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How I Became a Movie Star (and How You Can too)

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kankered movie

Okay. Me becoming a movie star might be a bit of an exaggeration but I did make it into a full length student film as a leading character. It was an awesome experience. I met some cool new people, got to live out a dream of acting in a comedy movie, and literally had to push all the girls off me. Okay, the last part isn’t true but everything else is.

And it all started by pushing my boundaries and stepping outside my comfort zone.

I’ve always had an interest in acting, probably due to being a Leo who likes the spotlight, but haven’t really given it much attention besides acting as an extra in some productions a few years back. Then one day I found myself looking through “Acting” ads on kijiji. Most were garbage but I stumbled across one that was asking for a lead actor in a full length student movie. I immediately began to imagine what a great experience this would be. It was a chance to have a lot of lines in a movie and gain some experience.

There was one problem though. I needed to audition. I had never auditioned before and it made me nervous to go into a room with people and act out lines from a script with no acting experience behind me. I knew it wasn’t going to be as “hard-core” with students as it would be with a professional shoot but I still didn’t want to look stupid.

I told myself I had to do it. What were my chances of ever seeing an opportunity like this again. It could be my last chance. I had spoke in front of 50 people before. I had jumped out of a plane and leaped off a bridge. I managed to travel 5 months solo throughout Australia and Indonesia.

I had to do it. I sent them an email and told them I would come audition. Next thing you know, I’m “Alex” in the movie “Kankered”.

Despite some mishaps (like continuously losing actors who weren’t taking it seriously), it took about a month (30 days of acting) to get all the shots done before it moved on to the voiceover and editing phases. We had a blast taking outdoor shots while trying to avoid the police, spending a day in the woods with werewolves and ninjas, partying at fake parties, breaking into a house, and joining a hot tub party where a friend was kidnapped by a hot girl who wanted his baby.

The director, Nick, is now in Vancouver Film School having “Kankered” edited and ready for film festivals. Despite its lack of budget, it came out looking really good. It’s got a ton of coarse language and immature sexual innuendoes so it’s only for those who like “R” rated Superbad-type movies, which means grandmothers may not approve.

Check out the trailer below. [Read more…] about How I Became a Movie Star (and How You Can too)

New Series – The Most Important Word in the World

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Elephant park, Indonesia
New Friends in Indonesia

 

I’m so excited for this series to start.

It all began with a post I wrote a few weeks back about a time when I said “hello” to strangers in Indonesia and ended up having a great adventure with them. Lots of people said that they loved that post and I started to think of all the times I’ve had adventures from simply greeting other travelers. I wanted to inspire people to open themselves up to meeting new people and forming new relationships and potential adventures. Then I thought, how cool would it be to gather stories from other bloggers and travelers who have experienced this as well.

I wanted to hear all the amazing stories that people have from when they stepped out of the box and met some new friends.

I reached out to 7 awesome people to get the ball rolling. Each of them enthusiastically agreed to participate and thought it was a great idea.

The series was born. It starts this friday!

Each blogger will post their story on their blog at certain times over the next week or two. Each story will be about a time when they said “hello” to a stranger which then turned into an awesome adventure or a great friendship.

If you want to read these inspiring stories, just follow along by watching the “series page” or following me on twitter. Each time someone posts their story, I will link to it on the series page and tweet it over twitter. You can also like A World of Inspiration on Facebook and watch the wall, or subscribe to A World of Inspiration so you can stay updated all the time.

The following bloggers are part of this series:

Earl Baron of Wandering Earl

Matt Koenig of 1 Year Sabbatical

Rob Nights of Beyond Norms

Amy Scott of Nomadtopia

Niall Doherty of Disrupting the Rabblement

Robyn James of The Dropout Diaries

Steve Bloom of Do Something Cool

and of course, yours truly.

I can’t wait to read these great stories. Thanks to everyone involved and I hope you all feel the inspiration from the amazing stories we’re sure to read.

Do you have a great story of a time when you said “hello” to a stranger and it turned into a wicked adventure or a great friendship?

Inspire me by subscribing for free updates! 

You hate spam and so do I. That’s why you’ll never see it from me.

 

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A Cappuccino, a Painting, and Some Spontaneity

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My first painting

A couple days ago I was sitting in a coffee shop writing out some thoughts and killing time before heading to an acting class I had that night. It was about 4:30 p.m. and the class started at 6. I was at a coffee shop far off the beaten path of where I needed to go which I had found after buying a coupon from Groupon weeks before.

It was the type of cafe I was looking for. A place with a big open space with tables for me to write at. Cool paintings and pictures aligning the walls that are made by local artists in which you can purchase. They have open mic nights, philosophy nights, board game nights, and so forth. They also make the best Cappuccino I have ever had.

