than cars and parties and restaurants. Very true. Ok..so now you have children. Those children either go to very nice public schools in very nice neighborhoods or they go to the best private schools in your city. Now you have to pay for school, which you can afford, but pesky little things like applications and academic qualifications magically disappear. Not that your child isn't smart..but so that the school can say that your child is a student there. God forbid that they have health issues but if they do, you can access the best treatment available. If not in your city you can go visit a specialist in another city..no problem. Time for the family vacation? You can actually take a look at a globe and basically go anywhere. Now, only the alpha dogs have private jet money but there is no shame in being able to travel and stay first class with you and your immediate family. Sounds like a dream to me, frankly. Now all this gets you through the regular season. If you're on a winning team then holy cow life is going FANTASTIC. If your team is losing then all the comfort that your job provides you and your family provides a more than fair balance. Losing always hurts..that's a key to why they are there. When you compare all that I described to being on a non playoff team, those guys are WAY ahead of the game of life. But now lets talk about playoffs..

When those guys are in the playoffs..they are playing for bigger stakes. Much bigger..so big that the comforts of their lives aren't the main focus. For us it is entertainment, for them the playoff road to their respective championship is all they dreamed about. Its the only path to the pinnacle of their field and that always matters. Its what got them out of bed to train and work and play and work and work and play. Sure those comforts are there but in the moment that is playoff game all that stuff is suspended. Said another way, some regular season games don't matter to those guys (there, i said it) but EVERY playoff game is the biggest game on earth. Winning or losing is all that matters. All the other stuff gets stripped away and these guys return to being in  8th grade or high school when all they wanted to do was WIN THIS GAME. (more on this later) They didn't want a nice house or expensive watches..they just wanted to win THIS game here. That purity of desire played out in competition is beautiful and compelling!

So specifically to Richard Sherman. Here we are in the NFC championship game. The biggest game of the season as it gets you to the Super Bowl. It goes without saying that as an All-Pro cornerback, Richard does have all the comforts we discussed above and then some. In that moment of the deciding play of the game do you think Richard was thinking of those comforts..NO. Was he thinking of that when he woke up..eh maybe. When he arrived at the stadium and got out of his car..that was likely the last moment he thought about any of that stuff. Because tonight was a big game..the most important game of his career..A game he had to win and winning was going to be the ONLY THING HE WANTED. He didn't want a table, or another car or to go meet pretty women at some exotic locale. He wanted to win a football game. Period. When you want to do something with such singular focus, it REQUIRES you to lay it all on the line. The fact is every player on both teams wanted nothing but to win that game. The victory would be greater than any comfort life and their job has already provided them and none of those same comforts would immediately alleviate the pain from the loss. When that play began, Richard Sherman likely looked across at his man and among other things thought "I ABSOLUTELY CANNOT LET THIS GUY BEAT ME RIGHT NOW" So the play happens and he makes a spectacular play..the season is saved and you are going to the Superbowl!! Holy COW! Now people love to toss around the stereotype of the spoiled rich athlete who only cares about his money. I am not saying it doesn't exist but in contrast I present Richard Sherman. When asked by the reporter to describe that last play..aka the BIGGEST play he has ever made in his entire career..was he thinking about his money, cars, clothes, money, cars, clothes...NOPE he was thinking with the purity of an 8th grader..That sorry receiver cant beat me!! He cant beat me! I told you! We won!! I told you and were going to the Super Bowl!!! His exact words are obviously up for interpretation..but this is what I heard him thinking in that moment.

Now the game is over..The Seahawks went and celebrated and nothing they did during that celebration was better than the feeling of that win. NOTHING. Those guys were ecstatic! The 49ers went home to mourn and no amount of houses, cars or beautiful ladies to comfort them would console them in that moment. NOTHING. Those guys were devastated! Both the respective bottom lines for those men. Both teams knew that going in and that's why I stood up and applauded them both for that game. You have to risk being hurt to feel that kind of joy..in the playoffs..those are the risks and that's why its MUST WATCH.

So for those that think the world is coming to an end with what happened...allow me to share with you a fictional but possible (read: likely) Richard Sherman story that's gone on and will continue to go on at middle schools and high schools across our great nation....

Yo Tony, you ready to play today?
Yeah man..gonna be fun.
Yup. Hey, Steve Willis said he was gonna burn you today if you guarded him!
SAY WHAT?
Yeah man, I heard him tell Jackie in history class
Man Steve is sorry as a receiver! he cant burn me!
Yo that's what he said man.
Ok..lets do this!

