Help!
My child is stuck in the body of an actor!
Say Yes to life
And see how life suddenly starts working
For you
Rather than against you
—Eckhart Tolle
QUESTIONS: How many “No’s” does an actor have to get, before we hear a “YES?”
ACTORS: This exact subject came up during a hike with my girlfriend, over Memorial Day weekend. My friend is an entrepreneur and has been working on a new “idea” to grow her business ever since the music industry did a complete makeover, so to speak.
She shared that it was becoming almost laughable at the amount of “NO’s” she has been getting, which is making her question if she is on the right path anymore.
As an actor, I know this feeling all too well! And if you haven’t yet, there is a good chance you will also question it. Should I quit the acting business? Should I move back home and teach? Do I dare keep trying, go back to college or do something else?
I love that my friend was questioning, but more so, I loved that she was open to a “YES,” coming through a door she may not be aware of…as of yet.
It’s not easy hearing “No, No, No” over and over again. Just today, I was released from a $1500 print job. I GET IT!
But, I’ve come up with two ways of looking at a NO, and they both involved digging—deep!
First, don’t allow “NO” to be the reason to quit, but allow it to make you stronger in hearing a YES; that one YES may be just three feet buried underneath all those no’s!
During our hike, I reminded my girlfriend of the Napoleon Hill story, Three Feet From Gold. It’s a story about Mr. Darby who knew he had found valuable land and all he had to do was dig deep enough before he would find his gold. After finding just bits and pieces of gold, he gave up and sold all of his tools and machinery to a junk man. Well, this junk man hired a contractor to survey the land and he started digging where Mr. Darby left off. And wouldn’t you know it, just three feet deeper the junk man found the pot of gold.
Even if your path takes you in a different direction, it doesn’t mean you are a quitter or a failure, it could simply mean God needs you to dig deeper.
Secondly, a series of NO’s can be a “sign” to say YES to other opportunities. Even though you believe with all your heart that you love acting, if you dig deep within, you may find another hidden treasure.
When I was getting a lot of NO’s, I opened my production company, Hollywood Ending Films. I ended up producing two award-winning short films along with interviewing celebrities and industry folk for my documentary, QUESTIONS & ACTORS, which led to writing this column!
Who knew? If anyone would have told me I would be a writer and soon-to-be author, I would have thought they were crazy…and I did!
One of the greatest gifts to questioning is being open to saying YES to other opportunities, which can lead right back to acting or to another passion you had no idea you were so good at!
I came back to acting with humility.
TRUST in the NO, it could be God’s way of preparing you for the YES:-)
Because my friend felt she had the right concept, all she really needed was the right connection. Sound familiar?
So, I asked her to sit in meditation and ask God to place on her heart anyone she needed to contact. Wouldn’t you know, that this man she did business with years ago came to her. She emailed him and now they are reconnecting! She told me he could open a door that could lead to something greater than she even envisioned!
Don’t wallow in the NO. Say yes to the unknown.
I don’t know how many “NO’s” an actor needs to get before they hear a “YES” but, it’s not always about the “YES;” sometimes, it’s more about the NO.
Know how you act in the NO; don’t stop three feet from your gold, just because of a no and…LOVE your NO’s. It MAY BE in the NO that you will discover your pot of gold!
Go to my facebook page, Questions & Actors, click LIKE and start communicating with fellow actors and parents!
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