Nicholas Belli
Sergeant, First Class
Adjutant
Private Reports
Mission Statement
"I, Nicholas, am a fun loving, friendly leader who believes that anyone can be a hero if they want to be. "
"The Challenge I am willing to face is to overcome fear and face the unknown."
"I will strive to be the best person I can be through perseverance and determination."
Talent Assessment
It has been said that I am a very talented individual. But what does talent
mean? Does it mean that I am good at singing, dancing, acting, drawing,
and
many other more creative things? Yes.
Does it mean that I am good with many mental skills, such as reading, intelligence, innovation, organization, insight, wisdom, and self-discipline? Yes.
Does is mean that I am good with people because I am a good communicative listener who acts as a really good friend to many people? Yes.
Bot does everyone realize that they too are probably just as talented as I am? No.
You see, while I am good at acting, it is only becuase I am good at other things physically. I am good with strength, endurance and control, so I can move my body, so I can naturally dance and sing. I am also good at many other creative talents because they interest me, so I study them and try to learn how to create that which I like. I'm also good at climbing, because it is a joy of mine. While I have intelligence, that intelligence helps me to read, to innovate, to organize, and to have self-discipline, because I know I need to be able to do all of it to succeed in this world. I also gain new wisdom every day by reading, thinking, and wondering, as well as questioning everything. People don't like to think of the ability to question as a mental talent, but I think that without questioning, you gain nothing mentally other than the ability to spout out random information that someone else has thought of. And as far as people skills goes, I am a very people-oriented person. I enjoy being around people, talking to people, and helping people out, so naturally, I have developed many people skills. I listen well, I am sympathetic and empathetic, I'm compassionate, cooperative, and friendly, and people tell me I inspire and lead very well.
Of course, without any one of those skills, all of the others suffer. I truly think that you have to know at least a little of every skill in order to be great at any of them. They are all intertwined in the great pattern that we call life, and without a few strands, the whole work suffers. So, while I have many talents, I think that it is simply because I try to live to the fullest, and I think myself not above others for being good at something they may be lacking in, but rather I think that others simply have not discovered the same talents in themselves.
But the real question is, how do these talents apply to my everyday life? Well,
I am most passionate about my acting, singing and dancing. My physical
skills. So I act on the stage at school and anywhere else I can find a
bit
of empty stage and a few lights. But, I cannot truly act well without my
mental skills, so I read the part, study it, and innovate. I become the
character and act it out for everyone to see, but without people, there
is
no one to see what I do, making my acting slightly less meaningful. So
I use
my people skills in my actiing to inspire others to greatness in their
acting, to inspire the audience members to tell their friends to come
see
me in a show, and to try and get some form of happiness out of the audience.
The people and I have a mutually beneficial relationship, because as I
make
them happy on stage, they make me happy just by hearing them laugh, seing
them shed a tear, or knowing that they are going home after the show glad
that they came to see it. And why? Because I am good at my talents. Because
something I said or did made them feel an emotion that they maybe haven't
felt in a while. Because they can relate to my character and his actions,
and they laugh because they might do the same thing, and I love it. I love
making people happy. I love having people go home at the end of the night
not thinking about me, but thinking about how happy they are just being
alive. I love to make that happen for people, and I can make it happen
through the stage.
Now I just wish that a lot of my family believed that acting WAS and IS a smart use of my talents. Many of the men in my family believe that I am wasting my intelligence, my ability to lead, and my other talents by going into the theatre. But they don't truly understand it at all. It is what I live for. It is what I love, and it is what I'll continue to do as a goal of mine throughout life. To make people happy through the stage.
Corpore Sana
The sun beats down on the back of your helmet and neck. The rope and harness are starting to get warm, and the metal hardware is starting to heat up as well, but you keep going. You look up and plan your next move along a difficult route. you try and see where the hard parts are, but in reality, they are hidden from view until you actually grab ahold and find out, " oops...no where to go from here...let's go down a bit and try again...or go sideways." That is the joy of rock climbing, my Sound Body exercise. Your muscles burn and your fingers tire, your legs and toes are all stretched to the breaking point, and your body screams fro forgiveness, but you keep going, because there is no going back. No dropping down. Not until it is done. Not until you have completed the climb and can climb in your car satisfied that you did something that few people could do. You scaled a wall of sheer rock with only a rope and your body. You rose to the challenge and didn't take no for an answer. And while your body aches the next morning, you can still get up knowing that it was all worth it. That tomorrow, and the next day, your body will recover and be stronger. That eventually, you will have the strength and ability to do whatever contortions you need to with your body in order to keep you from falling that 10 feet, that 20 feet, that 100 feet. You will have what it takes to be the best and no one can take away from you the fact that you can climb just about anything you put your mind to.