Late in the game..with Tony's team up by a few points, he looks across and sees Steve. Snap..they head to the endzone, the ball is up...Tony tips it away! Game is over. Tony is mobbed by his team "I told y'all! I told y'all Steve was sorry" Steve's reply? "Whatever man..that's the only play you made all game"
I told y'all!! Steve was sorry..he cant burn me.

Not worried about money cars or anything..Just who would win that day :) Ah...the purity and simplicity of youth. Always refreshing when I see it from adults.


Quote of the post

"You have to risk being totally destroyed in order to feel epic happiness. It sounds tough, but its worth it"


Good night yall!


Ahmad
@MoviestarAhmad

Moviestar chronicles BACK in 2014

Happy belated NEW YEAR!!

Great to talk to you all!! I realize its been a while. The simple fact is that I had to clear my head and step away from this for a while. It was tough not having an outlet like this but it was something that I had to do for the sake of my sanity and my life. It also helped me remember that I get as much if not more out of this than you do. There were a few people who constantly asked me when I was going to start writing again..so for those folks THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH..I didn't know ya cared. :) All this being said this post will not be as topical as I just want to get some things out there, catch you guys up and get back on the proverbial horse


-This will be my biggest year ever
Might as well start with this. Ill share my full goals in my next post but I have added some aggressive goals to the sheet and actually have a good mind to complete them. Part of my mind reboot while stepping away has hammered home the point that time is precious and I need to get to "it" on a number of levels.

-My new agent rocks
Her name is Jacque and she likes college football. More importantly she gave me the kick in the ass that I needed at the time AND she gets me out for quality auditions. I am not saying this to brag, but I remember when this wasn't the case in town so I am happy

-Old friends and new opportunities
A couple of dear friends have approached me about a big business opportunity. So big that I have to mention it here but too early to say anything specific. It came out of the blue and it has been on my mind ever since as it could be a life changer. Point being you never know when good stuff comes out of nowhere.

-My first NATIONAL RELEASE FILM
This fall I am slated to start shooting my first nationally released film. I have a very juicy supporting role opposite some notable actors. Of course, its not set until you get a call sheet but basically a director who i worked with on his first feature is now doing his first big budget film. All I can tell you now is that I get to be scary and will get to use a British accent the whole time. Who knows what will happen until we get there but this could also be a life changer

-My current day job is laughable as in the people I work with.
The only reason that I mention this is because when I think about all the day jobs I have had in town I have millions of stories and ideas to work on. Just gotta flesh em out on the page but I cant say I don't have stuff to work on. I think I'm the only person there who doesn't have a neck tattoo, a weave or a criminal record. BTW this is all volunteered information they are happy to share.

-Today's proof that god has a sense of humor
I submitted for a modeling agency open call months ago. Before the holidays which included generous amounts of peach cobbler and champagne. Never heard anything and didn't think about it...until last week when they contacted me and wanted to represent me for modeling stuff. So now I have to rush even more to eliminate my holiday weight..haha all I could to is laugh, thank god and know that he is laughing at me too. I mean that guy is busy, so if he gets a laugh at my expense..its the least I could do

Most of all guys...its still about being positive and believing in the strength that we all have inside of us. Sometimes life can fool us into thinking it isn't there...BUT IT IS. Its right there when you need it most. Never forget that..


Quote of the day..
"If you want to conquer fear, don't sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy."


Thanks for reading! Its so good to be back. As always hit me up on twitter with your thoughts


Ahmad
@MoviestarAhmad

Lessons from my empty stomach to your heart and mind

Greetings Heroes,

I hope all is well with you. Summer time is nearly over as is the fast for me personally. During this time I spend a great deal of time reflecting on life and working on my relationship with god. As I have told all my friends over the years, you would be amazed with how lucid your mind is when you don't have food on your stomach. That being said, today's blog entry has no specific topic...just some of the thoughts on my mind during Ramadan

Some days during the fast when I am really hungry I remind myself that there are millions of people all over the world who are hungry and have no choice. When I think of that I am no longer hungry.

Patience really is a virtue. When its still 2 hours before sundown all you can really do is wait. Sometimes in life, you have to wait your turn.

Cleansing your body cleanses your mind and helps you feel your best. I always feel young and healthy after I complete the fast

You have to trust in gods plan for your life. This is not to say that you just stand there and let life happen. You do your best and if your intentions are pure, trust in gods plan for YOU

Your mind is stronger than anything else you have. Stronger than all your muscles..stronger than thirst and hunger..stronger than any obstacle that life puts in front of you. You can use your mind for your own good or to your own detriment. Either way, it is VERY strong.

