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| My Seven Secrets of Survival (Scotsman Magazine) |
Victoria Balnaves, actress and founder of Frisky Burn Productions1: I have an unopened letter in a drawer at home that I wrote when I was 16. It's addressed to: Me, aged 35. For the past decade I've been terrified of this ominous note (needless to say, I don't remember what's in it), and of what expectations I had for myself. However, our lives never go as we planned, and, to be honest, I think I'd be a little disappointed if mine did. Expectations, particularly those to do with achieving certain things by a certain age, can be a bit silly, sometimes even dangerous - hope is far healthier.2: American author Muriel Strode said: "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path, and lead." I hark back to this a lot at the moment. When you try to complete something you've started, and come up against various obstacles, take time to remind yourself of the very moment when your idea first came to light. Whatever triggered your passion for the project in the first place never goes away - it's inside you - it just gets buried from time to time. 3: I need Scotland. I think many people tend to take our country for granted. We are so incredibly lucky with what we have on our doorstep. I've been fortunate enough to have visited many countries throughout my life, but nowhere on earth makes me feel like Scotland does. Our country's emotive history, combined with the geographical wonders of the land, provoke such an intense, yet humbling, pride within me that I long to, and intend to, help protect and conserve our unique surroundings. 4: If you have your health, you have everything. Never forget this, and never take it for granted. You owe it to those who don't have good health to make the most of yours. I recently became familiar with meditation and, on a couple of stressful occasions, I've been astounded by the calming effect achieved by focusing on breathing. 5: Surrounding yourself with people who make you laugh is vital, and I am very fortunate in that respect. My parents are both great fun; we spend a lot of time laughing when we're together. I also have some very funny friends, and in particular, my flatmate, who makes me laugh so much. Don't take yourself too seriously - a touch of self-deprecation goes a long way. 6: Perspective is a powerful thing. Nothing helps you gain an insight into your own life more than taking a fleeting glimpse into the lives of others. Take a moment to imagine how you might feel in someone else's situation. This, of course, is a fairly important skill as an actor, but it's also a great thing to do in everyday life. 7: Accepting what you can't change about yourself and about others is not a defeatist attitude, it's actually a timesaver. True acceptance goes hand-in-hand with some of our auld Scots attitudes, like "just get on with it". At the end of his challenging service as a battery officer in the Second World War, Tom Weir (of Weir's Way fame) said: "I went home, feeling that if the army had done me no good, it had done me no harm." Surely acceptance is the biggest key to moving forward. Whenever I find myself stuck within a negative thought process, I think about Norman Vincent Peale's saying: "Change your thoughts and you change your world". That usually does the trick. View Online Article>> |
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