Today is July 6 and the Navigate the Chaos question to consider is “How often do you realize that ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship?”
In a February 2017 speech actor Denzel Washington said “Without commitment you'll never start, but more importantly without consistency you'll never finish. It's not easy. So, keep working. Keep striving. Never give up. Fall down seven times, get up eight. Ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship. So, keep moving, keep growing, keep learning.”
To illustrate his point Washington mentioned several African-American actors and actresses that overcame hardships as they navigated the chaos of their careers. “If it were easy, there'd be no Kerry Washington. If it were easy, there'd be no Taraji Henson. If it were easy, there'd be no Octavia Spencer. But not only that, if it were easy, there'd be no Viola Davis. If it were easy, there'd be no Mykelti T. Williamson. No Stephen McKinley Henderson. No Russell Hornsby. If it were easy, there'd be no Denzel Washington.”
He reminded people to never give up on their dreams and highlighted filmmaker Barry Jenkins who made many short films before he got the opportunity to make Moonlight that won the Academy award for best picture in 2017.
Washington realized that ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship. Do you?