Sacrifice is essential to get anywhere of note in life. Putting other things aside and putting your energy into your main focus will not always be pleasant in your life, but doing it will allow you go where your heart and mind really want to go. That's worth it so long as your goal is...

Don't pray for yourself or for things..pray for your friends and family to be kept safe and happy. It sounds basic but I promise that if you do that for one week, you will feel much better.

Last but not least..do a small good deed regularly. Help an old lady cross the street, open the door for a random person. The positive energy that you get from that will propel you forward!!


Inspirational quote

“The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire."




Thanks for reading guys. Hit me up with your thoughts

Ahmad
@MoviestarAhmad

Your Journey is yours..just like the destination!

Happy Sunday Gang!!

As always, I hope is well with you and yours! For those unaware we are on the eve of the month of Ramadan which is a very important month for me. I don't believe in preaching so type it into your favorite search engine for more information. For me, one of the things I love MOST about Ramadan is that it gives me the time to clear my mind, cleanse my whole being and focus on what is really important..god, family and destiny. I apologize to all those close to me for those upcoming periods of crankiness :) Its just me being hungry.

This is quite a journey..this life thing. Within that grander journey we have the thing that we spend our life energy trying to achieve. The place we want to go. For all of us its different and the length of our personal-goal journey varies. As an actor you always want to "make it" yesterday. Sure, you understand that you have to work on your craft, network, do ABSOLUTELY GREAT WORK, and keep going though you wont book every audition. All that being said you still wish the journey from unknown actor to move star to be a steady (and quick) climb to the top of the Hollywood hills. When that doesn't happen, you get that healthy dose of adversity/reality that makes you look inside your heart of hearts to make certain that you are willing to make the sacrifice to do this...So you do the right thing..you know FOR A FACT that this is what you want to do with your life and you are undeterred..Great. You made a decision based on what YOU personally wanted to do with your life and whereas everyone takes ownership of that, today's post is about the other side of that coin that you MUST take ownership of..

Your journey is YOURS...and yours alone

We all have something we want to do. Hopefully. That overarching goal that guides our daily decisions and life to a large degree. When you set that goal out there, you likely thought about what you wanted to do and what you were good at and/or wanted to get really really good at. Just like that gold medal is YOURS..the journey it takes to get there is YOURS..personally yours. We are all human, guys. We are full of dreams, potential, energy, attributes, flaws, strengths, weaknesses ..all the things that make us up. Although we may choose the same or similar dreams what you have to go through in order to get to your promised land is what makes it your journey as opposed to mine. When your road gets tough from time to time, understand that this isn't god punishing you for past lives or the world singling you out. The rough times are part of your journey that YOU must go through to get somewhere. To put it in plain english, don't freak out and get negative during those times when the game isn't going quite the way you expected or wanted it to go. Those times MUST happen in order for you to develop yourself and work on the things you are lacking in order to get to the next level in your pursuit. Yeah guys, you know I keep it real on this blog and those times when you are "losing" means that you likely do NOT have all the skills necessary to achieve your dream. Not having those skills is not the problem. Not having enough humility to realize that you are not perfect, need to improve or (dare I say it) are not quite ready is the problem. Realizing that this is your journey and it will go exactly how it is supposed to go can help you put the ego aside and look at all those tough times properly. By properly I mean as a chance to go back to the drawing board and come back as a better version of you. Eventually those evolutionary times will bring you to your best self. I am not saying that your dream and journey is happenstance and you should just sit back and be a passenger. Absolutely not! More that if you have faith in your personal goal and faith in your hard work and drive your journey will eventually get to your desired destination. The ups and downs are ALL a part of it. So don't be so hard on yourself when you aren't lighting your industry on fire. 

I am hard on myself all the time. Frankly, I expected to be in at least a few big films by now. I didn't expect to be a big star just yet but I expected to be able to pay my bills with money from acting by now. I expected my cousins, aunts and uncles to be able to go to their local theaters and catch me delivering a line or 5 in a nationally released film. Hasn't happened...period. The ego makes me be hard on myself. "why haven't you done this or that, Ahmad". When I accept that everything I am going through I must go through, the ego subsides and the smart inner self takes over. "This is your journey. What do you need to work on TODAY so that the journey can continue tomorrow". Now that's a much better way to look at it. 

Your goal is your own! Your prize, your brass ring that you wish to grab means more to you than anyone else. When you get there, you will have a feeling that you wont quite be able to explain. How you get there is also a part of it. Trust the process..trust your gut..and understand that we all must travel a different journey to get there. Don't worry about someone else journey.. Enjoy yours!!

