"The Fight"
January 2, 2012
First off, I apologize for basically NEVER updating my blog. I've never been much of a blogger; not even during the prominent days of Myspace. Most people just say, "Well, you're a busy guy. It's understandable you don't have much time." I typically just nod my head, but unfortunately they couldn't be more wrong.
I've never really publicly spoke about it, but some of you are aware of my fight against Parkinson's Disease. I, personally, am very fortunate to not be diagnosed with the disease, but my father was diagnosed about 16 months ago. I'm fighting the disease in different ways. For one, my dad is my hero. Throughout my entire life he always worked incredibly hard to support my family, and he has always inspired me to follow my dreams. My 
fight with the disease is figuring out how I can affectively make his life easier, along with other's fighting the same battle, using the gift I have been given. I've always been a huge believer in the power of the mind, and I truly think hypnosis can be an affective tool. I've read cases where over the course of several sessions, hypnosis can reduce the amount of tremors suffered by someone with Parkinson's. As you can imagine over a period of time, the constant shaking and tremors become very aggravating and also cause stiff and sore muscles. Also depression becomes one of the most debilitating side effects, which hypnosis can help control. For the past several months, I've been trying to reach a starting point for producing a script that could tackle the tremors and depression that comes with the disease. I'm not a doctor by any means, but I finally think I've put together enough information to start writing. I realize the process will probably be very frustrating due to constant re-writes that I'm sure will be necessary. If it wasn't for my dad, I probably wouldn't have had the courage to pursue my dreams of bringing laughter into people's lives; and now that I'm there, I'm going to pursue my new dream of doing anything possible to help make his life easier, and hopefully do several benefit shows along way.
I understand that several people are suffering from Parkinson's Disease, and I also want to make it my goal to help them. If you know someone who is affected by Parkinson's, please
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so the next time I'm close I can work with them. Although I do charge for most private sessions, I absolutely will NOT accept any money for this. But do realize that I am still quite a ways away from writing a successful script, and even then it may not be as affective as we are hoping for. So please send your prayers my way, and the way of the people diagnosed with the disease. In the meantime, there are other ways you can help. Start by donating to the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Any amount you are willing to donate makes a huge difference and goes a long way in finding a cure. Also, if you are looking to set up a benefit show (all procedes going a Parkinson's Disease foundation),
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.
Hopefully I follow through on my word and continue to update my blog. As most of you know, I am a die-hard sports fan. Expect a lot of blogs about NCAA football, the NFL, and even fantasy football. I also want to tackle the JFK assassination. One of the major conspiracies of the assassination is the possibility of Lee Harvey Oswald being hypnotized to take down President Kennedy. Is it possible? Check back soon and I'll break it down for you. Until next time, I'm out.
"Playing It Safe"
April 16, 2011
I'm still in the beginning stages of my new life. I'm still learning my new craft, and I'm still fine-tuning my old craft. With hypnosis, it's a never-ending process (which is one of the reasons it's so appealing to me). I know I haven't posted a blog on my website in months, and didn't plan on it until I saw the ridiculous amount of people visiting this site (they must be lost). Everything timed out perfectly, though, because now I actually have something to write about. On Friday, a fellow entertainer and good friend, Billy Bass, and I were asked to speak to our high school alma mater's advanced musical theatre and choral classes. We briefly spoke to them about performing in college and professionally, and how purposely failing their senior year to stay in high school where they are guaranteed a bed to sleep in with little stress in their life was something they may want to consider. I was surprised to how many of them had aspirations of continuing to perform post-graduation. I've always been the type of person, and I know Billy is too, who tries to motivates people to follow their dreams. For one, after high school I gave up on my dream because I was too scared. No one should use that as an excuse. Secondly, now that I am fulfilling my dreams, I can attest to the personal satisfaction it brings knowing you are atleast giving it everything you've got. That's a feeling everyone should experience. After briefly talking with them, Billy started playing improv games with the students while I talked off-stage with my old theatre teacher. I finally got in on a game for a minute, and then jumped off to the side. While standing there, one of the students came up and stood next to me. Without ever making eye contact, he said, "Don't bullshit me. Is it worth it to put all of my eggs in one basket with a very small chance of success, no matter how talented I am, or try to find something else I'm good at and start building toward that career while I'm young?" For a second I thought I was talking to myself from five years ago. That was definitely a teenage Ross question. I remember how confused I was during my senior year of high school. I had no idea what I was going to do with my life, so I wanted to make sure I gave him the right response. I briefly paused, looked at him and said, "If you think you can go through your entire life without ever wondering if you could've accomplished it, then play it safe." He nodded, and walked back over to get in the improv game.
Later that night, my mind began racing. This kid couldn't have been 16-years old. He still has several years of high school ahead of him to enjoy and this is where his mind is? I feel terrible for the this generation of kids coming up. They are going to have an incredibly difficult time making ends meet if our country continues in the direction it's heading. If they are going to accomplish their dreams, it will have to be stategically done because luck and good fortune are going to be pretty hard to come by.
It is becoming an absolute must to have motivation from outside sources. This will be difficult because that requires you tell others about your dream, and you WILL be told your dream is dumb, stupid, unrealistic, etc. I moved to Tennessee just in time for my Freshman year of high school. At first I was very open about my dream of becoming a stand-up comedian. I was laughed at by several people. I was the always the normal kid in class. I was never a class clown, so how were my fellow classmates suppose to believe my dreams of becoming a comedian were realistic? After the first few weeks of my Freshman year of high school, I never spoke of stand-up comedy as a dream again. Sure, people knew I liked it and I even began to perform it. But no one ever knew it was my dream...and it was a big mistake. I would've loved some motivation from those around me, but I didn't allow an opportunity for that to happen.
More important than needing motivation, it is important to throw your dream out the window. In order to accomplish a dream, you have to stop dreaming. One of my favorite things to do as teenager was daydream. I still remember daydreaming during English class about walking out onto a dark stage with one spotlight on a stool and mic stand in front of a sold-out crowd. It was great while I was dreaming, but coming back to reality was always difficult.
Basically, don't forget who you are, and let no one else decide that for you. Don't be afraid to dream, and never be afraid to wake-up. Without waking up, it will always just be a dream.
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