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Are You Ready?

A Work in Progress

Cultivating a Burning Desire to Succeed

The World Doesn't Owe you Anything, Stop Whining

Don't Be a Quitter

Whatever It Takes

The Unlimited Realm of the 5 year-old

Wanna Get Lucky?

Limiting Greatness

Seize the Moment

Are You Surrounded By Success?

EMOTIONAL BANK ACCOUNT - PROFESSIONAL BANK ACCOUNT

Keep Rollin’

Do or Do Not

Is it real?

Crank it Up in 3 Steps

Steps to Go from Ordinary to Extraordinary

Pain of Discipline vs. Pain of Regret

Commitment, Do You Have What it Takes?

The Three Laws of Human Influence

1/20th of a Second

 

Are you ready?

 

Anybody can achieve anything. Do you believe that? I do.

But there is a caveat that must be made. Those who succeed are those who walk through the door of opportunity when it swings open. That we know. But what is the secret to getting through the door of opportunity?

The secret is being ready outside the door when it swings open.

As the story goes, Frank Sinatra got his big break while working as a waiter. One day, as he was waiting tables, who does he see sitting in the restaurant, but one of the biggest names in the music industry. Old Blue Eyes did the unbelievable: He cleared off a table next to the gentleman and got up on it and sang! He knew he was done at the restaurant for doing so, but how many times would this door of opportunity open up? Needless to say, the rest is history.

You see, you never know when the door of opportunity is going to open wide. For some, the big break comes early in life and for others later on. But for all of those who become successful, there is one key similarity: They were ready. And for every one of those who were ready, there were thousands more who weren’t.

So, the principle for us is: Be ready!

Are you ready? Here are some thoughts for you to consider.

Are your skills as sharp as they could be? Are they strong enough so when your shot comes you can perform? What are you doing on a daily basis to keep your skills at a top level?

Is your character deep enough to handle success? Let’s face it; you don’t want big success if your character won’t be able to handle it. What are you doing on a daily basis to strengthen your character?

Are you working hard to position yourself now?  While waiting for the door of opportunity to open, you need to develop your skills and your character so that you can be in a position to get through that door before it closes. Lucky people are generally the people that are most prepared to be lucky.  Do you have goals?  Are you tracking your goals?  Are you doing something every day to help you get a little better at what you do?  Do you have a plan for your career, for your life, for your goals?  Are you working that plan daily, weekly, monthly?

Your door will open someday. It opens for everyone. It may only open once or it may open many times. It is different for everyone and life just isn’t fair that way. But everybody gets a shot. When that huge door of opportunity opens up, will you be able to walk boldly through it? Will you be ready?

Do everything you can to be ready. Don’t just sit and wish and dream. Be proactive and make sure that you are the most qualified when the door opens. Make sure that you are the hardest worker. Make sure you are the closest to the door. When it opens – Be Ready!

Shhh. Do you hear that? Hinges creaking! It is the sound of the door opening. Your door of opportunity! Are you ready?

 

A Work in Progress

 

I was sifting through the material littering my desk the other day when I came across a quote I printed from an email.

"We are all works in progress," the email said said.

I received the email from a friend, and I thought it was interesting, so I printed it, but promptly misplaced it.

This is one of the marvelous byproducts of having a cluttered desk -- you're always finding interesting things.

Anyway, thinking about the message brought today's topic to mind.

How many of us are the absolute best we can be?

I'd venture to say few, if any of us fall into that category. We are usually partially there, but rarely moving at our absolute best.

Sadly enough, most of us are happy enough with a mere shadow of what we could accomplish.

Most of us are happy enough to reach our sales or booking quota (and maybe a little bit beyond), or reach that all-important deadline (maybe a little bit early), or work just enough (but maybe just a little bit harder). We are content to do just enough to get by, with an occasional push to do a little bit more.

Sadly enough, we're cheating our families, our businesses, our customers, and most of all, we're cheating ourselves -- all by just doing what's expected, even if we do a little bit more.

When you get right down to it, pushing ourselves farther than we ever realized we could go is the only way to make real progress.

That brings us to the email.

"We are all works in progress." I have conveniently forgotten the context in which it was sent -- but it points out that the wise person never really chooses a stopping point in his or her progression. He or she continually becomes better through learning, growing, and gaining additional experience and wisdom.

Our lives must be continually managed for growth and renewal.

Perhaps you're familiar with an instrument biologists use to measure the age of trees. The instrument is driven into the heart of the tree, and then removed to count the rings the tree has grown. This core sample will show some years where drought and fire besought the tree, and other years where nourishment was plentiful. The tree exists through those years, continually growing and adjusting. Some years it grows more than others, but it grows until it reaches the end of its life. That tree does not remain a seedling, nor does it decide suddenly that it's grown enough.

In our lives, though, many people seem to decide they have progressed enough, and they stop becoming better. As years go on, they become like a living snapshot -- frozen in time, no longer relevant, no longer useful.

By a simple matter of giving up, they actually do become their "best self" -- the best they will ever become -- but it's only a shadow of what they could have become. Their motto is the old bureaucrat's byword: "Good enough."

High achievers, however, always strive to become better. By continually progressing, even if, like the tree, they have occasional problems, they continually get better, wiser, happier. They never stop progressing, and never cease getting better. The high achiever keeps striving to become better, and as a result, continually improves on the idea of "best self." The high achiever's motto is the leader's byword: "Expect the best -- and find it."

To the high achiever, "best" is always a moving target, "excellence" is a minimum requirement, and "extraordinary" is a way of life.

High achievers live their lives wisely and well. High achievers never accept second best, never "settle" for less than their best, never lose sight of their mark. They continually grow and learn, plan and produce, move and dream.

Can you become your best self? If you're not currently better than you ever have been in your life, you've got a bit of work to do. Each day you should be better than the day before. Each day, you should work to be better than you have ever been in your life. Continually growing, continually learning, continually best.