Inspirational quote:

"You were born to be real, not to be perfect. You're here to be you, not to be what someone else wants you to be."

Thanks for reading!!

@MoviestarAhmad

Stay in touch with your dream..always.

Greetings Team!


As always, I hope that this message reaches you while you are having the time of your life. After all we only get one of these :) On a personal note, I want to say good luck to all my teammates competing in the Brazilian jiu jitsu world championships. Boa Sorte!

Life as an actor is one long great journey. We all are on our own respective journeys to wherever we want to go..our own personal dreams. Regardless of what people may think, your dream is no lesser (or greater) than theirs. Over the course of your journey the distance you are from your dream will ebb and flow. One one level, once you decide on your dream and decide to put it first you will be much closer than you were when you were just, well, dreaming about this. If you have really put a lofty goal out there, you are going to go through periods where your dream seems miles away. First, KEEP WORKING. Giving up is never the answer. Second, find some small way that you can keep in touch with your dream. Some way that you can get to that will remind you of what you are going through all this sacrifice.

Whatever your dream is, break it down into a smaller, more accessible piece of the goal that will keep you focused on what is important. For example, if your dream is to have a net worth $100M, go check out a $10M Malibu beach house for sale. That's the kind of house you'll want to live in, right? It doesn't matter if you only have 10 bucks in your pocket..go check out the house. Tell the agent that you're looking to downsize and this "nice little shack" might work. Walk through the house..imagine yourself in it. Imagine your family and friends at a party you are having. Look at the view from the master bedroom. YOUR master bedroom. Think about the art you will put on the walls. Think about everything in your life..because eventually your dream can/will be your life. It doesn't matter what your dream is..artistic success, a family, owning a business FIND A WAY TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH IT

This will help you get energized!! Your dream will seem tangible and more real than it did before when it was many miles away. It can be very powerful and remind you why you are doing this. We all have a different thing that can be that trigger..that thing that keeps you in touch. Find your thing! Your dream will play hard to get for sure..but keeping lightly in touch will help you catch it..someday. That day is up to you :)

Inspirational thought:
"A mediocre person tells. A good person explains. A superior person demonstrates. A great person inspires others to see for themselves."


Thanks for reading


Ahmad
@MoviestarAhmad

When your destiny chooses YOU

Greetings Champions,


I hope all is well. Its the end of April so I hope you are all getting ready for a good last 8 months of the year. Don't fret guys, that is still plenty of time for you to be all that you can be. Never forget, that I believe in you if nobody else does. So if you add me plus you, that always makes 2 people who believe :)

I'm usually not nearly as topical with my blog but a pretty major social-sports event happened recently. For the first time in US history, an active male athlete in the "Major 4" sports came out of the closet and revealed that he is gay. Southern California native Jason Collins will forever be known as a trailblazer with the path he is walking. This post is NOT about judging people who are straight or gay. Ultimately, that is YOUR business. For me, its about what path Jason was on until his destiny chose him.

The Collins twins were a big deal when I was in high school. You had two 6-11 brothers that played basketball at the ultra elite Harvard-Westlake Academy. Being 6-11 with a twin brother meant, in a simple basketball sense, that you always had someone just as big and strong as you to practice against. Wow! Coaches and scouts were salivating over them as 8th graders. All of us basketball heads played lots of travel team basketball growing up. For those unaware, in the summers kids from the same area but different high schools would get together and become a team and go around the country to play kids from other areas. We all played in front of the coaches and scouts. In reality it was just one big meat market. For us, it was fun to go test ourselves against other kids. So the day came one summer, my coach and I were walking to practice and he said "You better be ready, were playing against the Collins boys this weekend". I was excited! This was my chance to play against players who had a ton of scouts watching them which means they would be watching ME play against them. I didn't care about the 6 inches I was giving up. So the game came and I played pretty OK. I definitely scored a few times on the Collins twins. They definitely scored more than a few times on me and their team won by I think 8-10 points. Game is over, we all shake hands, good game..etc. The thought at that point was that the Collins twins were on their way to be NBA stars...

They kept playing. First at Stanford. They both made the NBA but they certainly aren't headed for the hall of fame. What none of us new at that time was that Destiny had actually chosen Jason Collins for something far more significant than the NBA hall of fame. He simply did what he enjoyed and kept playing ball. As he continued to play one day his heart, mind and destiny called. It told him that it is time for him to be all that he was. A basketball player..a black man..and a gay black man. This wasnt the destiny that all the pundits chose...but it is what destiny chose and he embraced it.