Yes, rock climbing is my sport. When I cannot go outside to climb the natural rock, I go inside to a climbing gym, where I train myself to my max, and climb every possible route there is in order to wear myself out. I don't leave until my hands can no longer hold on to the rock, and the next day I am stronger for it. My talents of dexterity, agility, strength, endurance, and control all help me do this. That, and the strength of mind in determination to keep going, to not give up. The intelligence and innovation to try new ways around a hard move. The self-discipline to always stay strong in the climbs and never give in to laziness or negativity. I think it is a very good exercise for me to do,and I love doing it as often as possible.
Mens Sana
In 1933, or shortly before, Mr. Richard Boleslavsky wrote down his thoughts
and feelings about Acting in his book, Acting, the First Six Lessons.
Written in dialogue form, this book held even greater insight into the
thoughts and actions of every student that wants to come into the acting
profession than a book written in standard lecture format would. This book
made me feel confident in the questions I was asking, because way back
in
the 30's, a young girl was also asking the very same questions. "Why
am I
not good enough yet?" How can I be better? When do I get to the end?
How do
I become the best? This book helped me figure out quite a bit of what I
was
going through in my frustrations with directors and other actors as well,
and it will be a constant guide through my career.
The book is set up in six chapters, each covering the conversation of one day. Each day is a lesson, but in between each lesson day are months and years of practice on each lesson. Concentration took the girl a year to get correct. Concentration takes a year? Well, I'd better get started then!
Memory of Emotion was next. It is the ability to summon up an emotion from the depths of your soul, and BE that emotion for as long as you need to be. To be able to dredge up happiness, sadness, anger, apathy. To be able to fully know your body and be able to mold it to the needs of the emotion. That took the girl many months and a year.
After That was Dramatic Action. Acting and having the audience feel it themselves, not having them just sitting there watching someone recite lines. Making the audience believe totally and fully that this was in fact a valid viewpoint and that this was a real character.
By the time we get to the 4th lesson, Characterization, the woman know has
a
part with a company in a very important play. However, she makes the
character so real that none of the audience even has to imagine what the
character is thinking. They can read her like an open book. So, she is
taught instead to learn the author of the play's mind. To see the character
how the author sees the character, and to BE that part. Not simply to be
any
woman, but to be THE woman that the author sees and wants. It is a very
hard
concept to grasp, and I am glad that I have many more years to try and
grasp
it.
The fifth lesson is observation. Now why this comes so late in the book I
do
not know, but for the fact that all of the others before it help strengthen
the purpose of your observation. In it there is an excercise where you
have
to physically repeat everything you have done in the past 24 hours, or
repeat something someone else has done just a few moments ago. Be a perfect
mimic, if you will. It was quite interesting to read how much detail
actually happens when someone does something as simple as pour a cup of
tea
for a guest. i think it is a fine excercise.
And the sixth, and last lesson is rythym. Finding the rythym in all of life,
becoming part of it, one with it. To be part of life and let it be in you
and all around you, and you being in sync with it. The author tells the
girl
that everything in life has a rythym if you only try and feel it. Nothing,
including chaos, is without some kind of order and rythym. I like that
theory a lot.
And so, I think this book is quite obviously a good book to help mold my
thoughts, ideas, and practices with. It shows me where I need to start,
how
I need to start, and that it will take a long time in order to reach
the goals, that it is not just an overnight thing. I found the book to
be very
useful, and anyone going into theatre or acting, or even life in general
should read it. It teaches us many different lessons about how we are and
who we are trying to be, and I think that is valuable for everyone to know.
The Walking Way
I woke up this morning about 10 am. I had to make sure I had enough rest. Then, I washed my cares away and packed my backpack up with a couple of sandwhiches, some cookies, and some granola bars, as well as a platypus bag full of water. I also packed a jacket in case of a sudden shower, a camera, extra film, and a cell phone my father made me carry in case of emergency. Then, I strapped on my Gerber tool and my pocket knife, picked up my hiking staff, and got in my car. I drove to Crowder's Mountain State Park, which is only about 20 minutes from my house, and once there, I went inside to get a MAP.
The Map was my piece of the past. When I was growing up, the world around
me
gave me a map, which they called school, and Boy Scouts, and organizations.
They all gave me paths to take, but it was up to me to decide which one
to
choose. Hiking, as well as in life, I chose the longest and most strenuous.
One of great views, but great challenges. The path was not always clearly
marked, and it was sometimes narrow, sometimes bramble infested, and
sometimes rocky, but it was good. On the other hand, the path opened
up
every now and again in bird song, cool breezes, and once I even made
it to
the very top of the mountain, where I could see for miles and there was
no
one there but me. That's much the same as my past life has been. There
have
been ups and downs, but my strength is in my perseverance and determination.
