Success in any endeavor, including Hollywood, entails 4 things.
1, Knowing what you want
2, Knowing why you want it
3, Knowing how to get it, and
4, Knowing where you are now
This seems simple enough, but remarkably, most people don’t follow this simple formula or know it. Having seen over ten thousand models and actors in-person, and spoken with over fifty thousand by phone over the years, we have learned some things about artists goals. Most artists say they want to be an actor or model or band, singer, producer, writer, etc., but don’t know the steps involved.
Let’s break them down one by one.
1, Knowing what you want includes knowing what you do not want. What could you know you do not want? You may want to be an actor or actress. OK, what is wrong with that? The first problem is WANTING it. When you want something, you keep it far away from you. Don’t want to be something you are not. Just BE it. In other words, stop saying that you want to be a director, just direct. Shoot something—anything—even on your phone, and then start CALLING yourself a director. Be what you want to be. In present time. When you refer to yourself as that which you want to be, then you are no longer searching in future tense. You now ARE, in the present. And when you treat yourself as you want to be, then others will start to as well. And, we generally behave ourselves in the manner in which others treat us.
Now that we have the covered, what KIND of actor, director, artist, or person do you want to be? A poor one? One who no one knows outside of your close friends and family? Or a world famous one? Do you want to be famous and then die broke and poor and miserable? Winning no awards, and everyone forgets your name? Do you want to be famous for anything? Even robbing a bank? Or do you want to a top, respected, award winning star, respected and admired widely around the world, forever?
The problem with most people, including artists when it comes to reaching their goals, is that they don’t have clearly defined goals.
You MUST clearly define your goal.
And by realizing what you do NOT want, you will better focus on what you DO want. So, write out your goal. Do it NOW. What do you want? Write down your goals and review them daily, before bed, and when you wake up and throughout the day.
2, WHY do you want it?
Do you want to be a famous singer because you want to be rich? That’s the wrong reason if that is the ONLY reason. Why, is because there are far easier ways to get rich than being an entertainer. Do you want to a famous director because you love a film that changed your life and you think it looks easy and fun? This also may not be the right reason. Find the reason WHY you want what you want, and make sure that it is stronger than anything you can imagine doing. You must be hugely passionate about it.
3, Now, how do you get it?
One simple method to get what you want, is to observe the paths of others in your chosen field, and see how they got what it is YOU want. Certainly, not all people are the same and thus not all paths are the same, but you may find some similarities—some clues of direction that you too can workably follow. This means—study the successful, and also get a mentor. Get someone that will teach and guide you, and hold you accountable to your goals. It has never been easier to get free or low cost education, training, or mentorship from the biggest, richest, most famous, and most talent people in entertainment than now.
If you are seeking to prosper in any area of the arts to a higher position than you are now, and you have not signed up for Master Class, what are you waiting for? You would be kind of crazy not to in my opinion. Natalie Portman teaching acting?! Martin Scorsese, Jody Foster, and Spike Lee teaching filmmaking?! Alicia Keys and St. Vincent teaching music?! Seriously?! Master Class is a GOLD MINE of information from the top of the top. And it’s inexpensive. And no, they are NOT paying me!
4, Know where you are now.
This is important to note, because most people aspiring to be great in Hollywood do not know where they are now. They are either stuck in the past, as in past mistakes and hang ups, or they are stuck in the future, as in—they think they are a star NOW, when they are nothing of the sort. They may be good at dreaming and playing make-believe of what they want and where they want to be, but they get confused and start believing that they really ARE as great as they want to be. And then when Hollywood—meaning the agents, managers, casting directors, or others don’t agree that they are not yet ready to be a star, or not talented enough—they go ballistic and become verbally abusive, or start slandering or libeling those in the industry that don’t share their opinion of their greatness. Or they have meltdown and crawl back to wherever it is they came from, forever scarred and dejected. I’ve seen this all play out, again and again. Don’t let this be you.
Know WHERE you are now. Be brutally honest with yourself. But then—forgive yourself for whatever it is you think you did wrong. And move on to make yourself better and better day by day.
A good idea is to at times, operate just a few minutes in the future.
In other words, instead of being in your head stuck in the past or stuck in your future idea of yourself a year from now, operate with your mindset just a few minutes ahead, so that you are envisioning what you want minutes from now, just ahead of present time. In this manner, you will be generally in the here and now when it comes to your goals, but will be operating slightly ahead of the curve, so that your vision helps to manifest your present reality. With intention, and without delusion.
For example, lets say you are calling up a top manager whose phone number you just discovered, and you want to ask them to represent yourself. You have read all about them, got the name of the CEO written down, researched him or her, and are now reading to call. Instead of worrying about whether or not they will take your call or reject you, you are instead “predicting” seconds into each moment of the future, exactly what will happen. Your thoughts therefore should be something like this, “They are going to answer and take my call now. They are going to put me right through to the CEO. They are taking my call. They like me. We are getting along so well. I made them laugh. They are interested in me. They are going to look at my reel and meet me. They are signing me!” Your talk to your self should be like this ALL the time. Words and thoughts are the precursor to actions, and therefore they are POWERFUL. Use your words and your thoughts wisely! Bless yourself, don’t curse yourself! PREDICT the future you want to create, and speak of it happening in the present tense. What we think and expect is often what we create into existence.
Remember, you are your greatest enemy in Hollywood, and the greatest enemy to your success—or—your best friend and your best helper.
Are you going to be your best friend, or your best enemy? You know what you need to choose. So do it now.
I’m not talking about sports games, or only one position that is open and only decided by one person. But generally speaking, in terms of the overall goals for yourself, no one has the power to make you win or lose, to succeed or fail. Only YOU do. There are enough people on planet Earth to help you reach the highest goals you have envisioned for yourself. You do not need a million people to help you. You do not even need a thousand, or a hundred people to help you. You only need one. It’s not a matter of CAN you succeed, it is a matter of WHEN. And that when is up to you. When YOU are ready, then you will.
I hope this has helped you.
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