The moral..keep doing what you are doing because you NEVER know when your true destiny will choose you. I am sure he had some rough moments leading up to his decision but when his destiny came to fruition..it must have been a peaceful and great experience.

We all have choice guys. Im not saying everything is predestined. If you choose what you want to do from your heart, thats part way to your destiny. Just keep doing it...and your true destiny WILL choose you to complete the tapestry of your life..



Quote for the month

What counts is not the number of hours you put in, but how much you put in the hours.



Thanks for reading!

Ahmad
@Moviestar Ahmad

Your Final Four..4 adjustments that will help you be your BEST

Greetings super heroes!

I hope you have enjoyed this years NCAA tournament as much as I have. Those players lay it on the line and go hard, which is what makes it so enjoyable to watch. It is the best sporting event in the US. Some of you who may be reading from outside the States might not get the tourney reference. Feel free to email me and I will gladly explain in detail :). Plus i'd love to "meet" you. I'm confident this weeks topic will still make sense. 

The Final Four..and Your Final Four

So when all the college basketball teams get to the semi finals of their championship tournament, its called "The Final Four". These are the last four teams left in a sport that has about 300 teams vying for the title at the start of the season. The prize here is BIG..winning the NCAA title means you are the undisputed champion of this year. In life, not every victory will be as absolute as this. Its still worth going hard for. So, thinking about what you want to achieve in life lets really look at the final four things that are keeping you from your best life ever. Its ok guys, we are actually one quarter of the way through this year (aka the BEST YEAR EVER) so its fine for us to have a little group kick in the butt. 

Four things that are holding back YOUR Star-life

Know thyself, gang. If you really look at your goals and objectives and why you are NOT achieving them it will come down to you and what YOU need to do. Always understand the answer comes from within. This column is not about family, friends and comparable life things :). This is about the achieving aspects of your life. Your job..your career..your luxurious dreams. So here are your final four things to GET RIGHT

1. Stop Procrastinating

Get over yourself. We always put off til tomorrow what we can do right now. Procrastinating from doing what you know you need to do is what holds us all back. Stop delaying your own destiny and do what you need to do. 

2. Take responsibility

Before you blame a single person or thing for what you are not achieving..look at yourself. Take a look in the mirror and say that "I am the reason and I need to adjust what I am doing". Adjust in order to get things right. 

3. Get the knowledge

Develop the skills and grow as a person in order to grow in your field. Whatever you think of yourself, you are were you are in your business relative to your skills and knowledge. If thats lacking, acknowledge it and get it fixed. There is nothing wrong with seeking it out from others..

4.Put IT first

Make your main thing your main thing. It seems simple but when you have those rough periods on the way to your goals, its amazing how often that corresponds with you losing focus. Put IT first. Whatever it is make sure its what you spend your time on. So long as its worthwhile, the time in will reward you. 

That wasnt so bad :) Just a little reminder as that you are both your own worst enemy and your greatest friend. Remember that

Wisdom of the week

"Sometimes its better to be lucky than good"

Peace

Moviestar Ahmad

@moviestarahmad

Academy Award lessons..Whats your personal Oscar?

Greetings everyone!

Were all in the swing of things this year and it is shaping up to be the best year of our collective lives. Its always good to talk to you guys for a second. Let me also send good wishes to your friends and families.

I hope you all enjoyed The Academy Awards. It is the biggest single night in my profession and cannot be missed by anyone who calls themselves an actor. When you watch it from afar, Oscar night is a great time to take a good look in the mirror and realize how far you are from that level of the game. Its humbling to be sure and that's good for you from time to time. After you take your medicine you can think about what you need to do to achieve your dream of being nominated for your respective Oscar. Whatever it is, make sure it is something big and worth your life energy. Make it extremely lofty but not unattainable. Then again, nothing is unattainable.

I will always love watching The Oscars. Although I am not quite there yet, I still am excited for the day that I attend the event as a presenter :) Its going to come as the result of a lot of consistent hard work, fun and continuous self development. This is the nature of trying to be the best artist that you can be. Humbly but excitedly I go forward with a few lessons that I picked up from this years Oscars.

Lesson 1: Don't hide your desire from yourself

Whatever your personal Oscar moment is, ADMIT IT :) You can hide it from others if you want but be honest with yourself about how you feel about. It will provide you the fuel needed to get there. The limos, meeting people I look up to, the red carpet (even with silly questions), wearing a tuxedo that costs more than my first car..all that stuff, I totally want that experience one day. It looks fun and is the definition of the party that "all the cool kids are invited to". By itself it should not define your career but if you really want it..WANT IT and acknowledge that.

