You know how one of the best parts of a vacation is waking up after your first night back in your own bed? Same goes for the entertainment industry. As of this week, vacation is over, bags are unpacked, laundry is done, and everyone ready to hit the ground running.
Last week, we did an exercise to get clear about what you want from 2014, purge old obstacles standing in your way, and start a fresh new wave of momentum. (Did you skip that exercise? I know, it was New Years Day, you were tired, it was still the holidays, I totally get it. But you're not off the hook. Do it now. It'll make what comes next work way better.)
Ok, ok, you'll do the exercise - get to the point! What's "The #1 Key to Success as an Actor"!? Here is is.
Do one thing every day for your career.
Sound familiar? That's the commitment I asked you to consider at the end of last week's post. And it's as simple as it sounds… Almost. The catch is that's the short version.
The long version is do one thing every day for your career that connects you to a person who can bring you closer to your goals.
Why is the long version important? Because it means a lot of the daily actor-work things that keep us busy - headshots, reels, classes, rehearsals, etc. - don't count. Those things are essential and can't be ignored… But they don't count as doing one thing every day for your career - because none of that stuff matters if you're not consistently getting yourself in front of people who need what you've got.
It's reeeeeally easy to get bogged down in the things that don't count, because it gives us the feeling of being busy, bustling actors without any risk. A lot of actors spend their whole lives doing it. (It's easy to spot them… They're the ones always blaming 'the industry' because they're working so hard and nothing's happening.) It's understandable… It is SCARY to put yourself in front of someone who can get you closer to your goals. It is also the ONLY way to be a working actor. And the only way to get over how scary it is is to DO IT EVERY DAY.
So that's it. That's the key. If you are willing to make that commitment, I GUARANTEE you will see results.
Are you in? Excellent. Are you wondering how exactly to do it? Perfect. Because that's what we'll get into next week.