Need a quick moment of career clarity? Here are 2 valuable tidbits of motivation for actors
Someone once described the process of performers pursuing a career in the entertainment industry to me. They said it’s as if we’re all in a “relentless pursuit.” Some people are in the relentless pursuit of career consistency. Some yearn to build a stable foundation that feels safe. Others want that big, bold, unabashed success.
That phrase has stuck with me since she uttered it because it rang so true. For my own personal experience of being a professional in this career, and every other performer I knew. Young, old, brand spanking new, or ones who’ve been in the game since the black and white film days.
The relentless pursuit is filled with adventure, passion, heartbreak, and frustration.
There are times when you’ll wake up, feeling like the luckiest lad in all the land for being a performer. And there will be days that your creativity feels like a curse.
Wherever you are on your journey today, know that you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be (even if that makes you want to rip all your hair out). And you have an army of creative comrades’ cheering you on.
Read on to get a daily dose of motivation. It may just be a good reminder, or exactly what you needed to hear.
Tidbit One: Review all the fabulous steps you’ve already taken
Stop where you are and look back on your journey so far. Look at all the steps you’ve taken since you’ve started and how much farther you’ve gotten.
Think about how much more experience, knowledge, and confidence you have inside of you. It’s been growing since that day you were brave enough to take the first step.
Sometimes we get so caught up where we’re going, we forget about how far we’ve already come. And we also forget about the fact that we’ve ALREADY made progress.
Sure, we’re not where we want to be yet and it’s were still in the “messy middle”. It’s an uncomfortable spot because you’ve garnered up some business and interest, but you still don’t have a secure foundation to stand on yet. Embrace the messy middle and all of its uncomfortableness.
Remind yourself of the resilience you’ve already exuded to keep going through the small bumps and bruises you’ve powered through. Your efforts are already paying off and already working because you’re not where you started.
You wouldn’t be where you are if you haven’t already taken the steps you have. So good for you taking those steps! Any step, no matter how teeny, is moving you towards what you want.
This is your one life to live, and every small brave step you take counts.
At one point in time, you were dreaming about standing where you are right now. Now you’re there! Don’t ruin the amazingness of that by wishing you were somewhere else or further ahead. One day you will be.
Tidbit Two: Do you know where you’re headed?
You potentially just rolled your eyes at me. But I’m serious.
Sometimes we don’t actually know where it is we’re headed. So it feels impossible to understand if the hard work we’re putting in is moving the needle of our career. We may not even know if it’s making the slightest of differences.
This is the step that a lot of people get tripped up on. Their answer is typically humongous and impossibly difficult to achieve in the time frame they’re hoping to achieve it in.
If your answer is: “I’m headed towards being the next big Disney Channel star, or gracing the covers of Vogue, or being a backup dancer for Beyonce…. And I hope it happens sooner than later.”
Amazing. I want all of those things for you.
But no wonder you’re frustrated.
Any ounce of foreward movement you take, or transformation you make, isn’t going to be comparable or even make a dent in any of those goals.
If your goal is to get an agent, start auditioning more, create more filming opportunities for yourself, be more present in the auditioning room, solidify a more exciting audition preparation process for yourself, etc; …. These are goals you can easily create specific steps towards and know if your efforts are amounting to the achievement of that goal or not.
If you’re just throwing a bunch of effort at the wall and seeing what sticks, you will make some headway. But you’ll probably become frustrated and burnt out until your next wave of motivation hits you and you feel inspired enough to do it all again.
Pick a very clear attainable goal for yourself (or a few small ones if you’re the type of person that likes to be extra – I’m guilty as charged!), and make it your main focus.
I read this quote recently, “A magnifying glass will not start a fire until it is held in one spot continuously for a certain length of time. If it constantly moved from spot to spot, nothing will even get warmed up, much less start a fire.” — Scott Alexander
You will start all the fires you desire to. But get one started first. Make sure its flames are sky-high and burning bright. Then you can go start your next fire while you’re tending to this one.
Don’t scatter your effort into too many areas.
By looking at the steps you’ve already taken, be very specific about what you want your next career phase to look like for you. Make it tangible. That’s what leads to transformation.
Instead of feeling discontent until you achieve the greatness of all that is your big, bad goal (Disney star, Vogue cover, Beyonce back up dancer)…. What goal would be good enough for right now? What would be a clear enough series of steps towards that goal? Where once you take them, there’s a sense of accomplishment? Even if it’s a quiet sense of one?
It’s time to get your magnifying glass out and start your fire baby. Pretty soon you’ll be surrounded by a series of flames.
Transformation takes time. Don’t put yourself on an unnecessarily strict timetable of when you’re hoping to achieve your dreams. It’s only going to disappoint and distract you.
Focus on what’s in your control and making strategic steps towards a specific goal. Tackling a series of specific, tangible goals, will lead you to tackle your big, bad, ultimate goal.
You have everything you need to build a fantastic career in this industry. Don’t give up and embrace the relentless pursuit. I’m cheering you on!
Have any questions or recent meeting experiences you want to share? Let me know in the comments!
Being a young actor, or the parent of a young actor can be exciting and challenging! Not knowing where to invest your time, money, and resources or what the next best step is. If you could use some help creating a roadmap of the next steps and one-on-one advice, book an online strategy session with me. In just one session you’ll leave with more clarity and confidence.
Not sure if a strategy session is right for you? Let’s chat about what type of support you’re looking for. Book a free 30-minute consultation with me!
