Jon Boynton-Lee has it all! He is a South African actor, model, television personality and director who shot to fame in 2012 when he entered the Top Billing Dream presenter search and emerged the winner. This was followed up in 2014 when he was named as South Africa’s sexiest man by Cosmopolitan magazine as well as winning Strictly Come Dancing SA. He has starred on the big screen in popular feature films such as Baby Mamas and Three Days to Go and graced the runways as a model at local and international fashion shows. He has won a Loerie award for commercial directing and a film he directed, Jozi Kings, also went on to win numerous awards. Whew!! What else? Oh yes, he is also currently writing a film script and has his own production Company!! So, how lucky was I to grab a bit of his precious time this month and get him to dig-in a little deeper and share with us some of the secrets to his phenomenal success!!
My Definition Of Success | Success to me is very simple and it’s not what everyone thinks it is. It’s got nothing to do with what car you drive or how much money you have in the bank. It’s about being a good person, treating everyone you meet with love
and respect, and giving back to those in need. If you achieve these things
in life, you are successful.
A Key Talent | Humility. People underestimate the value and strength of humility.
Especially in my industry where it’s so easy to get swept up in all the hype
and “celebrity” glitz and glamour. Never ever think that you are better
than anyone else. Never look down on other people.
Performing At My Peak | The Power of Now. Being completely present in every moment and giving it all my energy and attention. It’s not easy to do because our minds are driven by another enemy and that is the ego. It is always taking us out of the
present, worrying about “what if”, or being dictated by things that have
gone wrong in the past. Calm your mind, focus on the now, and everything
falls into place.
Resources I Use To Stay Inspired | With social media and the internet nowadays there is such a wealth of information out there to inspire, grow and inform you. But it comes at a cost. Don’t get lost in it all. Never let technology surpass humanity.
When it comes to growth and being inspired nothing will ever beat quality
human interaction with people. For me, nothing helps me grow more than an
inspiring conversation with another human being.
My Future Dreams And Ambitions | The movies that I did recently did really well on the big screen, so the movie business is taking up all my energy at the moment. It’s always been my first love. I’m also busy writing and developing a film with incredible local
talent that I hope to direct and star in so it’s really exciting times. I’d love to win an Oscar one day, preferably for a South African made film. Then I’d also love to use the medium of TV and film to create awareness for various causes all over the world, particularly at home here in South Africa. Basically use this industry to help and empower others. Siv Ngesi
and I have started a production company named after my late best friend Simba Mhere (it’s called Half Man Half Amazing productions) and the first project we are developing is a show that will basically have us traveling around SA and making peoples dreams come true, and inspiring everyone to help out others and do the same.
Balancing High performance with Happiness and Contentment | I have to do try and do this all the time. The entertainment industry can be a very dark, lonely and
depressing place, filled with rejection. You constantly need to be relevant, keep up with the trends, have more followers, keep eyes on the TV screen, put bums in seats at the cinemas. If your popularity wanes in this industry, you fade from the spotlight and the work dries up. It’s a lot of pressure. You just need to keep being proudly YOU rather than comparing yourself to others, and reminding yourself why you are here in the first place (hopefully because of passion rather than wanting to be famous). And try not to take it all so seriously. Especially the criticism.
The Best Advice I’ve Received | Three things.
1. Don’t just dream at night, dream all day, dream for a living.
2. The only way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.
3. The only thing you can control in this life is the amount of love you choose to give out, without ever expecting anything back in return
Working with great people | It’s all about the energy you give out and living by example. You attract what you put out. If you’re living your best life you will be surrounded by others who are doing the same, or who are at least on the right path.