Lesson 2: It takes a team to get there..thank them when you do

One of the best things about the show are all the thank you speeches. One thing it took me forever to realize is that you cant do it alone in a business like this. You need a team but it is your responsibility to build the best "team" you can. Martin Landau was interviewed walking into an after party and to the question of what he was excited about tonight he responded with "I'm excited to see some old friends". Whatever your field it should be like that for you. Any business/industry is a mix of friends and rivals.Our human competitive nature means we are always excited to call someone a rival because it means we can beat them. Be just as excited to call people friends..all you have to do is thank them and help them like they help you. You need both friends and rivals to get anywhere.

Lesson 3: No matter where you are today, you can get there tomorrow

As big of a gathering of stars as the Oscars are, there is always one person who ends up stealing the show and being THE star for the night. This year, Jennifer Lawrence was clearly the star of stars. Seemingly everything that night worked out well for her. Even when she fell, it made her look good with how it happened and how she recovered. Awesome for her and I wish her even more success than she has already had. The bigger take away...5 years ago she was just an actor grinding to make her dream happen. Think about that. In that short amount of time she is at the top of her business. It wasn't accidental for sure. Lots of work, luck, work, a great team, living right, going for it, sacrifice..etc. Now if told you in 5 years you could achieve your personal Oscar moment, wouldn't that fire you up? Yeah...me too.


Everyone has personal "I made it" moments in their life and career. Buying a house..an exotic vacation or car. Or maybe its the big big promotion, corner office or moving your start-up company into a bigger space. Find your moment and go after it. It will take sacrifice to get there..but so long as your Oscar is worth it, the sacrifice will be worth it .


Quote for today

“I always wanted to be somebody. If I made it, it's half because I was game enough to take a lot of punishment along the way and half because there were a lot of people who cared enough to help me.”




Thanks for reading guys. My hope is always that if we all go for what we want..we can inspire each other to the heights we all dream of. Have a great day!! Hit me up with any questions and comments.



Ahmad
@MovieststarAhmad

Simple ideas to make your 2013 GREAT

Happy New Year!!


Greetings everyone! I hope you all had a great holiday. I want to first thank those people who asked about no posts in December :) With my birthday and the holiday season I feel like people have important stuff to do with their families and loved ones as opposed to reading what I have to say. That said, the moviestar chronicle isn't going anywhere!! I'm going to continue to write about my journey as an actor and positive views on life and success for a long time. I expect this year to be the biggest year yet for my acting career (hear that, acting gods?) so I'm looking forward to telling you more stories about that. Ideally, my last post might be the day I am nominated for an academy award. That would be an amazing culmination of this part of the story..but hey, who knows. I appreciate all of you for reading. BTW Check out the newly redesigned www.ahmadruss.com when you have time.

2013 is here which means we humans have been granted more time to pursue our respective dreams and destiny! Gosh..I LOVE new years. I purposely didn't want to write to you on Jan 1 because I didn't want to get caught up in the "resolution crowd". I believe new years resolutions DON'T work. Generally anything you decide to do after the 5 glass of champagne wont last. So now a few days into the year, lets talk about how you and I are going to make this the best of 2013. I am big on goal setting and you can find that information in the archives. Take a look and set some goals. Today isn't as formal and regimented as that. Today is about a few simple ideas that will put you in a position to have a much better year this year than last. If you can add these simple things to your life plan..good stuff will come..I promise :)

1. Find one new-old thing each month to be thankful for

You arent the first or only person to take things for granted. Its a bad habit we all have. Sometimes by going against a bad habit, the result can be immediately positive. We all have things that dont go our way..you wont always get the job, house, car, boy/girl, award that you want. Its easy to focus on this. So easy that we forget whats going RIGHT in our lives. So grab your calendar and set a recurring event each month to find something in your life to be thankful for. Acknowledge it..say it out loud and then write it down in a journal or notepad. Nothing long, just a couple of sentences. Later in the year you will enjoy reviewing what you are thankful for.

