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Archive for October, 2009
Saturday, October 24th, 2009
 Okay, before you dive into declaring your career goals to your friends, agents, coaches, and relatives, it’s important to first master your self-talk. You must frequently think about, write about, and whisper to yourself your career vision. Doing so will allow your bones and bloodstream to absorb this vision. When your bones feel it, your body will act upon it.
Create the physical connection to your visions. Keep a goal-getting journal where you not only log your daily achievements, but also describe on paper what your long-term vision looks like, tastes like, and feels like. Talk about this vision privately at first and then share it with the people you trust most.
Develop a deeper awareness of the questions you ask yourself. Did you know that the average person has over fifty thousand thoughts per day? Many of these thoughts appear as questions. Most people walk around asking themselves mental questions all day long. Go on and admit it. You talk to yourself every day. It’s okay. It’s actually normal.
It’s important to realize that your life today is a direct reflection of the thoughts you have. The questions you ask yourself impact the way you feel. Your mood and emotions always influence the actions you take and your actions then shape your life.
Your subconscious mind is programmed to affirmatively support the questions you ask it. It will automatically answer your questions and even provide evidence to support the idea you’re inquiring about. So if you ask, “Why do bad things always happen?” your subconscious mind will give you all the reasons why bad things do indeed happen to you.
Don’t believe me? Try it. Go ahead and ask yourself, “Why can’t I get ahead?” Go on… I’ll wait.
Did you notice that your subconscious mind answered you or that your physical body responded with a knot in your stomach, pressure on your shoulders, or an all around icky feeling? That’s a common reaction. Your gut is designed to agree with your head. The trouble with that comes when your head asks the wrong questions.
Never fear! There’s an easy fix here. If you want to generate new results, the trick is to simply ask yourself different questions or practice what I like to call Living Mantras.
Living Mantras are empowering questions that reflect or support the life you desire. They’re powerful, present tense statements about the person you are becoming. When practiced regularly, Living Mantras will not only help you accomplish your career goals, but they’ll absolutely transform your life!
Give it a whirl and try asking yourself, “Why am I so lucky?” Again, I’ll wait. Really, I don’t mind.
Did you notice that your subconscious mind answered that question too? Did you also notice how differently your body responded? It sounds silly, but it works. Your subconscious mind can’t help but support the questions you ask it, sparking a positive reaction and jump-starting your progress toward change.
The next time you find yourself at an audition thinking thoughts like, “What if I don’t book this?” or “Why am I even here?” Try out the Living Mantra technique and just ask, “What if I book this?” Or, “Why are auditions so easy for me?”
One key element to making Living Mantras work for you is the way you feel when you practice your mantras. You can ask yourself questions all day long about how wonderful your life is, but if you don’t feel wonderful, you won’t experience the reality of your mantras. You must allow your entire being: body, mind, and soul to experience the feeling of your mantras at work. Remember, when your bones feel it, your body will follow. When it comes to declaring your goals and sharing yourself with others in the industry, Living Mantras allow you to feel happy and confident on the inside enabling you to convey that grounded feeling on the outside.
Creating your own mantras is a piece of cake! Here are some of my favorites below:
Relationships
Why am I so highly respected for the work that I do?
Why are my relationships so fun and fulfilling?
I believe in the power of teamwork.
How is it so easy to connect with all the right people?
Success
Why am I so successful and prosperous?
The entertainment industry is fun & easy!
How is it so easy to be so successful?
Why does success follow me wherever I go?
Confidence
I trust myself to be myself in everything I do.
When did I become so confident and grounded?
Why is it so easy to take risks and grow?
How did I become such a genius?
Wealth & Money
Why does everybody want to give me money all the time?
Where did all of this money come from?
Why do I get paid so much to do what I love?
How did I get so filthy rich?
Booking the Job
Why do I book everything I audition for?
How does great work always fall in my lap!
Why is auditioning so much fun?
Perseverance
How is it so easy to let go of the past?
I am willing to fully experience my own unique journey.
I am right on time, all of the time.
My career unfolds in remarkable ways.
Life
Everyday and in every way, I live the wondrous life I was meant to live.
I joyously embrace all of life’s possibilities!
Why is life so fun and fulfilling?
Like this stuff? You’ll love my audio CD, “Living Matras”. Click here to get your copy now.
Tags: acting, actor, affirmations, living mantras, positive speaking, psychology of the actor
Posted in balance, psychology of the actor | No Comments »
Friday, October 23rd, 2009
 My hubby and I are preparing for a week-long trip to fabulous New York City. We’ll be hosting a series of free workshops for actors and I’m so excited I can hardly stand it. I’ve developed a brand new program that I’ll be launching in New York. It’s designed to help actor accomplish their ultimate career goals through the power of masterminding, extreme decision making, and consistent action.
When I return from NYC on Halloween, I’ll be ready to introduce the program nationally, so stay tuned.
Thanks to all of my friends and colleagues for the great restaurant recommendations. I wish we had time to visit all of them, but that’ll have to be another trip. Here are some links to the spots we’ll visit.