As I sat writing up some potential future blog posts, I noticed a sign on one of the doors that read “Learn how to paint on canvas. Third tuesday of every month at 7 p.m.. Just $15”.

It just so happened it was the third tuesday of the month. [Read more…] about A Cappuccino, a Painting, and Some Spontaneity

Why NOW Matters

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Take your first step NOW!

We all know someone who has said something like “I’m gonna quit smoking after 1 more pack” or “I’ll start eating better next week” and so on and so forth. It might even be you.

What were forgetting is that NOW is the only time that matters. Waiting just puts something on the back burner until its forgotten about.

I know a guy who wants to write a book about his childhood. He’s not doing it to become a bestseller. He just wants to write it because his life was really interesting and very different than how we live today. He has been putting it off for 4 years. Yet, when I told him to start writing NOW, he said “I should of done it 4 years ago and it would have been done”.

True. He should have started it 4 years ago but who cares! That time is gone and isn’t coming back. I wonder if he is going to start it now or tell me the same thing in another 4 years.

Time doesn’t wait. So what is something you have been putting off for years or something your always coming up with an excuse for? Commit to it NOW!

Don’t wait for one more pack of cigarettes to stop smoking. Stop NOW!

Don’t put off a diet just because your going on a vacation in a month. Start NOW!

Don’t wait to invest just because you think you need to earn more. Even $25/Mth helps. Start NOW!

If you want to start writing, start NOW!

Always wanted to learn about photography? Start NOW!

Been wanting to ask someone out? Do it NOW!

Do you really want to keep telling yourself the same promises over and over again?

Saying you shoulda, woulda, coulda doesn’t help unless you use it to force yourself to start NOW!

What are you waiting for?

Who Wants to Jump Off a Bridge This June?

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Nervously Smiling as I await my 130 foot jump off the Auckland bridge.

It’s hard to explain the emotions I was going through as I began my ascent to the top of the Auckland Bridge in Auckland, New Zealand. It was only 3 weeks before this that I jumped out of a plane at 15,000 feet. Why would jumping off a bridge from just 130 feet up scare me?

We’ll, all I can say is that jumping off a bridge was far more terrifying to me than jumping out of a plane. My heart was pounding and my palms were sweaty. As the instructor told me what I needed to do, I felt almost paralyzed. My main hope was to make it back up to the bridge.

As my name was called, I remember that feeling in my chest. Not just butterflies but thousands of angry ones fluttering around in my stomach. I could imagine my body wondering why I would put it through something like this.

I had the bungy strapped to my ankles like ankle cuffs which made it hard to walk out to the ledge. I felt like I was a prisoner being walked out to the plank by pirates waiting to throw me to the bottom of the sea.

There I was, finally reaching the ledge of the platform, standing more than 130 feet above the ocean. The instructor told me to smile for the camera which I tried nervously to do while all my muscles were concentrating on the fall I was about to experience. My knees were trembling out of control and I felt like I wouldn’t have the energy or the ability to jump if I wanted to.

I remember that the instructor told me to jump as soon as they said 3 because:

A. If I hesitated, I may never jump; and

B. They monitor all the sailboats passing underneath and wouldn’t want me jumping into one.

and with that, they began the count. [Read more…] about Who Wants to Jump Off a Bridge This June?

Why you’ve already won the lottery (plus $100 for 10 comments)

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If you’re reading this post, you’ve already won the lottery.

It’s called the lottery of life.

If you have been born into a country like Canada, the United States, or any other developed country, you’ve won the birth lottery. You’ve won the lottery of being able to grow up in a country of freedom, education, and considerable wealth.

It’s sad that the birth lottery exists. Not everyone is so lucky.

If you lost the lottery, you won’t get the fortune of freedom and education. You won’t have the same opportunity to read or write and you won’t have access to clean water. You’ll probably be guaranteed a life of poverty because you don’t have the basic needs available to you or the education needed. You definitely won’t be able to participate in world discussions since you won’t have a computer or an Internet connection. You’ll be lucky to have a roof over your head and enough food to stay alive.

However, if you win the lottery, you will have the opportunity to read and write. You will have access to clean water and the opportunity of wealth. You will be able to learn about the planet and participate in discussions made possible because of a wide array of products such as computers, the Internet, iPads, iPhones, and many other electronic gadgets. You will have access to health care, healthy food, and sanitary waste disposal. You will also have access to all the basic needs as well as the opportunity to travel and think about deeper things in life.

It’s amazing what the simple chance of birth can do to how your life turns out. I think about how amazing the difference can be when born into one family compared to another.

For example, [Read more…] about Why you’ve already won the lottery (plus $100 for 10 comments)