My support has been my family and my God, symbolized in my hiking staff,
which helped me through the roughest parts of the trail where I didn't
know
which way to go. But I hiked on.
As I hiked, I looked around, and finally saw what symbolized my present.
It
was a huge tree, with massive branches going in all directions. Since I
was
in a State Park, I was not allowed to pick a leaf, so I took a picture
instead. The Tree symbolizes my present because I stood at the base of
the
tree just as I stand now at the beginnings of my schooling in Musical
Theatre, and my career. There are many branches that go many different
directions, but they all end up at the top of the tree. They all end up
with
a view of the world, on top of it all. And I stand at the base of it all.
I
placed my camera back in my pack and went on.
As I hiked, I passed a series of cliffs. Looking up, I saw birds of prey
on
top of the cliffs, and I knew that this was the symbol of my future. So,
I
took a picture of the cliffs. The cliffs are my future, because they
symbolize me as a person. If most people saw them, they would see an
insurmountable wall of rock that could not be moved or gotten around. I
see
it as an opportunity for adventure. An obstacle to get over, and a way
to
the top. In the business I am going into, there are many times that you
have
to climb up a seemingly insurmountable wall, but once you get to the top,
there are three things there. You, the eagles, and the vultures. You can
choose to be either one, but for myself, I wish to be the eagle. The
vultures of the world hang around at the top waiting for people to fail,
but
the eagles can survive on their own. They can soar with the best, and above
the best. They don't have to be held back by anything but their own drive
and ambition. I want to be that eagle. Again, I placed my camera in my
bag
and hiked to the end of the circle.
The trails divided and forked, and at times I had to consult my map to
see
which direction I wanted to take. At the end, I had to make sure I was
on
the path to my car, to the end of the trails, and to my life outside that
forest. I really wish I could have stayed, because I find great solace
in
the forests, but I knew I had to return home, so I did. It was a very good
hike, and I stil feel good about myself. I hope to do more of them as I
go
throughout my life.
Who am I: Part Two
I am a leader. In order to be a leader, you must have a very balanced and well-rounded viewpoint. I must act strong even when I am not so that others may gain strength from me. I must be both a team player and a loner, because the road of a leader can be lonely, but may also be full of comraderie with those you are leading. I must be both a teacher and a student, teaching those I lead, but also learning from them. I must be a listener, so that I may think, write, and provide the best for those I lead, as well as myself. I must be able to reach others through art, music, sports, or science, because if I do not offer at least a working knowledge of these areas, I cannot fully lead those that are willing to follow me to a well-rounded and healthy lifestyle. I must find something to love, and I must fight for anything I love. I must be a free spirit, so that I can be an innovator and a dreamer of dreams. And a leader, above all, is a doer. I must know what it is like to be a slacker, so that I may avoid it. I must be the one true believer, because if I do not believe, neither will the people I lead.
I am Passionate. To be Passionate is to be curious and clever, yet purposefully practical. It is to be adventurous, yet thoughtful, and exceptional yet modest. My passion shows itself through my creativity, and the fact that whatever I am passionate about, I am very ambitious and goal-oriented with. I will become more competent and proud through my passions. Passionate people tend to be idealistic and romantic in their views of things, but they become masterful and faithful to their passions.
My greatest skill is my imagination. I use my imagination to energize my determination so that work feels like play. I also use my imagination to renovate, initiate, and improvise. I learn better and teach better due to the fact that I am imaginative. I am better at communication, visualization, and organization all because my imagination helps me come up with new ideas and ways to do things. My imagination is going to help me be a better actor once I graduate from college.
My greatest weakness and my greatest fear go hand in hand, because my greatest weakness is my fear, and my greatest fear is that of the unknown. My life is full of unknowns, full of speculation, and while my imagination can help keep me optimistic, it can also turn me pessimistic and depressive if not watched carefully. I must overcome my weaknesses by forging my spiritual armor with the hammer of truth on the anvil of love. My fear of the unknown is only conquered with confidence in myself and the confidence from those around me that love me and know that I will do great things one day. I must remember that every path has many forks and bends in the road, and that I must watch and plan so that I may face the unknown paths with confidence and knowledge of myself and my past. With confidence and knowledge, I can choose the best apparent path for myself, or know when I need to retract my steps and start over. I know that no matter what, I must be courageous and face my fears head-on, and that is exactly what my chosen career of Musical Theatre performance will help me do.
I am a Passionate, Imaginative Leader who is afraid of the unknown, but I will be courageous in my life, and I will fight my fears until my last days, because I will be successful in life.
Who am I?
I love life. I believe that everyone should enjoy their life, and whatever else it is that they put their hands into. I believe that I should do everything with my whole heart passionately, or else there is not really a benefit to doing it. Nothing in the world is accomplished without passion, and great thoughts come from the heart. As Dale Carnagie said, "People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing."