Isabella’s NYC
Serafina
Sarabeth’s
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Saturday, October 17th, 2009
 Researchers have found that it takes the average person 21 days to form a habit. Just three short weeks to begin a lifestyle shift.
I’ve been thinking a lot about habits lately. Many of us take unconscious actions daily out of habit. Some people feel they cannot change “the way they are”. It’s just not true. With some focus and a little effort, you can create powerful habits that create meaningful change.
Flip Your Perspective
A lot of people live in a constant state of hesitation. They believe that they must WAIT to have success, money, time, or energy before they can then live the life that they dream of.
They operate from a place of HAVE – DO – BE, which looks something like this, “Once I have my career in order, then I can focus on my relationships, and finally be fulfilled.”
How often do you postpone certain trips, activities, or projects because you don’t quite have your ducks in a row? How often do you tell yourself:
* As soon as I book a national commercial, I’ll be able to travel.
* Once I have enough money, I’ll be able to donate to charity.
* After I have more credits, I’ll feel confident enough to network.
These statements are excuses. They are resistance to bold action. There is no time like the present to live out your desires.
The truth is that success doesn’t change you. It allows you to express who you are more fully. So, rather than living from a place of HAVE – DO – BE, why not operate from BEING first?
If you want success, live every day as though you are successful. Be success. Make your decisions based on the success that awaits you rather than your lack of it now.
Here’s what I mean by BE – DO – HAVE Living:
Be happy today. Feel successful. Be famous if you feel like it. From that place – choose your actions, habits, or behaviors. Then you’ll notice that you have everything you need to be the person you want to be right now… today. What you have or don’t have becomes irrelevant when you’re already being the person you want to be.
Focus on the Process
If you want to see major results, start by developing a small set of consistent habits. The life you dream of begins with one step. Then you’ll take another. It’s really that simple.
Focus on developing habits rather than attaining results. Choose healthy habits that support the career you really want and live them now. Focus
on the habits first, the results will naturally follow.
Here’s my challenge to you:
1. Think about the life or career you want. Think about how you can BE there today.
2. Select one specific habit you wish to develop that supports your ideal career.
3. Commit to putting that new habit in place over the next 21 days.
4. Now, identify one habit you wish to eliminate. What action do you take habitually that doesn’t support the life you desire?
5. Put that negative behavior on hold for the next 21 days, so you can let it go forever.
I’d love to hear what habits you choose and how this process works for you, so let me know!
“Habits are cobwebs at first; cables at last” – Chines Proverb
Posted in Goal Getting, balance | No Comments »
Thursday, October 15th, 2009
 I found this outstanding article by Elizabeth Kuhn about stress management. I feel like she wrote it especially for me, but I have a feeling you’ll think it was written for you. Please, check out more about Elizabeth at: http://www.freestresstipsreport.com/
Is your to do list too long? Chances are, the answer is yes. And you’re not alone. Time management stress is all too common. Here’s what you can do to reduce your stress about that endless list.
I’m sure you’ve heard about the 80/20 principle, also known as the Pareto principle. It means that 20% of the things we do bring us 80% of the benefits. It works in sales, and it works just about anywhere else.
How can that help you with your to do list? Here’s how:
Just because an item is on your list doesn’t mean you have to actually do it. Refuse to submit to time management stress. There’s a better way.
Just think about it. If there are more things on that list than you can possibly do, you simply cannot do them. It’s physically impossible.
So what to do? Relax! That’s right. It may seem counterproductive, but it’s actually going to help you get MORE done.
The reason for that is that stress slows your brain down and saps your energy. So you’ll work more slowly and get less done. Once that stress is taken care of, you’ll feel invigorated and able to tackle your tasks.
So eliminating the stress over the impossible to do list is our number one priority.
Here’s what you need to do instead of getting stressed: Go over that list and figure out which of these tasks simply must get done, and get done right away, on that day.
Write those down on a separate list. Consider how long it will take you to do them all and whether you can actually do them in the allotted time. If the answer is no, you need to cut something out.
However, if you believe you can do those and only those that you have written down, that’s going to be your new to do list for the day.
If there’s room to spare, look back over the original list and see if there is another really important task that you can fit in without driving yourself ragged.
If so, add that to your list.
And what about the rest? There’s always another day. Maybe they’re not yours to do in the first place, or maybe whoever wants you to do them will simply have to wait.
So if you refuse to be held hostage by time management stress, and instead follow the 80/20 principle, you will likely get done what really needs to get done. And you’ll be able to do a better job than if you had had a nervous breakdown.
Whether you use the 80/20 principle or some other stress management techniques, you’ve got to do something to help you stay calm under pressure.
For more stress tips, you’re invited to download Elisabeth Kuhn’s FREE stress tips report at http://www.freestresstipsreport.com/
Tags: acting, Elizabeth Kuhn, stress, stress management for actors
Posted in balance, time management | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009
 How much time do you spend preparing to get ready to begin a project? How long does it take you to shoot new headshots, create a demo reel, or execute a mailing?
