Success and Sacrifice

Film making is one of the most time consuming things in the world. To do something well, A LOT of time needs to be spent working on it.  It takes months of pre-production, shooting and then all of the post production work to pull it all together. This is all before you have anything to really show to the world. This could even be for a five minute video. So how do you balance this with everything else that needs to be done in life(Laundry, calling mom, paying bills, etc.)?

One of the most important things in my life, besides for film making, has been running. I have been running competitively for almost a decade. Since coming to college it has become a year round commitment. On top of classes and films, I would have practice 4-6 daily and would usually have meets on Saturdays lasting the entire day. I loved every minute of it. I've always been competitive and never minded the strain on my schedule. Even if it meant a much more limited time to make films.

Recently I had to make the decision to leave the cross country team just before the start of my senior year. It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make. In these past years the team has become my family. We've spent hundreds of hours together pushing our bodies to their limits, joking, and just being together. Running has very much shaped me into the person I am today.

So why quit? If I've been balancing running and everything else since day one why stop now? What makes this year so different? I came to the realization that I wasn't able to give it everything I had. In either direction. I am a strong proprietor of the idea  that "If you aren't going to do it right don't do it at all." Being in my final semester I knew it was time to put my money where my mouth was. Am I going to make a good film or do I want to make something extraordinary? To make this difference I needed time, as much as I could get. It would mean missing meets for productions. So many meets that it was pointless to stay on the team, regardless of how much it means to me.

Life is a series of choices. Some will be easy and others will be extremely difficult. I will always encourage people to make the decisions that will make them happiest in the long run. I will also encourage people to be the best at whatever they do. Sometimes those aren't the same decision. Success is not easy but you have to be willing to work for it. Even if it means making sacrifices.

My Team and I after winning the E8 conference championship