 

Cultivating a Burning Desire to Succeed

During an interview a few years ago, a reporter asked California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger how he managed to reach the top as a professional Bodybuilder and Movie Star.  Governor Schwarzenegger replied with one single word, “Drive!”  All great success ultimately begins with an idea, but what makes ideas become reality is the fuel of human desire. An idea by itself can give you a temporary feeling of inspiration, but burning desire is what gets you through all the perspiration necessary to overcome the inevitable obstacles along the way.

Take a moment to think about the goals you've set for yourself. How committed are you to achieving these goals? Under what conditions would you give up? What if you could significantly increase your desire to achieve these goals? What if you wanted them so badly that you knew with absolute certainty that you would absolutely, positively never ever give up? When you are truly 100% committed to reaching your goals, you move from hoping to knowing. If you want something badly enough, then quitting is simply not an option. You either find a way or make one. You pay the price, whatever it takes.

Those with an intense, burning desire to achieve their goals are often referred to as being "driven." But is this special quality reserved only for a privileged few? Certainly not! With the right approach, anyone can cultivate a deep, burning desire within themselves and move to a state of total commitment, knowing with certainty that success is as inevitable as the sunrise.

So how do you cultivate burning desire? You begin with an outside-in approach, altering your environment in ways that will strengthen your resolve while eliminating doubt. If you take the time to do it right, you'll establish a positive feedback cycle, such that your desire will continue to increase on a daily basis.

Here are eight steps you can take to cultivate burning desire to achieve any goal you set for yourself:

1. Make a Real Commitment

I'm not going to pull any punches with this one. If your goals are really important enough to you, then you can start by burning the proverbial ships, such that you have no choice but to press on. For instance, if you are a Business Owner (Agency, Publicist, Production Company, Distributor, etc...), an Executive, a Sales Manager, etc...and you want to improve your sales process, you can begin by making the commitment to tracking your sales staff, doing daily one-on-one coaching, training and teaching the staff how to get to a professional level, and requiring that your process is followed. Write a letter to your boss stating that you are going to do these things by a certain date, and if you don’t have these things implemented/changed by the stated date that you will tender your resignation.  Put it in a stamped envelope and mail it to your boss.   If you are an actor, and you want to improve your career, make a commitment to do whatever it takes- invest in your career, be aggressive, help your agent and management team, most importantly, stop making excuses and blaming everything and everyone else for your lack of success.  Do something about it.  Write the afore mentioned letter to your family or close friends.  But a deadline on implementing change!

One Las Vegas casino manager made the decision to quit smoking. He didn't feel he had the personal willpower to do it alone, so he took out a billboard on the Las Vegas Strip with his photo on it along with the words, "If you catch me smoking, I'll pay you $100,000!" Was he able to quit smoking? You bet! (Ok, bad pun.) This is called willpower leveraging. You use a small bit of willpower to establish a consequence that will virtually compel you to keep your commitment. As Andrew Carnagie once said, "Put all your eggs in one basket, and then watch that basket!"

In the classic book The Art of War, Sun Tzu notes that soldiers fight the most ferociously when they believe they're fighting to the death. A good general knows that when attacking an opposing force, it's important to create the illusion of a potential escape route for the enemy, so they won't fight as hard. What escape routes are you keeping open that are causing you not to fight as hard?

If you don't burn those ships, you are sending the message to your subconscious mind that it's ok to quit. And when the going gets tough, as it inevitably does for any worthwhile goal, you will quit. If you really want to achieve your goals, then you've got to burn those ships to the ground, and scatter the ashes. If you're thinking that the average person won't do this, you're right -- that's why they're average.

2. Use positive visuals as constant reminders

Let's say one of your important goals is to lose weight. Get some poster board, and make your own posters that say, "I weigh X pounds," where X is your goal weight, and put them up around your house. Change your screensaver to a text message that says the same thing (or to some equally motivational imagery). Get some magazines, cut out pictures of people who have bodies similar to what you'd like to have, and put them up around your house. Cut out pictures of healthy food that looks good to you, and post those around your kitchen. If you work in an office, then alter your office in the same manner. Don't worry about what your coworkers will think, and just do it! They may poke a little fun at you at first, but they'll also begin to see how committed you are.

3. Keep yourself surrounded with positive people.

Make friends with people who will encourage you on the path to your goals, and find ways to spend more time with them. Share your goals only with people who will support you, not those who will respond with cynicism or indifference. If you want to lose weight, for instance, get yourself into a gym, and start befriending those who are already in great shape. You'll find that their attitudes become infectious, and you'll start believing that you can do it too. Meeting people who've lost one hundred pounds or more can be extremely motivating. If you want to become a top salesperson, become friends with the top salesperson in your market.  If you want to become a great manager, hire a coachand join management groups.  If you want to be a successful actor, learn what the real successful people do to become successful (not the really lucky one's or the actors that received their success through birthright).  You'll find that many of the actors that really made it didn't just make it on their talent alone, there's a lot of talented people in the industry; they made it with tenacity, hard work, focus, talent, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to succeed.  Do whatever it takes to make new friends who will help you keep your commitment.

Although this can be difficult for some people, you also need to fire the negative people from your life. I once read that you can see your future just by looking at the six people with whom you spend the most time. If you don't like what you see, then change those people. There's no honor in remaining loyal to people who expect you to fail. One of the reasons automobile salespeople fail to become top producers, for instance, is that they spend most of their time associating with other average or below average salespeople. The way out of this trap is to start spending a lot more time associating with top salespeople, managers, actors, directors, etc... Mindsets are contagious. So spend your time with people whose mindsets are worth catching.

4. Feed your mind with positive information on a daily basis.

Inspirational books and audio programs are one of the best fuel sources for cultivating desire. If you want to quit smoking, read a dozen books written by ex-smokers on how to quit the habit. If you want to start a business, then start devouring business books. Go to seminars on occasion. I advise that you feed your mind with some form of motivational material (books, articles, audio programs) for at least fifteen minutes a day. This will continually recharge your batteries and keep your desire impenetrably strong.