2. Resolve unfinished business with at least 1 friend and 1 family member

This is a pretty vague one..but its intended to be. You have friends and family members with whom you have something important to deal with. If you are honest with yourself, you can probably think of more than 2 right now. Deal with those people! If you have to apologize, do that. If you are going to demand an apology, do that. If you need to say something to them that weighs on your mind, do it and get that weight off of your mind. The action from your end may be positive or negative and the resolution, through their response, may be positive or negative. That is fine. You guys will have a better relationship going forward and you can turn your mind towards other things. I realize we all have more than 2 people in this category. If you are so motivated to deal with more..great. Just 2 will be a big improvement

3. Identify and do 1 specific thing that will move your career/job forward

I'm an actor. Some of you are portfolio managers, accountants, car salesmen and teachers. We are all responsible for knowing our respective industries and jobs. Most of us have high aspirations and want to continue to move "up" in our fields. There are a lot of things that you need to do to make significant career jumps. Keep working on the "lot of things" but identify 1 specific thing that by itself would represent a step forward for you. I don't know all of your fields but for me, getting a 2-3 line part on a network TV show is 1 specific (and doable) thing that represents a step forward for me in my field. It will not mean I am a household name or rich and famous but if I can do that this year, I will have taken a step forward. There are much bigger goals in my field, sure, but this small thing would make this year by definition better than last year. **For those that don't like their jobs at all..stay tuned for a full post this month to help you specifically.


4. Add one small weekly fitness item  this year

No surprise here, you guys know I believe in being as fit as you can be. Some of us get fit in the cage, some of us run marathons. You don't have to do either but add a little something to your current life to help get you into the mindset for fitness. Take the stairs. Walk a mile or two. Do 10 push ups and sit ups a night. Those small things by themselves wont get you in great shape but they will start to break down whatever barriers you have internally that prevent you from being in the best shape you can be in. It doesn't have to be something I pick..but you do have to pick something

5. Do one thing for fun each month

Easy right? Do one thing each month (set it on your calendar guys) with the only idea of it being fun. Not for competition, not for money or for your job. Just something that's fun for YOU. Even better if you search for new things that you haven't done before. Get friends and family involved or do it by yourself. Just anything that is so fun that it takes you out of your every day mind frame. Smile..laugh..play..whatever it is you think is fun..make a little time for that.

**guys..all this stuff might take 1-2 days a month out of your oh so busy schedule. That's not much time when you really think about it. The rewards for you will be MUCH greater and you will have a better this year than last. Isn't that what we all want??

Quote to live by

"Instead of focusing on how much you can accomplish, focus on how much you can absolutely love what you’re doing"

Thanks for reading!! Happy 2013!

Ahmad

www.ahmadruss.com

@MoviestarAhmad 

Holidays for the artist.and family.

Happy holidays guys!

As always I hope this message reaches you in good health and spirits. I hope you all had plenty of family and food around you at thanksgiving. On a personal note, I have just hired a new manager to help me get my career moving forward. Ken, I am excited to work with you. For all of you readers, stay tuned for a revamp of my blog and website.

My parents gave me so much wisdom. I believe my fundamental advantage in life is not having movie star good looks :) or being tall..its that I had a mom and dad who cared about me. They care about me and support me to this day. Its something I don't appreciate enough some times. The holidays can be tough on us not so famous artists. Why? Because you answer more questions from family that you know, and love, regarding the lack of your name on the Box Office. First of all, to all those families out there, it is COMPLETELY FAIR for you to ask those questions. If the starving artists cant deal with that part of the game then they have bigger issues. More importantly we want to know that you care about us! Those questions about "how come you don't see us on TMZ" means you are wondering how we are doing. It makes us feel like we are not out here all alone. Your spirits and energy are with us. We can feel it..it feels great when you tap into that force. All artists should do this more often.

For the artist..answer every one of these questions. They don't expect you to be famous over night..they just want to make sure your heart is in the game. And it is..right?? Exactly. These aunts and uncles care about you and want you to live your dream. They do NOT want you to fail. When you take a moment and realize that, all the questions should get a little smile from you inside. Believe me, your agent, producer friend, manager or studio head wont ask these questions. Enjoy the love and feel the love.

I already know that my ENTIRE FAMILY will be there on my first headlining red carpet with the intent to have a ball. When that happens, ill feel all that love

Be thankful for your close people this holiday season. This is probably the most important thing I've ever said on this blog :)


Quote

"Live with no excuses and love with no regrets"

Thanks for reading guys! Hit me on twitter

Ahmad

@moviestarahmad 

It can ALWAYS be better or worse & staying positiv

Happy Fall gang!

Good to speak with you all. If you have any friends and family on the east coast, I hope they are all safe. Today I'm giving away one of my biggest keys to staying positive.

