We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michael Rishawn a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Michael, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
My mom for sure. My childhood was slightly atypical. I was born and raised overseas as an air-force brat where moving around every two years was the norm. While it was a beautiful childhood to be exposed to many different cultures & types of people, my formative years were constantly nomadic. And being raised by an air force captain who also wore the hat of being a single mom, she always stressed the importance of doing everything with excellence. Knowing what the next rung on the ladder looks like for you and having a plan to get there. Needless to say, having certain benchmarks and goals is in my DNA. I credit so much of where I am to the relentless determination and unwavering faith my mom exuded in her own life.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m an actor living/working between NY and LA. I initially wanted to play pro soccer overseas but when the acting bug hit in high school, it slowly took over. I’ve worked in every medium of entertainment ranging from Broadway, television, film, and voiceover. I’ve been seen on shows such as: BUNK’D (Disney+/Netflix), FBI: Most Wanted (CBS), Raising Dion and Survival of the Thickest (Netflix). I’ve provided facial/motion capture for the WWE video game franchise while also narrating many audiobook titles found on Audible. When I’m not working, I’m usually on a hike somewhere, playing a pick-up game of soccer with friends, or in the glass blowing studio.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Perseverance. Withstand whatever life throws at you. There will be times when you’re scaling great heights while adversely having to go through deep valleys. There is a time and place for every season. Every perceived experience, good or bad, is coloring you. It’s deepening your humanity, so push through no matter what comes. Though the dream may take a while, hold fast, it will come.
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the second would be Flexibility. It never looks like how you envisioned it (your life I mean). Especially if you’re a creative. I believe we have the power to co-create our lives with God, that higher source. Our job is to ask, to believe, and move with faith toward the desired outcome. But we’re not in control of how it shows up. And sometimes how it shows up can exceed what you initially dreamed or wanted it to be. Move forward with your dreams but be open to the universe creating alongside you.
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lastly, Belief. You can do anything, You can be anything, You can have anything (period) It’s that simple—just believe in you.
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
I think the old adage that says, ‘you’re only as strong as the weakest link in the chain’ rings true not only for a group of people pursuing a goal but also for the individual self. When you rest you rust. Your level of growth is going to be limited to the part of you that is weakest (mental, physical, or emotional). It’s like training your body…if you neglect certain areas you end up having imbalances. You end up overcompensating which can lead to injury. And no one wants that. We all have different strengths, different gifts. Inevitably someone is going to be better than you at something, but your only job is to compete with yourself, sharpening, well, you. And ideally you want to make sure all the tools in your toolbox are sharp so when it comes time for you to deliver, you’re firing on all cylinders. That’s my approach to everything in life, especially career pursuits.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.michaelrishawn.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelrishawn/?hl=en
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-rishawn-65b567209/
Image Credits
Jussi Grznar, Andrew Soria
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