When you absorb material created by an extremely passionate person, you'll often find yourself feeling more passionate as well. A great book I read was Pour Your Heart Into It by Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks. As I read the book, I was absolutely amazed at how someone could be so fanatically enthusiastic about coffee. Other enthusiasm-building authors/speakers I highly recommend are Harvey Mackay, Og Mandino, and Zig Ziglar.

5. Replace sources of negative energy with positive energy.

Take an inventory of all the sensory inputs into your life that affect your attitude -- what you read, what you watch on TV, the cleanliness of your home, etc. Note which inputs influence you negatively, and strive to replace them with positive inputs. I'll give you some good places to start. First, avoid watching TV news -- it's overwhelmingly negative. Do you really need to hear about the woman who was mauled to death by her neighbor's dog? Fill that time with positive inputs instead, like motivational and educational audio programs.  Spend more time laughing and less time worrying. If you have a messy desk, clean it up! If you have young kids or grandkids, spend some time playing with them. Some of this may sound a bit corny, but it will really help increase your overall motivation. If you have a hard time motivating yourself, chances are that your life is overflowing with too many sources of negativity. It's far better to happily achieve than it is to feel you must achieve in order to be happy.

6. Dress for success.

Whenever you pass by a mirror, which is probably several times a day, you get an instant dose of image reinforcement. So what image are you currently reinforcing? Would you dress any differently if your goals were already achieved? Would you sport a different hairstyle? Would you shower a bit more often?

Although for years I enjoyed the ripped jeans and T-shirt look, I noted that when I visualized myself in the future, having achieved certain goals, I was dressed a lot more nicely. With some experimentation I found a style of clothing that looks professional and is also comfortable. So I gradually donated my old clothes to charity and replaced my wardrobe with clothes that fit the new identity I was growing into. I learned this idea from an ex-Navy Rear Admiral, who stressed to me the importance of taking pride in your appearance, and I can say with certainty that it makes a noticeable difference. So make sure the clothes you wear each day are consistent with your new self-image.

7. Use mental programming.

This is a Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) technique that will help you associate strong positive emotions to whatever goal you're working to achieve. Find some music that really energizes and inspires you. Put on your headphones and listen to it for fifteen to twenty minutes, and as you do this, form a clear mental picture of yourself having already achieved the results you want. Make your imagery big, bright, vivid, colorful, three-dimensional, panoramic, and animated. Picture the scene as if looking through your own eyes (this is very important). This will help you form a neuro-association between the positive emotions elicited by the music and the goal you want to achieve, thus strengthening your desire. This is a great way to begin each day, and you can even do it while lying in bed when you first awaken if you set things up the night before. You should cycle the music periodically, since the emotional charge you get will tend to diminish if you listen to the same songs each time.

Keep in mind that this form of mental programming is already being used on you by advertisers. Watch a fast-food TV commercial, and you'll note that the food is big, bright, and animated -- spinning burgers, lettuce flying through a splash of water, ripe tomatoes being sliced -- and don't forget the catchy tune. So instead of letting others program your desires for you, take charge and mentally reprogram yourself.

8. Take immediate action.

Once you set a goal for yourself, act immediately. As you begin working on a fresh new goal, don't worry so much about making detailed long-term plans. Too often people get stuck in the state of analysis paralysis and never reach the action stage. You can develop your plan later, but get moving first. Just identify the very first physical action you need to take, and then do it. For instance, if you've decided to lose weight, go straight to your refrigerator, and throw out all the junk food. Don't think about it. Don't ponder the consequences. Just do it immediately.

One of the secrets to success is recognizing that motivation follows action. The momentum of continuous action fuels motivation, while procrastination kills motivation. So act boldly, as if it's impossible to fail. If you keep adding fuel to your desire, you will reach the point of knowing that you'll never quit, and ultimate success will be nothing more than a matter of time.

If you apply these eight strategies, you'll add so much fuel to your desire that the fire will never burn out. You'll move towards your goals like a guided missile to its target, and you'll enjoy the process because you'll be so focused on the positive rewards instead of the difficulty of the tasks. If you get enough positive energy flowing into you, you'll soon have positive results flowing out of you. And you'll quickly become the kind of person that others refer to as "driven."

 

 

The World Doesn't Owe You Anything, Stop Whining

Me, Personally, I've been knocked down hard, many times. As a matter of fact, I've been knocked down recently. So what! It's all about how you react to it. Getting up and not giving up was always my only option. I never whine. Nobody wants to listen to it anyway. Nobody wants to hang with whiners except other whiners. Whiners attract other whiners but they never listen to each other. Whining is a one-way communication.

If your life has become reduced to a series of insignificant incidents, which are constantly blown out of proportion, then you'll never really get the big picture. If you're ever going to have all of those things you say you really want out of life, then it's important to get your thought processes in order. Wealthy prosperous people think differently. They see situations from alternative perspectives. Affluent people tend to be realists.

People who are not successful and moving forward in life have their priorities out of order. They waste valuable productive energy on nonproductive things, spending countless hours obsessing about unimportant molehills until they become mountains and kill their spirits.

Let me ask you to stop and think about something for a moment. If what you were extremely upset about yesterday cannot even be remembered today, then it was probably never important in the first place and it drained away your time and energy needlessly. Can you recall a recent major crisis that took you totally out of your game and caused you to lose a lot of productivity? The question is, did it really have a major ongoing effect on the rest of your life? Or, most probably, did it actually have very little lasting consequence on what's happening now? The key is realizing the insignificance of the event as part of the big picture as its happening.  Don’t let it cost you more than a couple of minutes of your day. 