I believe in morals and the 12 virtues. I think that anyone who is amoral or lacking in morals is missing out on a part of life that gives meaning to it all. I think the reward of a thing done well is to have done it. And we should all do the right thing because it is the right thing to do.
I think one of the greatest pleasures in life is doing what others say you cannot do. So, I do one thing that scares me everyday, as Eleanor Roosevelt suggested, and I try to live by Souza's phrase, "Dance as though no one is watching. Love as though you have never been hurt before. Sing as though no one can hear you. Live as though heaven is on earth." I don't ask for a light load, instead I ask for the strength to bear it all.
I am a dreamer by nature. It is what I do best. Then, I live my dreams every day. My nightmares come on the winds of change, and my pleasant dreams linger for weeks. My goals are not physical goals, but rather dreams that I hope will come true. Woodrow Wilson said: "We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers. They see things in the soft haze of a spring day or in the red fire of a long winter's evening. Some of us let these great dreams die, but others nourish and protect them; nurse them through the bad days till they bring them to the sunshine and light which comes always to those who sincerely hope that their dreams will come true." I believe and live that 100 percent.
I believe that impossible things are only things that haven't been done yet. Nothing is impossible. Humans are remarkable creatures in the fact that we put boundaries on ourself, yet break those boundaries every day. It's as if we have to test ourselves to mke sure we are alive. I don't have to test anything. I know I am very much alive.
I believe that everyone has a spark of greatness in them, but not all of them get the breath it takes to turn them into a blazing fire of greatness. I believe that we should all try and fan the flames in everyone we meet. Then, we would have a great world.
I believe anything worth fighting for is worth dying for, and if I am not willing to stake my life on it, it is not worth fighting for. However, there is a lot I would fight for.
I believe that family is essential to everyone. My family is an integral part of my life. Without them I would be nothing, and I would have nothing. They deserve respect and admiration, but I also work to deserve it in return.
I believe in hard work. Nothing that is worth working for is going to be easy. If it is, it needs to be questioned and examined to see if it was really worth that much.
I believe in determination. No dream was ever realized when a person said "I can't". It's when people started saying "I can't....YET" that dreams started to become realities.
I believe, all in all, in love. Love drives us to better ourselves, to make others better, and it shows us rewards for our hard work. Everyone loves something or someone. If that love can just be open and honest, then people would be a lot happier. I'm not talking about lust, or sexual pleasures. I am talking about a true, deep love of something or someone so that when that thing is with you, you feel as though you are invincible and can conquer the world with a glance. Without love, you can't have passion, or dreams, or the determination to work hard. Even if you only love working hard, you still love something. That is what I believe.
I am a lover, a dreamer, a determined hard-worker. I am a warrior and a family man, a true lover of life. I have morals and values, and I will not forsake them to get ahead. I am a firestarter. I am the realizer of the impossible. That is who I am.
Letter of Introduction
Western Carolina University
245 Memorial Drive
Suite 7875
Cullowhee, North Carolina 28723
December 10, 2003
Captain Mombera MacGillicuddy
Silmaria, Marete
Dear Captain,
I heard that there was a need for quality officers in your esteemed school. I am writing to request that you consider me not only as a warrior, but as strong officer material as well. I believe that I can fill an officer position efficiently and effectively.
In my assorted quests throughout life, I have always believed that there is a hero in everyone if they can just be shown how to use it. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, and they need us to be there for them to help them in times of need. It sounds like a Paladin’s quest, but it is also the quest of a well rounded warrior to stand up for those that need added strength, in whatever form. My Warrior profile says that I have almost equal amounts of Warrior, Wizard, and Paladin, which makes me very well rounded in most areas, and I can use each of my strengths to the advantage of others.
I believe that I can fill this position because I am an Eagle Scout, and with scouting I have also taken and taught leadership courses. On top of that I am a Rock Climbing instructor and an avid outdoorsman. There is little in the outdoors that I cannot or will not do, and I believe that others can learn from me. I am definitely willing to teach and lead those who would like it. I am even willing to try my best to coax lukewarm warriors into their passionate form. I am not saying that I will make everyone into passionate warriors, because there will always be the one that gets away. Instead, I am saying that I will work my hardest to keep the lukewarm warriors to a minimum percentage.
Also, if there is something I do not know or am not sure of, I am willing to search for the answer through not only books and the Internet, but also through other people. We cannot truly learn all that we need to know from books. We have to learn from each other and help each other to survive. I believe that I can form strong bonds between warriors and the other classes. I already have here at Western Carolina University.
I hope that you will consider me for this position, and I will be keeping close contact with you through email each week. If you need to reach me, the best way is to email me, since I check my email at least once every day. You can also send me a letter at the address above, or at my other address, which is below. Thank you very much for your time and consideration!p