I was never a hugely successful theatre designer. I painted a lot of scenery and did the lighting, and my lighting business grew out of that.
And I fly planes all the time. And helicopters.
I define success as being comfortable with yourself and your life. And that is about as good as it gets, really.
Sounds so silly, but I want to accomplish getting my kids through college.
Disappoint anyone… hell, disappoint everyone – but don’t ever disappoint yourself.
Most of us are flawed, complicated people, and we're all trying very hard to disguise that or hide it from the public. Ultimately, we respond to someone who's capable of doing heroic things but has issues or problems in their life that they can't seem to resolve. I believe audiences identify with that. All of us have those secrets and those things that we wish we could improve about ourselves. And when you have someone who's heroic and flawed, I think it makes us feel better about ourselves.
Basically that was the moment when I thought I'd like to do this forever. I never changed my mind.
I have discovered a few things that help me when God seems silent. . . - Press in to God when you want to pull away. - Praise God out loud when you want to get lost in complaints. - Put yourself in the company of truth (reading Scriptures and surrounding yourself with positive, Godly people. )
Write what you know. Every guide for the aspiring author advises this. Because I live in a long-settled rural place, I know certain things. I know the feel of a newborn lamb's damp, tight-curled fleece and the sharp sound a well-bucket chain makes as it scrapes on stone. But more than these material things, I know the feelings that flourish in small communities. And I know other kinds of emotional truths that I believe apply across the centuries.
We live in changing times, and many people experience the challenges that come with it. In the face of uncertain futures, no one will know what to expect.
I graduated a the top of my class in the '84 Olympic Games; I won a gold medal.