 

If you have someone or something in your life that is constantly whining or feeding you negatives, get it out of your life.   I recently had to disassociate with someone that I really cared for, someone I tried to help have a better life, because this person was constantly whining, negative, and always looking for the worst in every situation.  Not only did this person bring my attitude down on a consistent basis, it was also tremendously time consuming.  You see, whiners want to whine all the time, and they will eat away at your valuable time.  It hurt me personally to sever that relationship, but my life is more at peace and I now have more time for positive focus on family, friends, and projects that need my attention.  More importantly, my attitude stays positive, and when attitudes are positive many great things can happen.  

 

Here’s my message to the Whiners, Crybabies, Losers, and Wimps that bring people down:

The world doesn't owe you a living, much less prosperity.

The United States of America only guarantees Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Happiness is not a constitutional right; you only have the right to be allowed to go for it. Nobody owes you happiness or success. And, if you're a failure, it's neither my fault nor is it my responsibility. Don't stack your wimpy baggage on my doorstep.

Road kill is strewn across life's highway! Yes, the highways of our lives are spattered with flattened carcasses of wimps and whiners and other varieties of assorted losers who will envy your successes and automatically assume they've got a right to what you've legitimately earned. Remember this; you have a constitutional right to be successful, happy and prosperous. There's always going be those nasty small-minded crabs lurking in the shadows of life waiting for an opportunity to take a shot at you. They don't want to succeed themselves or to better their own lives. It is their sole purpose and primary mission to drag you down. Misery loves company.

I'm sincerely sorry that so many people find solace and security in the excuses they've manufactured as to why it is okay to fail because life has dealt them a bad hand. I'm amazed to see so many people have given up and accepted less than they deserve out of life because they believe the world has conspired against them. I see all of the excuse-makers who've justified their failures and shortcomings. They take comfort in the flawed thinking that it's impossible for them to succeed because of factors they perceive to be beyond their control. Some people's bad attitudes predestine them to be stuck at the bottom of every pile and the end of every line. I am sick of catering to life's losers, whiners and professional victims. It appears as if some people might actually enjoy whining more than winning.

Yes, I agree, there's discrimination, prejudice and injustice in the world and it's wrong. There's so many people out there filled with mindless hate and jealousy. But just because some people are mean spirited and bigoted is no excuse for you to wallow in your own self-pity. Don't justify your failures because of something you perceive the world's doing to you. The prejudice of others may be an obstacle but you should never allow it to become an unbreakable barrier. That would then be your choice.  Some people have been festering inside, wallowing in self-pity and justifying their failures for so long they may never find their way back.

When I talk about losers, whiners, wimps and crybabies, I'm describing people who justify failure by blaming external forces in their lives. I am talking directly about and directly to those people who believe they have a right to give up and lay down because they think life isn't fair.

Why would anyone go through life hiding behind built in excuses telling everyone why their life isn't working? If someone can justify all of their failures and non-accomplishments with the pride of knowing it's not their fault, then what's the point? If any of these things sound familiar, stop blaming your problems and failures on other people, circumstances, and those things that are beyond your control. One thing prosperous people have in common is they've taken charge of their lives.  No excuses!

 

Don't Be a Quitter

Are you a quitter?

No, of course not! Not you. Never! No way!

Nobody likes to think of themselves as a quitter. The word implies "loser" and no one wants to be categorized as a loser. Yet, statistics show the majority of people tend to give up and quit. This has vast implications for those of us in the entertainment industry. Being an Actor, Writer, Producer, Director, etc… is a profession where quitting can be easy.  I am amazed every month by some of the things that happen in our industry.  I see actors, that with a little focus and persistence could transform their career for the better, but many fail to take action.  Why?

This month we are going to take a closer look at the phenomenon called quitting. We will look at why we quit and what we can do about it. Treat this article introspectively. Look at yourself and see if you have the tendency to give up. If so, resolve to change your behavior and watch what it does to your sales results.

We Fail Because We Quit

I was reading some old articles by time management expert Harold Taylor. He quotes a startling statistic provided by Lewis R. Timberlake in an article entitled, "It's Always Too Soon to Quit." Timberlake states:

Only 10% of people actually succeed at what they set out to accomplish

Another 10% accept defeat and try to resolve their feelings of anger and desperation by turning to drugs, alcohol and other obsessions

Finally, 80% of the population simply "endures" their frustration and blame the lack of success on circumstances.

Timberlake was not specifically referring to the entertainment industry, but rather to major goals in life. But I suspect there is a strong parallel to the entertainment world, at least when it comes to those who "endure" their frustration and blame their lack of success on circumstances such as Hollywood nepotism, bad agent, bad manager, bad luck, and the list goes on.

5 Reasons Why We Quit

We quit because it is easy to quit. We simply stop the effort. Quitting is the path of least resistance while perseverance takes hard work, elbow grease, effort.

We quit because it is rewarding. Think about it: when we stop an activity (such as going to acting class, investing in our career, staying in shape, making those pitch calls), that which causes us discomfort or grief stops immediately. We are, in effect, rewarded: no more frustration, no more rejection.

3.  We quit because there are no immediate consequences. Quitting tends to be a personal and silent thing. Usually no one sees or hears us quitting. We don't get an immediate reprimand.  We just kind of let things go away.

4.  We quit because taking action often means change. Change is uncomfortable. It creates uncertainty. It makes us self conscious. Change means leaving our comfort zone and rather than leave that comfort zone, we quit.

5.  We quit because we don't know how to proceed. Sometimes it is hard to take the next step in a task because we don't know what to do. We feel we have exhausted our options and we are too proud to ask for help.

How to Combat Quitting - Taking Action

Timberlake states we fail not because of bad breaks and circumstances but because we don't take decisive actions that will do something about the predicament.

This is a powerful statement. We fail because we don't take action. We become victims. We let events and circumstances overwhelm us. We watch and wait for someone else to take control of the situation. When nothing happens, when the situation does not change, we become discouraged. No wonder we quit.

