An Unexpected Knockout
Being hit on the head led him to his Ikigai.
Ice crystals on my windshield. David E. Marlow©2022
I had the opportunity to hear Santino Fontana speak a few years back.
If that name doesn't sound familiar, you may know him as the voice of Prince Hans in Frozen. He gave the commencement address at my daughter's graduation.
The connection to Ikigai was his remarkable drive to keep going and the multiple ways he worked to embody his purpose.
He has an incredible story, and for this format, I'll share he struggled for a long time and finally got his break to be in a play on Broadway only to be injured by, this is no joke, a stage sandbag they used to raise and lower the curtains landing on his head.
They were still in rehearsals, and he hadn't even been on stage once.
He had concussion syndrome and spent years recovering before getting a break by doing voice work, which is different from stage acting.
Here is what he said about being the unique you...
"Be limitless, definitionless. Be a pain in the ass for whoever has to write your obituary."
Santino kept going, kept looking for different ways to live out his Ikigai.
Because he kept going, exploring and trying, he ultimately made it back to Broadway, even winning a prestigious Tony Award.
His career is now going on his own terms.
Great story of perseverance and winning because he went the distance! Speaking of such the story of Sly Stallone is an intriguing one too....never give up on dreams! Especially when one demands to be the main character at any cost even selling your beloved dog to do so ;)