1/22/15- Career Accountability

January has turned into a pretty productive month for me. I feel that I’ve refined my daily checklist so that I work on my acting career a little each day, I write a little each day and have now finished the second draft of my novel which I’ve submitted to my book club.  I’ve attended three casting director workshops, had a few auditions, gone to a career counselor to start exploring my options outside of acting and working an hourly day-job, and am currently deep into rehearsals for the production of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE which performs at the Actor’s Co-Op in Feb. www.actorscoop.org

WHEW!

Soon I’ll meet with my accountability group to discuss all of this.

I got the idea for an accountability group from the acting guru Dallas Travers, who has groups of her own, but it’s by no means a novel idea. Groups like the Actor’s Network have been doing the same thing for a long time. I didn’t want to pay or subscribe to ANOTHER acting service (there are so many people who make a living off helping actor’s in LA and I just can’t afford to pay all of them) especially when I can organize my own group of friends. My group is a few trusted friends who are actors/writers/producers who get together about on a monthly basis to talk about where we are, where we’d like to be, set goals and timelines, and then meet again to assess progress. Sometimes it’s difficult to get everyone together. (Am I wrong in thinking that it’s easier for groups or women to organize and hang out together?)

I feel that I have a really strong muscle of working every day on my career. However, I also maybe do it in a pretty safe and standard way. Meeting with the group is about generating ideas on how to pursue things in unique ways and perhaps break out of the patterns of what everyone else is doing, but make sure that the actions are actually possible and sustainable. It’s a way for us to get together and brag, but also humble each other because as much as each of us does, more can always be done. But we support each other and it’s also a way to affirm that we’re each on different, unique path. While we provide models for each other, it’s important not to compare.

I think this year setting timelines and instituting actual rules for accountability are important. It does drive me a little nuts when I don’t meet my own goals and I think it’s important that we set timelines on our goals and actions more concretely.

How do you guys hold yourselves accountable for things? This can include everything from Weight Loss to Career goals… hit me up by replying below!

3/27/14- Connect with your “Why?”

Hey folks!  This week I had a really great week. I had auditions for a couple of short films, a feature, and was brought back as a Reporter on the TV show SCANDAL and got to act opposite the illustrious Kate Burton. Additionally, I stuck pretty well to my daily goals, am finishing up a block of P90X2 training in time for the Heart of the City 5K I am running to raise money for the California Hospital Medical Center (click the picture below to donate), and got to check in with my Power Group and Accountability partners and hear about all the actions and strides they are taking.

Click on the picture to donate to the California Hospital Medical Center!

 

 

However, not every week is a good week. There is always an ebb and flow. Indeed, Tuesday and Wednesday was back to the grind of working my day job and taking call after after call. Tickets R Us- Episode 4- Click to find out what a typical day at “Work” is for me.

Last week I posted about how it was important for me to “Press on Regardless”, to keep taking daily action and trying to place my focus on those actions even when things didn’t seem to be going so great.

Another thing I would like to mention this week is something very inspirational that came from my Actor’s Power Group. When we met a few weeks ago, we conducted mock interviews as a way to practice interviewing while at the same time using it as a meet and greet. Through the interviews we were able to hone in on our goals and aspirations and then use those goals as a jumping off platform to create a list of daily actions that each person could commit to.

Even though I came off as pretty polished in my mock-interview (already having good, definable career goals and descriptions of actions I was taking), one thing that the members of my group identified was that I was not connecting my goals to my passion. Apparently I had a great handle on what I was doing, but not why I was doing it. So one of my goals of the week was to reconnect with my why. The “why” for me is why I’ve chosen a profession as an actor and a writer. I started incorporating connecting my goals to my passion into my daily practice of writing 5 things at the end of each day that I am grateful for. I have been also writing down a reason why I have committed to being a storyteller along with my gratitude list. I’ve also realized that connecting with my “why” is also important for other areas in my life, not just career: why I seek to reach higher levels of physical fitness, practice my guitar, learning to rock climb, practice martial arts, paint pictures… whatever. I’ve always felt that it’s more important to just do things for the experience. But I am starting to realize it’s equally important to reflect on “Why” I want those experiences and to partake in those activities. When I am connected to my “why” I definitely feel that it’s easier to put my focus on taking action. I feel better about what I am doing and the path I have chosen, whatever that may be.

Inspiration

Give me a shout out. Tell me how you connect with your why and what that why is for you!