To avoid being a quitter, here are some actions you can take:

Action #1: Avoid Quitters.  Quitters have a tendency to hang out together, at the coffee pot, at lunch and after work. Quitters look for others to support and excuse their inactivity. They band together and discuss their woes, complain, infect others and feed the ever consuming fire of despair and discouragement. It gets easy to toss in the towel when those around you have already surrendered. By the way, who do you spend your time with?

Action #2: Hang Out with Winners.  It is easier to hang in there when you are surrounded by those who have a more positive attitude. You will recognize them. For the most part, they are the top performers or the up-and-comers. They tend to look for solutions. They tend to be creative. These people don't quit. Seek them out. Spend your time with them.

Action #3: Seek Wise Counsel. I am surprised more people in our business don’t seek outside assistance. You need to actively search for coaches, mentors, experts... anyone who can help. It might be your manager at the agency, a successful actor you recently worked with, etc... Go and ask for coaching and advice. Take the initiative. If you are struggling, ask for help. Find others in and out of field that you can lean on for advice, tips, and suggestions. Find experts. Squeeze them for ideas, strategies, tips and tactics. Utilize them. The real point is you don't have to go it alone!

Action #4: Educate Yourself.  Be honest here: when was the last time you bought a book on acting, producing, sales or did a little research? When was the last time you invested some of your OWN money on tapes or seminars or newsletters? You have to take responsibility to build and hone your skill set too. Wise counsel is great but don't leave it at that.

Action #5: Learn to Analyze- The MBA Approach.  Many MBA schools teach ‘case study analysis.' Case study teaches you to analyze all your options. Here's a neat technique: Draw a long line on a sheet of white paper. Identify the two extremes of your situation. On the left side of the line jot down the words, "Do Nothing." That's your first extreme. This means you will leave the situation as it is and ‘endure.' At the other end of the line, jot the words, "Quit." This is the other extreme. This means you will give up the fight completely and run away. Now take a look at your spectrum. In essence, you have bracketed your situation. This gives immediate perspective. It graphically reveals the scope of the situation. Now, weigh the pros and cons of each extreme. For instance, doing nothing usually means nothing will change; not a great option. Quitting is even more drastic; not a great option either. Look at the line again. Between the two extremes you will see a lot of empty space. This is telling you that other options are available which lie somewhere on the spectrum. Now, THINK! What else can you do? Can you get help somewhere? Maybe your boss can help. Maybe your boss's boss can help.  Maybe your agent, maybe a friend, maybe a peer. What have others done? Can you put a spin on the situation? Think out of the box. Be zany if you have to. Don't quit, THINK. Push yourself. Go the extra step. Don't crumble.

Summary
Let's be candid: of course there are times when quitting is the best option. Pig headed, obsessive persistence can be destructive. But the real issue here is that quitting is done far too often and far too quickly in the entertainment industry. You know it and I know it.
The trouble with quitting too fast and too often is that it becomes addictive. It gets to be a habit and that's where the problems occur. Learn NOT quit so soon! Think, explore options, push a little harder and a little longer.

Take action and "never, ever quit."

 

Whatever it Takes

As we get closer to the end of the year it is a good time to reflect back on our goals and aspirations as we plan for the New Year.  Can you look back on the past month, the past year or even the past decade and say that you really did what it took despite the obstacles that were thrown in your path?

I’m reminded of the story I read about John Stephen Akhwari of Tanzania in the 1968 Olympics. He started the 26.2 marathon course with all the other runners, but he finished it all alone. With only a handful of spectators left in the stadium, John crossed the finish line, bandaged and bloodied, long after the winner broke the finish line tape. A reporter asked Akhwari why he didn’t quit. To which he answered, “My country did not send me to Mexico City to start the race. They sent me here to finish.”

Akhwari’s story is poignant because we’ve all been there. We’ve all been battered and beaten; often knowing that we’ve lost the race of the day. But we also realize that if we keep going, we will be able to run the race better and stronger the next time. The key is learning and growing from the experience and actually reveling in it.

Stories like Akhwari’s are compelling because they provide real-life examples of man conquering his obstacles. In fact, authors and screenwriters understand the power of creating a story line where the hero has to deal with seemingly insurmountable odds. The more the character has been beaten down, the more we cheer his success in the end. Hollywood has made a fortune on the triumph of the underdog.

Yet, in real life, we usually don’t have the same vantage point. We’re not able to see the whole story unfold; we’re not able to see the ending. We often just see the obstacles and the failures. Instead of being celebrated for pushing on, we’re often second-guessed or made to feel unworthy when we stumble.

In his book, A Long Obedience In The Same Direction, Eugene Peterson states it well. “We live in a time when everyone’s goal is to be perpetually healthy and constantly happy. If any of us fails to live up to the standards that are advertised as normative, we are labeled as a problem to be solved, and a host of well-intentioned people rush to try out various cures on us.”

We’ve become a culture seeking immediate gratification and happiness. Often, we’re judged as a winner or loser before we’ve finished our race. Everyone loves the winner, few befriend the loser. Peterson also quotes Ivan Illich who said, “You know, there is an American myth that denies suffering and the sense of pain. It acts as if they should not be, and hence it devalues the experience of suffering. But this myth denies our encounter with reality.”

And the reality is usually that the goals that will stretch and inspire us will come with a price. The price is that it won’t always be easy; important things rarely are. The price is that we may slip and fall along the way. We may become battered and bruised. But will we get up, dust ourselves off and keep going when no one is cheering us on? Will we persevere when others are labeling us a failure and moving on without us, because they don’t know the ending to our story? Will we keep going when the ending is no longer clear to us?

Like the marathon runner, we make choices every day. Do we finish the race? Do we gut it out when no one is cheering us on? Or do we give up, stop or move on to something less difficult? Are we willing to do whatever it takes?

