Joshua and Rebekah Weigel are award-winning filmmakers in Los Angeles dedicated to making movies that inspire as well as entertain. I‘d never met them， but after they saw one of my videos， they were inspired to write a fictional screenplay with me in mind as the main character. As they were writing this script， the Weigels were trying to contact me through various channels， but since I was gadding about on a speaking tour， they couldn’t reach me. Then one Sunday while they were attending church in Westlake Village， they ran into an old friend of theirs named Kyle.
“What are you doing now？” they asked Kyle.
“I‘m working as a caregiver for this guy named Nick Vujicic.” he said.
Not surprisingly， Joshua and Rebekah were stunned.
How amazing is that？ How often does it happen that two dedicated filmmakers write a script for someone they’ve never met， then seek him out and offer to make a movie with him？ It‘s fantastic， right？ A dream come true！
Have you ever missed out on a wonderful chance because you didn’t have your act together？ Have you watched in despair as someone else ran through a door that you failed to see was open？ Learn from those experiences， and buck up， mate！ Walter Chrysler， founder of the Chrysler automotive company， once said that the reason so many people never get anywhere in life is that when opportunity knocks， they are out in the backyard looking for four-leaf clovers. Today I see people buying lottery tickets instead of investing in their futures. Invest in your future by preparing with hard work， dedicate yourself to your goals， and then watch for the right time to make the leap.
If you feel you never get a shot， maybe it‘s because you aren’t locked， loaded， and ready to fire. You are responsible for your own success. Take on that responsibility by preparing yourself to do your best. When you get to the right place， the breaks will come. If you have a chip on your shoulder， or you‘re hosting a pity party， don’t expect an invitation to the dance. Believe in yourself （have I mentioned this already？）. Believe in the possibilities for your life. Believe in your value on this planet. If you don‘t feel worthy of wings， you’ll never get off the ground.
Break a sweat. Get your hands dirty. Hit the books. Thomas Edison said opportunities are often missed because they are dressed in overalls and look like work. Are you ready to do whatever it takes？
I have to confess that when the Weigels first contacted me， I wasn‘t paying attention. Poor Kyle was so excited for me. He tried to tell me about his friends the filmmakers and the project they had for me. “I have some friends who have a movie idea for you—” was all he had a chance to say before I cut him off.
“Kyle， I’m too busy to talk to your friends right now，” I said crankily.
I‘d been traveling a great deal and was edgy and tired. Oddly enough， I’d recently been burned by another movie proposition. After hearing just a basic outline of it （a feature-length film！）， I‘d been excited about it for months. Then they sent me the script. It turned out， the producers wanted me to portray a foul-mouthed， tobacco-chewing character who spends most of the movie getting lugged around in a potato sack slung over someone’s back.
That was not the sort of role I wanted to begin my movie career， or end it. So I said no. Not every chance is worth taking. You have to be true to your values， incorporating them into your long-term goals. What mark do you wish to make？ How do you want to be remembered？ I didn‘t want my grandchildren to one day discover a DVD of a movie in which Grandpa Nick curses， drools tobacco juice down his chin， and lives like a degenerate. So I said thanks but no thanks to that first movie offer.
I loved the idea of making a movie， but I wasn’t willing to abandon my values to do it. You may have to make a similar decision. Stay strong. Stick with your principles， but don‘t make the mistake I made： when I closed that first door， I also closed my mind.
That’s why I shot down good old Kyle without a second thought when he cheerfully brought the Weigels‘ film project to me. I didn’t see the future because I was looking in the rearview mirror. Big mistake.
Fortunately， the Weigels were not easily discouraged. They asked another friend to contact my media director. He read their screenplay， loved it， and brought it to me. Upon reading it， I realized Kyle deserved an apology. The Weigels‘ screenplay was about hope and redemption， subjects close to my heart.
And who better to star in a film short than me？ Especially since the character they’d created for me was “Will the Limbless Man.” As the movie begins， he is a snarly and depressed “freak” in a ragtag circus sideshow. Then， thanks to the kindness of others， Will is invited to join a far more benevolent circus troupe， where he becomes the star of a thrilling high-dive act.
I realized I‘d better get off my “buts” and kick into action. I thanked Kyle and asked him to set up a meeting with the Weigels. Great events quickly unfolded. We met. We bonded. And I signed on the dotted line. My enthusiasm grew when I learned that a number of much more experienced actors already had agreed to take roles in the film.
This was a low-budget， fast-moving project， so I only had to clear a week’s time on my schedule to complete my scenes. You will have to check the reviews to decide whether I have a future in show business， but The Butterfly Circus won the $100，000 grand prize at the Doorpost Film Project， which supports filmmakers who make hopeful films. Our little movie （which you can find at http：//www. thedoorpost.com） was chosen over one hundred other short films featuring similar themes. The Doorpost grand prize brought it a lot of attention， and the Weigels are considering turning it into a full-length feature.
I just may dive into that project too. After all， not many actors can play the role of a limbless man who dives， swims， and pulls off the perfect Australian accent！
LIGHTS， CAMERA， ACTION！