Recently I picked up a new friend on facebook. I realize this isn't exactly a news flash in 2012. I have been friends with this person in real life before facebook (which might be more of a news flash) and recently I saw them for the first time since becoming FB friends. As we were parting company she asked me "How the heck do you stay so positive on facebook?" Thanks for giving me a great blog post idea..

Life perspective of Better and Worse

Being positive comes from within..like all your magical powers (we all have them) and is a formula comprised of many things. One specific key that helps me stay positive is a statement my long term friends have heard me say many times.. "It can ALWAYS be better/worse".  No matter what happens to you in any moment, you can look at the situation and remind yourself of that undeniable fact to help bring some perspective to your short term success, failure, trouble or triumph. When things aren't going so well it is easy to see how this can help. When some crazy driver smashes into your brand new bright red Ferrari..and you are screaming at them and cursing your luck, remember, it could always be worse. You could be looking at your smashed Ferrari from a stretcher being carried by paramedics. Lets not even think about how much worse that scenario could get for you. Those times when you don't have quite as much money as you want, need, or deserve..could always be worse. Someone else is probably doing unspeakable things in order to get that money. The kind of things that you can never get away from in your own mind no matter how good the money might be. That you aren't doing those things can help calm your mind, relax and keep going in a positive direction with your actions and thoughts. For us actors, that time you didn't book that part and you see another actor get the guest-star role on ABC that you wanted definitely sucks. At the same time, it could be worse, there is some person who isn't even in Hollywood who watches that show and their heart breaks because acting is what they know they should be doing. You guys get the point on how it helps when times are rough...

How can this help me go from positive to MEGA-positive? No matter how good it is, it could always be better. Some time from now, Sony pictures will be paying me 7 figures to film an awesome movie in an exotic and great location. Sounds great right? Heck yeah it does. But It could always be better... I could be doing the same thing except its a film I wrote and I am an executive producer on the project. EVEN BETTER. When you realize that a good situation could be better you do 2 things 1. You validate the work and steps you have taken to get where you are and 2 You realize that there is more work to do and you can do EVEN MORE THAN YOU THOUGHT BEFORE. Sure, celebrate a little bit along the way but for you to reach your greatness, you have to keep pushing your talents and self to new limits. Doing so with a positive attitude will make your work light and your journey FUN! That's what I'm in this crazy life for...to have fun.

Motivational quote of the day

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go"

Thanks guys for reading. Hit me up with any questions

Ahmad

Moviestar on the rise

Twitter: @MoviestarAhmad

Your Art and comfort..no relation

Greetings everyone!

Happy end of summer. Time to get into the gym because next summer is right around the corner and I know you all want to look your best :)

Ill keep it short this week guys. Largely because its October and there is still time to re-focus on what you want to accomplish this year and make major progress towards it. That sort of refocus will help set you up to blast through your goals and change your life next year!! Yes I said change your life. That's for another post, but that's how I think every year. The work I put in this year can and will CHANGE MY LIFE :) All that said, let me get to the point..

Art and comfort do NOT coexist

Being an artist is great on many levels. Its a big challenge, a noble pursuit, a way I can express myself and help others. It requires me to use all of my energy and makes me constantly improve myself. On that level I have gotten more out of myself than I ever imagined. One thing being an artist is not..it is NOT comfortable. Nor is it supposed to be.

To create..to focus on the art of something means you have to leave some of the comfortable aspects of life behind. Sometimes that means not eating while I am pouring through a script and trying to understand a character. Sometimes that means night shoots that require you to be mentally and emotionally fresh at 3am. Painters, sculptors and music producers can all share experiences where it got uncomfortable while they were pursuing their art. Its part of the game. The positive thing is that as you are getting more UNcomfortable, you are freeing yourself and getting ready to create art. Said another way, when you start feeling uncomfortable you are closer to expressing the artistic truth that you are searching for. To do something artistically real and honest you have to put art first..ahead of comfort. You can be comfortable afterwards.

You guys already know my thoughts on this..EVERYONE is (or can be) an artist in their own realm. There is an artistic aspect to teaching or being a personal trainer or whatever you do. If you pursue what you do and put it first, above your own comfort, you will see all the rewards that come with being one of the best artists in your respective field. I cant speak for you but that's what I want to be.

Don't worry about comfort guys. Not when you are doing your work. Just pursue your type of art with all your might. While you are training, acting, cage fighting, painting, teaching or working in the lab..put your work first..and it will put you first down the line!

Motivational quote of the week....

Enter every activity without giving mental recognition to the possibility of defeat. Concentrate on your strengths, instead of your weaknesses… on your powers, instead of your problems.



Thanks for reading!

Ahmad
@MoviestarAhmad