 

The Unlimited Realm of the 5 year-old

This morning I was thinking of the apple of my eye, my little girl.  Well, actually not so little now, she’s 18, but will always be Daddy’s little girl.  My thoughts turned to a time when she was 5 years old and had a group of girls from her Gymnastics class over for a sleepover.  I remember listening to the conversations of these little girls, talking about what they could do and what they would become- Olympic Champions, Movie Stars, Pop Stars, etc… I was amazed at the confidence of youth.  

If we were to conduct a poll among the readers of this article to determine how many of you could sing or dance, I fear that we would receive the overwhelming message that the vast majority of adults feel they have no talent in these areas. On the other hand, if we were to conduct the same poll among 5-year-olds, we would find that virtually all of them are convinced they can sing, and virtually all of them have confidence in their ability to dance.

Most of the 5-year-olds have little or no real talent, but, instead, they are endowed with incredible confidence in their own potential. This confidence, or certainty of success, is something we were all born with but we later traded in for a strong dose of what we call realism.

Shortly after we reach school age, we are taught lessons about the world that revolves around us, limiting our vision and becoming realistic. I defy you to find a statue or a monument ever erected to anyone because they were realistic. All dreamers, all achievers, all great people kept their child-like faith in their own dream and their ability to carry it out, and these great people had an inordinate gift to disregard the world’s cries for reality. 

I recently had an experience with a person that was so dosed with “reality” that he actually destroyed what was probably going to be the best thing that ever happened to him.   Don’t let this happen to you, don’t let negativity control your life; don’t kill your dreams and aspirations.  Don’t let “realism” drive you to a life that makes you miserable or unfulfilled.

I challenge you to go through a single day exploring every aspect, not from what is realistic, but instead from what is possible. If we can master this, we will begin to revert backwards and live our lives in the unlimited realm of the successful 5-year-old.
 

Announcing our New Location

Our New Offices will open Nov. 15, 2006 at 1 p.m.

Please make note of the new information:

Result Talent Group

RTG Productions

468 N. Camden Drive, Suite 300J

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

(310) 601-3186

Fax: (310) 388-3121

 

Wanna Get Lucky?

Are most successful people lucky?  Yes, they are, but most of them create their luck.  I decided to write about this topic because of a conversation I overheard between two actors.  This week I visited the set of a film that one of my clients was shooting (a client that creates her own luck).  Just outside of her dressing room was the holding area for the extras.  While waiting by the door of her dressing room, I heard two of the extras, which I assume were actors that would like to be something more than extras, talking.  They were having a conversation about Eva Longoria.  One of the actors said, “I’ve figured out that to be successful in this business you just have to be lucky.” “You have to be in the right place at the right time.”  “Look at Eva Longoria.”  “She’s not that talented, she was just lucky- In the right place at the right time.”  The second actor agreed and both rambled on about, and seemingly committed to the belief, that they only way you are going to be successful in show business is to be lucky.  Well, I disagree with them on a couple of points, first, I think Eva Longoria is extremely talented, and the networks, studios, directors and producers seem to support this theory.  Second, since Eva is a fellow Native Texan, I have read many articles and interviews regarding her path.  Eva was lucky, but she was lucky because she out worked, out hustled, out planned, and out executed most of her peers.  Eva knew what she wanted and committed to get it.

If you want to be “lucky” like Eva.  You have to have goals and a plan to reach those goals.  I’m going to give you are great seven step guide to help you “get lucky.”  Most people start out with only a goal and totally miss the other six planning and management strategies. Setting goals is the very last thing you do and only after you have checked your intent, are prepared to pay the cost and have a clear vision of the results you want.

 Here’s the seven step guide:

1) Get Clear About the Results You Desire

The first step to achieving any significant result is to define what you specifically want.  Make a written list of your desired results.  If you feel confused coming up with a list of results, answer two questions:

• What do I want more of in my life (or business)?
• What do I want less of in my life?

Then when you feel clearer about the results you want, review them using these questions:

• What do I want? (focus on defining your end results)
• What is the real issue, problem or challenge that is preventing you from moving forward?
• What judgments have you made? (your abilities, opportunity, resources, motivation, capabilities etc.) Are they appropriate?

2) Deal with Unresolved Issues

Approach dealing with the issues or problems you identified from the last question with sense of urgency. When you identify roadblocks, beliefs, and attitudes that have been holding you back, deal with those before you go any further. Whenever, you identify roadblocks deal with them within 72 hours by completing it, planning it, set a date to deal with it, delegate or dump it.

Moving forward before resolving roadblocks and problems is not wise because it will waste precious time, energy, and resources. Wait until you resolve all unresolved issues and potential roadblocks.

3) Assess the Risk

Every major decision has implications and a cost associated with pursuing the goal. To remain congruent make sure you understand the risk and who will be affected by the actions you take. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Why do I want this?
• What will I experience more of in my life as a result of achieving/doing this?
• How is/will this decision/action affect me, my family, company and all those involved? Is this satisfactory?
• Who has successfully done this before that I can learn from?
• Who can I share this with immediately to get positive support, and feedback?

4) Examine Your Intent

Remember, the content of your intent becomes the content of your results. Maintaining a brutally honest perspective by maintaining agreement and harmony with yourself will create a powerful force, the force is called congruency. You can try and lie to yourself but the results you create do not lie. Answer the following questions:

• What is my intent?
• What is driving me?
• Do I really intend to do this?
• Is this consistent with my values and beliefs?

If you find anything that makes you feel uncomfortable examine what is behind that feeling. If you get stuck, go back up to the previous question and expand on your answers. As you rework your answers look for any conflicts or mismatches to the risk of pursuing the result identified.

5) Cost

It is easy to start a project but it can become very difficult to stay with the project- to give 100% and actually finish what you start.

• What is the cost associated with getting the result you want?
• Does this fit into my overall focus or will this simply be a strategy to divert my focus and attention?
• When should I start paying the price?
• Is this something I really want?
• What are my reasons for pursuing this? Am I listening to my own voice or someone else’s? Am I thinking for myself?
• What is my investment in the goal?
• Are my heart, mind and priorities in harmony?
• Am I willing to pay the price?

