The spirit of us is indestructible.
Science says that life is not only about possibility, but it’s actually born out of possibility. The fact that the universe conspired to come together with the exact carbon-hydrogen-oxygen ratio to sustain life some 3.5 billion years ago in the form of prokaryotic sludge that through millennia transformed into life-and we’re sitting here right now talking about it-is possibility.
So why, oh why, do we let the business get us down?
You’re bigger than the business. The business doesn’t define you. It doesn’t dictate your happiness. It doesn’t set your self-esteem or self-worth value.
Or maybe it does, and you need to change that.
Here are five other paradigm shifts to consider:
1. Everyone gets frustrated by the business. Everyone hears their share of no’s. Agents don’t get calls returned; casting directors get denied seeing an actor they want to see; producers can’t get the money for their projects or the money falls apart; and famous actors (you thought they had no problems!) are stereotyped based on their breakthrough roles.
2. Remember the 10-year rule. Give or take. Our trusted social researcher, Malcolm Gladwell, says that it takes around 10,000 hours to become a master at something. That means you can’t chuck it all and move back to Ohio just because you haven’t booked an acting job in the first three months of moving to L.A. or NYC. It’s going to take a few years, so relax, enjoy the journey, learn, and grow.
3. Stop waiting for permission. This is hard. We need people to support us. We want to be working with people who inspire us and believe in us, but you can’t wait for someone to give you permission…because they won’t. They can’t. It has to come from self. You have to decide. Just decide. Whatever it is-“I’m losing this weight.” “I’m getting new headshots.” “I’m getting an agent no matter what.” “I’m finishing that script.” “I’m booking a commercial.” You give yourself the green light. Then others will follow your lead.
4. Stop hesitating. We do this a lot. We wait until we have more credits to re-approach that agent who met us at a party. We don’t feel we’ve done anything major in a year and a half, so to reach out to someone would be embarrassing, we think. So we don’t. You qualify yourself. “Let me get a job first or change managers or book a film before I reconnect.” The problem with that is we keep coming up with different reasons to hesitate-sometimes for years. So your career moves laterally rather than vertically. Everyone knows the business is very competitive. You have nothing to be ashamed of, ever, no matter where you are in your career. Up, down, on pause, not booking, getting older, haven’t had a hit, agent-less, brand new, or otherwise-be proud of the work you’ve done just to get to wherever you are. That means something.
5. Go vertical. Instead of moving laterally (which is really just a stall), take the vertical leap. Easy to do. Make the call. Reach out to someone you’ve been meaning to but keep coming up with excuses not to. Ask for help. Check in. Take them to lunch. Talk about your vision and what you need help with to get there. Be human. Express your needs. Don’t shame yourself for being who you are. That sludge didn’t 3.5 billion years ago. If it had, it wouldn’t have gone vertical to become…well…you.