One of my all time favorite stories comes from Stella Adler –– I conducted her last interview for my book, ACTING NOW –– although I think I heard it first in a documentary I assisted with for AMERICAN MASTERS.
When Stella Adler and Harold Clurman, the great American theater director, were married, he was tossing and turning relentlessly in bed. Stella impatiently demanded what was the problem.
“I can’t sleep because I’m $10,000 in debt.”
Stella paused dramatically (as only she could pause) and replied:
“A man of your genius should be $100,000 in debt.”
I can’t tell you how many times that story has been useful to share with someone having troubles. I love her totally unexpected response, her complete reversal of the situation’s meaning.
I almost told it once when I was responding to an anonymous email complaint a few years ago at the Lotus. I’d gotten three complaints over ten years –– basically they were all “this was my first class at the Lotus and I’ll never be back because I hate this guy and here’s why” –– and while it was totally reasonable to investigate, my first thought was “Well, about 100+ people come to my 3 classes each week steadily without complaint, so ….”
But then I flipped my position a la Stella: shouldn’t a man of my genius be pissing off a lot more than 3 people in ten years? I mean, come …
This morning I awoke to see that I had succeeded in enraging someone in the facebook private Miracle of Money group who bills himself as a “conflict resolver.” I’d posted a marketing question and he responded but in a way I thought was off the question and frankly, a little condescending. I told him “I don’t think you’re quite getting my question,” and he felt free to launch into an email about how I was unappreciative and asking for help but pushing it away. Ah … but no. You were just prattling on about something unrelated. Anyway, I did have the satisfaction that at least I riled a professional peacenik without even trying.
Yesterday was really an extraordinary day in terms of productivity: one client meeting, new business cards shipped, mock-up of new book ordered, new press release signed off on, first 25 pages of the script polished and sent to my producer, major agent progress on the novel (entire staff now reading it), and new web page crafted for my CREATIVE CONSULTING.
So why then after my great and fun business lunch today with Elissa did I encounter a senior citizen in a great goldenrod coat pointing at me in the intersection and shouting “You Stop!” To which I replied, “I am stopped” — which I was — and to which she screamed, “Just shut up!” and then I said … well … better left unsaid.
Anyway, I kept thinking about the Abraham analogies of how when you’re going 60 miles an hour and you hit a tree it’s a lot more significant than when you’re going 10.
Thus yesterday was like the autobahn –– no official speed limit –– and so every little muddy corner of my vibration resulted in either a mediator hating and critique me or a little old lady crossing the street and yelling like a dockworker.
Well at least I’m doing much better than only annoying 3 people a decade.
I’ve got to get used to this new pace.
It seems only fitting for a man of my genius.
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