Among the items on my to-do list when I arrived in New York, getting a full-time gig on Broadway was not one of them. Subbing in a few shows was fun, challenging, and decent bread. But the repetition and musical predictability of a permanent position did not appeal to me. Then along came IN THE HEIGHTS, and I jumped on it.

It is no ordinary show. Every night we have to groove like crazy; the music styles in this show (primarily Latin and hip-hop) were created to make people dance, plain and simple! If the band members come to the gig and phone it in, then we don't light a groove-fire under the actors on stage. If they're not inspired by us, it can show, and the audience will know it.

Not once have I entertained the thought, "Ugh, this again" when I go to the theater. It's only the same old show if you let it be. Each show may require that you play the same part, but it offers an opportunity to push the groove envelope farther than you did last time. Who could ask for a better job?

AND . . .

I recently saw an old family friend who knew me well when I completed my undergrad degree. He said, "after your senior recital, do you remember what you told me about the difference between an amateur and a professional?" I didn't remember. "You said, 'an amateur practices until they get it right; a professional practices until the can't get it wrong.'"

I still don't remember saying that. But I must have.

And I agree with that notion, with one modification: I would replace the word "until" with "so that".

Practicing "until" you get it right, or "until" you can't get it wrong sounds okay, but the word "until" suggests a time line. I believe that the difference between good and great is not how long you practice, but how SMART you practice. Did you know kids in school who would study mad hours for a test, and still didn't get a good grade? That happened because the kid took the wrong approach while studying.

Productive learning isn't all about repetition or "drilling" information into your head (although that is certainly part of it). The mind retains and uses information best when you LET it in, not FORCE it in. Whether it's a new rhythm, feel, technique, or whatever, find that spot in your heart and mind that will truly benefit from it and relate to it.

I don't mean to get all Depak Chopra-y on you, but there's a reason he has sold millions of books!