WAKE UP CALL

Have you ever had one of those days where you look back and can’t remember any of it?

You went through the motions—checked your inbox, answered texts, maybe even smiled at a few people—but if you’re honest, you weren’t really there. Not fully.

It’s like your body was in the room, but your mind was somewhere else. Dreaming. Rehearsing. Escaping.

You were alive—but not awake.

And there’s a difference.

We usually treat feeling alive as the goal. And in some ways, it is. Those moments when time slows down and you actually feel something—those are everything.

But there’s another layer that we don’t talk about as much.

Being alive is the spark. Being awake is the fire you build with it.

Alive means you’re here. Awake means you know why.

Alive is having time. Awake is knowing what to do with it.

Future Proof

This concept of awake vs alive was on my mind while writing on the treadmill the other day - my favorite way to get thoughts out.

We have been programmed so much that it feels like there is a glitch in the matrix, which has led a lot of people into depression.

The global lockdowns opened a lot of eyes, and really hit my generation with a sense of nostalgia for the 90's and early 2000's.

Everything is changing so fast that you can't even keep up with the next trend.

For example, last year I would have told you that a prompt engineer would be a highly sought-after job. Well, AI is moving so fast that even that job title seems antiquated.

My belief is that curation is the skill of the now and the future.

That may sound ambiguous, but if you build creative skills around your sense of taste and style, you become future-proof.

The question becomes how far into the future?

How I'm applying this to filmmaking

In my new film, there’s a thread running through the main character—this quiet tendency to escape into daydreams. They look beautiful on screen, but there’s a cost: they’re safe, romanticized versions of life that never actually touch him.

Psychologists call it maladaptive daydreaming.

Think Walter Mitty.

It’s something a lot of us do without realizing it. We escape into thoughts, stories, or plans that make us feel in control—because sometimes the present just feels too heavy, or too boring, or too uncertain.

But the more we disappear into our minds, the more we miss what’s right in front of us. And slowly, we stop building the fire. We just sit next to the spark, wondering why we still feel cold.

What do we do?

So here’s my invitation this week: Do one thing—just one—that reminds you you’re not just alive, but awake.

Something that brings you back to your own presence. Something simple.

• Let the sun hit your face and actually notice it.
• Watch your thoughts and don’t run from them.
• Say what you actually mean—to someone who matters.

This sounds really woo-woo, but sometimes we just have to slow down for 5 minutes to feel it. This can reduce anxiety, lower blood pressure and so much more.

Time is limited and taken for granted. Don’t confuse that for patience.

Don’t wait on life.