MODELING & TALENT breakingintoshowbiz By Adam Hill Following Your BLISS Doing whatever it takes to be happy shouldn’t have to be an unreasonable goal for anyone in the entertainment industry B liss. What does that word mean? When in doubt turn to the dictionary. Here’s how the great book defines it: Bliss [blis] noun 1: Complete happiness. I like the sound of that—complete happiness! What gives me complete happiness is teaching. I can’t go a day without teaching. If I am not teaching I fill the void by writing. Teaching is truly my passion. It is my bliss. What is your bliss? What gives you complete happiness? What is that something that when you’re doing it your world seems com- plete? Whatever it is, do it. Don’t deny yourself your happiness. It doesn’t necessarily take training to dance, sing or act. You just do it, unlike a musical instrument, which demands a certain knowledge before we can just do it. To dance, move around the floor to music. Simply open your mouth and allow a tune to spring forth and you’ll be singing. Recite Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” speech and you’re acting. It’s possible your friends or family mem- bers will be entertained and delighted by what you’re doing. You’re doing what your heart tells you to do. You’re experiencing bliss and having a great time. However, if you are like me you will eventually become dissat- isfied in just doing it. You will want to be able to do the thing you love with greater skill. That means becoming accomplished and more competent at your craft. The more effort and hours we put into our practice, the more we will understand just how much we want to experience our bliss and how truly great our bliss can be. Hence, following your bliss can and should put you into the 22 PAGEANTRY BRAD GARRETT pursuit of your dreams. But wait, isn’t following your bliss and pur- suing your dream the same? Not really. Your bliss is the fuel that enables you to pursue your dreams. Your bliss should give you the drive needed to overcome any obstacle that gives the appearance of standing in the way of you achieving your goals. THE STORY OF BOBBIE HENLINE I was having lunch with Brad Garrett of Everybody Loves Ray- mond fame. We were sitting on the veranda of a restaurant in Ma- rina del Rey, California. Brad was talking about his new comedy club at the MGM Hotel in Las Vegas. He stressed his love for comics and his joy in giving new comics a place to work and grow. It was then he shared with me an extraordinary story of a young Iraqi veteran. Bobbie was on his third deployment in Iraq when the event that changed his life occurred. Outside an Iraqi village on April 7, 2007, a Humvee carrying five paratroopers hit a land mine, killing four of the soldiers. The fifth was Staff Sergeant Bobbie Henline. Thanks to the quick actions of a nearby soldier the flames engulf- ing his body were put out, but not before he was severely burned on over 38% of his body. He returned home in a coma. Doctors at the Brooke Army Medical Center’s burn unit in San Antonio told his wife, Connie, SHOWBIZ Continued on page 82