6) Vision

Take the time to create a picture with words of the end result and how much it will mean to you upon completion. Your vision is how you see yourself or your business executing your goals and implementing your ideas.

• Do you have a clear vision of where you want to be?
• What you will create and what you will become?
• Who you or your business can help?
• How you will make a difference?

A business plan is the best tool I know of to create a comprehensive plan that minimizes risk and maximizes your rate of return. A business plan is simply an organized way of setting goals, and making sure that you have the resources to achieve them.

7) Goals

Now is the time to put your plan together. At this point you should be a lot clearer about what it will take to achieve the results you want. You will have dealt with any “stinkin’ thinkin’ “ and you will be sure this is what you want. All that is left is to define the goals that will need to be achieved to produce the result you want and need.

• What specific steps will have to be achieved to accomplish this?
• Am I applying the most basic concepts that I know work? Am I making this project more complicated than it needs to be?
• Is there something that you will need to change or learn to accomplish your goals?
• What current strengths can you apply that will ensure the successful completion of your goals?

Don’t be fooled, there is still a lot of work ahead to achieve the results you defined in the beginning. What I can tell you is that by spending the time on this process you will have increased the odds you will actually achieve those results, you are congruent, in harmony with your skills, abilities, and opportunities.   Now, you are ready to be lucky.

 

 

Limiting Greatness

It has been said by many people smarter than I, that “the only limitations we encounter in life are those self-limiting ones we place on ourselves.” If this is true (and at this point I am neither agreeing nor disagreeing with this premise), why then do so few people reach their full potential? Why do so many people feel stuck, out of control and without hope in their lives? Why do so many people give up, quit, settle, resign themselves or operate out of blame, anger, guilt, resentment and self-pity in regards to the quality of their life?

If this question were answered in a book by the same title, it would never sell. Why? Because the very people we are talking about here do not want to take the responsibility for their lives. They insist on pointing a finger toward something or someone else for the cause of their station or circumstances in life.

I have been at the bottom of the barrel a few times in my life. I have also reached the mountaintop. I have met thousands of people who believe they do not have any choices. They are stuck: in a job, business, relationship, way of life, neighborhood, climate or career. You and I are not trees. We can change what we do not like. Then why don’t we?

…fear, comfort, procrastination, wrong motives or reasons, other’s emotional manipulation of us and our acceptance of it.

The truth is – and I didn’t just invent it or discover it – each of us came into this world headed for greatness in some way. We were engineered for success at birth and conditioned for failure along the way. We have forgotten our heritage. We have the most magnificent organ ever created in our skull – a mind that can create whatever it chooses. There is nothing we cannot do. The skeptics out there are thinking, “Sure, Darren. I can fly.”

I do not have the time or the interest to deal with skeptics or critics. If that is their attitude, I will bet they take it into other areas of their life as well. This is not about you or me flying, but realizing we can do whatever we put our minds to, as long as we put action into our dreams. Certainly there are physical limitations in many areas or with some people. My only point here is that we could do more if we would only learn that most of our ceilings are self-imposed.

I will give you a few examples.  This first one is very recent.  As a matter of fact, it is the one of the headline articles in the October 9 news section of my website.  One of my clients, Jennifer Sciole, recently booked a role in a feature film.  She wanted to be in the film because she really likes the producer and the cast.  The only role that was available for a female was one for a very tall, large breasted, funny woman with an eye contact problem.  Jennifer doesn’t fit the tall or large breasted categories, but she is funny.  She actually found out the role was available, called me and said, submit me, and tell them I can cross one eye.  Many actors wouldn’t have even tried to get the part.  Jennifer knew what she wanted and went after it- and booked it!  I have to respect her for that.  I wish I had 100 clients like her.

I’ll use myself as the second example.  Growing up, my family was very poor, very blue collar, and very fixed on what your station in life should be.  I was born destined, according to my family, to work in the Texas Oil Patch at one of the refineries or chemical plants.  But for me, I felt that was not the life I wanted, I wanted something else.  When I took a sales job to work my way through college, my friends and family consistently let me know that I was wasting my time, and why didn’t I just go ahead and get “a real job.”  After college, when I made my first six-figure paycheck in sales, my family and friends still insisted, “it won’t last, you should settle down and go ahead and take that real job.”  They would say, “it’s too hard to be successful in sales.”  When I went to work as a trainer for a Fortune 100 Company, during my first week I gave my boss my 5 year career goals.  After reading them, he saw that one of my goals was to be a Regional Manager in one year.  He told me, “there’s no way.  No one makes Regional Manager in less than 5 years, and normally it’s ten.”  I made it in eight months.  When I became Regional Manager, one of my goals was to be National Manager in two years, and again I was told, “It can’t be done.”  It was done in six months.  The same scenario happened throughout my career.  I was told that it would take twenty years for me to become a Vice President; I did it in five.  The reason I bring all of this up, is I know there were 20 people that started with the company at about the same time as I, and most of them were smarter, better looking, taller, etc… but they all put limitations on themselves; they all bought in to what other told them they couldn’t do.  They all laughed at “crazy ol’ Darrens” goals and dreams.  But I knew that the only thing that could hold me back was me, and I didn’t let that happen. 

What inner mental images are you holding in your consciousness that may be holding you back? Is it the fear of failure or success? Is it the fear of rejection or public scorn? Is it an inner feeling of unworthiness? Or is it some other emotional issue or scar that you have failed to recognize or deal with?  Whatever it is, get rid of it!  Program your mind with the attitude that “if it is to be, it’s up to me” and take action.

 

Seize the Moment

New Season- New Opportunities- New Plan! It’s September, time for a lot of things new; new schools, new television season, time to start thinking about a new year.  How big can you plan for you, your future and your family? My client and I were sitting on a plane a couple of weeks ago figuring out exactly what we will create the rest of this year, where we are going, how we want to live not just this year but into the future. I asked her, “do you want to be rich, famous or happy?” and she said all three! I love that answer!

