The Perfect Storm

I’ve always heard that “luck” is when preparation meets opportunity.
After twenty years of nonstop hustling in the entertainment industry––I have a much better appreciation for the phrase.
The truth is no matter how much you prepare or how hard you work you can’t force the opportunity.
I’ve enjoyed my fair share of victories; similarly, I’ve experienced devastating setbacks.
I’m an all-or-nothing kind of guy, so I invest all of my emotion and creativity into every project with the hope of success.  In doing so, I can look back on a lifetime of fun adventures and mini-dreams coming true.
When I set out to write a book, I imagined it on bookshelves in Barnes & Noble. I had no idea how it would happen, but I focused on writing a story I’d want to read, and I didn’t worry about anything else.
My finished manuscript sat on a shelf (or rather a folder on my Mac) for two years before the opportunity to sell it came along.
There were a few false starts, but it wasn’t until my partner and I created forty digital short videos, three television pilots, and I was performing on a TV show that a publisher took interest.
It was the perfect storm. Preparation meeting opportunity.
When the student is ready, the teacher appears.
I have to remind myself of that every day.  We always want every project we invest in to be a raging success; it’s only when the creator and project are certain for success that the opportunity appears.