What I've Learned

Contributed by Shay Gines

I am rarely, if ever, the smartest person in the room, but I am pretty good at watching and learning from people who are much smarter than me. Here are a few things that I’ve picked up:

What I learned from Doric Wilson; Giving praise is always more needed and more appreciated than you think.

What I learned from Jason Bowcutt; Asking questions is sometimes more important than making statements.

What I learned from Akia; A good attitude and enthusiasm makes everything - and I mean everything - better and easier.

What I learned from Shakespeare; Speak the speech trippingly on the tongue and do not saw the air too much with your hand thus.

What I learned from Hillary Cohen; A few well chosen words can make sense of chaos.

What I learned from Lanford Wilson; Expressing sincere interest is always important and usually appreciated.

What I learned from Kenneth Washington; How to fish.

What I learned from Lucille Ball and Judith Malina; Don’t let the world define who you should be.

What I learned from Shaulynda Gines (my sister); Don’t take yourself too seriously. There is someone in your life who has seen you walk smack into a closed door or poke yourself in the eye or get squashed in a subway door. They will laugh their ass off at you and they'll tell you that your feet stink, but they still love you and you still love them.

What I learned from Martin Denton; Always try to see the intent and the effort behind the work.

What I learned from Adrian Giurgea; Don’t make threats. Make promises.

What I learned from Mary Poppins; Don’t make pie shell promises (promises that, like pie shells, are easily made and easily broken).

What I learned from Christopher Borg; Always wait until after you have eaten to send an angry email.

What I learned from Marilyn Holt; Always make life an adventure.

What I learned from Kirk Davis; Sometimes making the gesture is what is important.

What I learned from Amanda Feldman and Zipora Kaplan; Dedication and competence are very sexy qualities.

What I learned from the Dalai Lama; "Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions."

What I learned from Desmond Dutcher; Sometimes, it is right and just works.

What I learned from Paul Adams; Sometimes it takes everything you have and sometimes you have to be willing to go there.

What I learned from Simon de Pury; "Be bold. Be amazing."

What I learned from Rob Gines (my dad); When it comes to dealing with unwanted criticism, you have two options – prove them right or prove them wrong. Also, dads are awesome.

What I learned from Ellen Stewart; Saying what you believe is not always pretty, but it is always important.

What I learned from Nick Micozzi; Details matter and always demand the best from yourself and others.

What I learned from Nelson Mandela; Lead by example and be lead by your principles.

What I learned from Yoda; "Do, or do not. There is no try.

What I learned from Off-Off-Broadway; There is greatness all around us and miracles happen every day.