My guess is that you spend more time thinking about these projects than you actually spend doing them.
I believe a key element to success is decisiveness. You must be willing to take action if you want results. It’s not what you do, but that you do that really matters. Perhaps it’s time to stop thinking, planning, and preparing and start practicing imperfection so you can finally get things going.
A couple of months ago, I got an email from a complete stranger who found my website. Her note said something like this:
“Dallas congratulations on the great work you are doing! I think your site is valuable and it contains a few typos. I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve taken the liberty to correct them for you. Attached is a copy of my corrections.”
Upon opening the attachment, I was shocked and a little embarrassed to see that the document was six pages long. Six whole pages. Yes, of typos.
I’m not going to lie. I had about 30 minutes of being mad at this stranger. Who does she think she is, anyhow?
But then I realized something. Wow, if I had waited until I had a typo-free website, I still wouldn’t have a website up. I’d be stuck in the cycle of preparing to get ready to begin the site. Now I have a typo-free website thanks to this kind stranger. But the only way I got to a typo-free website was to first have typos.
If you want to produce results in your career, you must be willing to make mistakes, try something new, and just put yourself out there.
In order to get great headshots, you must first take some headshots. Good or bad, you can’t get to great without taking the first step. That’s how you learn; that’s how you grow. The more willing you are to have crappy headshots, the more quickly you will arrive at really great pictures because you’re taking action.
The same is true with a demo reel, your website, and every other element of your marketing. The first step to greatness is not-so-greatness.
You may have noticed that the last newsletters you received from me contained 3 typos in the first two lines. I’m sure this one has it’s fair share as well. I know… pretty impressive.
Sure, I’ve learned the hard way to be a little more careful before sending these biweekly articles out.
But I have to tell you that there’s a part of me that feels a little proud of the typos. I used to spend so much time preparing to get ready to begin, that I wasn’t actually doing a thing. I was stuck. I was so afraid of making mistakes that I took no action. And nobody knew who I was.
It’s true for you. The more you can fall in love with the learning process, fall in love with your dumb little mistakes, with your crappy headshots, and with your imperfect demo reel, the more quickly you will arrive at where it is you really want to be.
Don’t get it perfect, just get it going.
Posted in balance, marketing for actors | No Comments »
Friday, October 2nd, 2009
Marketing yourself as an actor can be a little tricky. Many actors spend all of their time focusing on “me”. What is my essence? What roles am I right for? How do others perceive me?
Well, a key element to successful marketing focuses on your target audience rather than on you. By clearly defining who you’re speaking to when marketing, your message will become much more compelling and concise.
When I first began writing my book, I wanted to touch everyone who laid eyes on it. I wanted my dad (who knows nothing about the business) to completely understand the business. I wanted Clint Eastwood to learn something new. I wanted everyone in between to gain insight, expertise and motivation from my book.
The trouble was that in trying to speak to the entire population of the world, my message became really watered down. How can just one book effectively impact everybody?
Well, it cant. So, instead of writing a book for everyone, I defined my one, ideal reader. I created a specific image of just one person whose career would be transformed after reading The Tao of Show Business. This one reader became my Target Audience and she represented the type of actor I wanted to impact most with my book. And here she is…
Allison French. Allison is a 28 year old actress living in Los Angeles. After graduating from USC with a minor in acting, she made the plunge and began pursuing acting wholeheartedly. She has trained with some of the industry’s top acting teachers such as Lesly Kahn, Richard Seyd, and Ivanna Chubbuck.
Allison’s resume includes a lot of indie film, commercials, and webisode projects. She has worked with a handful of sub-par agents who haven’t been very effective thus far. She feels like she’s spinning her wheels a bit and wants to find simple solutions that break the mold of how an actor
is supposed to break in.
Allison is single and loves to hang out with her friends. She works part time as a waitress and lives in a secure and stylish two bedroom apartment in Studio City. Her roommate, Vanessa is also an actress. Vanessa works regularly on television thanks to her agent at Stone Manners Agency.
My student, Candace made huge strides with her marketing after she defined her Target Audience. If Candace could work with only one person, that person would be Alan Ball, the creator of Six Feet Under and True Blood.
Now, when Candace makes marketing decisions, she speaks to Alan Ball. Her website, her headshots, her one-sheet, and the rest of her marketing ships all reflect the sensibility of Alan Ball. Marketing is a breeze now for Candace because she knows exactly who her Target Audience is and how to best communicate with him.
Who is Your Target Audience?
Think about the one person you’d like to work with most. Who is it? This person can be real or fictitious, but describe just one person who represents who you’d like to work with most. You could also describe the one person who you perform for? Who represents the demographic most drawn to your work?
After you have considered who your Target Audience might be, please describe him or her in detail.
Then, think about how well your marketing materials speak to this person. What, if anything, do you need to change in order to deliver a more specific and dynamic message to your target audience?
Posted in marketing for actors | 2 Comments »
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