You will either set your goals and make them come true or you will spend the next year and the rest of your life a slave making someone else's goals and dreams coming true! If I am going to make someone's dreams come true I want them be mine! Which will you do?

This is a good time to really get clear about what you want in life! Now is the time to decide what you want out of life and do whatever it takes to make sure you get it! Either that, or you will spend your life helping someone else get what they want. Don't kid yourself by thinking you can't do it, you aren't meant to be rich, you don't know enough, you aren't lucky, or whatever…anyone can do it if they want it and have a plan. Here is the hard cold truth of life! You are going to spend 1/3 of your life involved in your career and that won't change, no matter how much or how little you want! If you make ten thousand dollars a year you will spend as much time at work as someone that makes ten million a year, maybe more!

I recently read that the average American spends 109 dollars for every 100 dollars he earns. God Bless America, God Bless the American Consumer and God Bless Credit! The issue here is not how much people spend; the issue is that they don't produce enough! If you do as the "masses" do, you will be treated as the masses are treated. History would suggest that the masses of people typically don't do very well in life! You know, it takes masses of people to make a handful of people very rich. If you don't come up with a plan about why you go to work and what you will do with the money you produce, then you will spend your life simply making others rich!  Some people would suggest that these people should spend less money. I would suggest they just produce more! You will never save your way into wealth, and even if you could, by the time you have enough to produce some financial freedom; you will be so old you won't be able to enjoy it. The only way to financial freedom is to PRODUCE and INVEST the money, and then produce and invest again! Quit making 100 and spending 109. You are paying everyone except the most important person- you! Make 240 spend 109 with the bill collectors AND INVEST the 131 in you. And make sure the 131 is paid to you first not last!  I have actors tell me all the time, “I can’t afford new headshots,” “I can’t afford a good reel,” “I can’t afford a class,” “I can’t afford…,” then I see them charging up the credit card at department stores, night clubs, etc…  Come on, get real!  As soon as I find an actor that not willing to invest in themselves first, I drop them!

This is how I created my financial situation! I didn't have money to start with. I didn't come from money! First, I maximized my production as a sales person everyday I went to work. I didn't think in terms of a commission I thought in terms of each commission putting me in a position to make good investments down the line. Secondly, I set up accounts that were SACRED where money went each month that was set aside for investments in the future. This money could not be touched or used for anything other than investments. When I was paid each month the first thing I did was pay my investment account, then with whatever was left over I paid my bills. I enjoyed myself and produced enough so that every month I saved more than I spent! But no matter what, I paid myself first! I go to work for me not for the bill collectors! It's insane that people go to work everyday and all they ever do is just pay the gas, electric, bank, visa card, and the IRS. What about yourself?

This is what I did: If it cost me five thousand a month to live, I made sure I produced enough so that I could put away at least what I spent plus forty percent. If you are a commission person or salary with bonus based on production you have the ability to do this! Do you know what 7000 a month invested over the next ten years is worth? $840,000 in just principal- not including interest or appreciation.

I could then take that money and make a down payment on an office building worth over four to five million dollars and have the tenants pay the debt off over the next twenty-five years. I didn't buy a house, I bought something where I could receive income. Twenty-five years from now the building would be worth fifteen to twenty million and I only put 850k down on it!

After twenty-five years the renters have paid off the bank and I continue to receive income from each office that is rented! What did the building really cost me?

a) 4 million
b) 850,000
c) None of the above

The correct answer is none of the above. My customers paid for the building! The money I put aside each month came from the money I earned through my business. You have one person working for a commission and another guy across town thinking that every sale gets him a little closer to 25million dollars. Who is the stronger, more motivated, more inspired, more tenacious and more persistent! You don't have a chance against a sales person, business man, actor, producer, or anyone that thinks like that!

As a talent manager, as a salesperson, as a business owner, I never considered a customer/client as a commission but rather as someone who was going to put me in a situation to have an incredible life. Every person who I have made even the smallest commission on has contributed to the life I have today. Quit thinking about just the deal in front of you or the month! Create a life for yourself. Plan out what it would take you to have an incredible life and then do whatever it takes.

Anyone can create financial independence; it only takes desire, a commitment, a plan and some discipline! These are the steps:

1) Determine what it cost you to live comfortably each month without sacrificing.
2) Produce enough each month so that you can save an amount greater than what you spend. So if you spend 5000, you have to save at least 6,000 and that is in addition to your taxes!
3) Pay yourself first each month no matter what!
4) Do whatever it takes to produce the amount necessary each month! ACT LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!
5) Treat this surplus of money as though it were sacred and do not use it, no matter what, until you are ready to make your move. Take as much time as you need, continue to accumulate the cash and the perfect investment will show up when the time is right.
6) Look for investments

1. Where you can buy something that will increase in value,
2. That you can personally control
3. That generates cash while you own it
4. Where your down payment can buy something worth 4-5 times more than the money you have, and someone else will pay off the debt.

7) Stay focused on your goal and write it down each day before you go to work. And don't kid yourself, it’s better to be rich than to be poor! I was born poor, and it’s no fun. Somebody is going to have the money, it just soon be you!

Are You Surrounded By Success?

One of the secrets to being a successful manager, actor, agent, professional, business owner, etc... is to surround yourself with the right people. When I was the Vice President of a division that generated over 100 million dollars per year in profit for a big company, I made sure to surround myself with a management team made up of people that I felt were better managers than me, or had the potential to be a better manager than me.
 
I noticed that most of my peers, were insecure about their positions, and hired people that could not replace them or trained their management team to be dependent on them. As a manager, my goal was to find the best people, provide them with the best training possible, and get them promoted as soon as they were ready.
  
At no time was I ever worried about job security or being replaced by someone I hired and trained. After all, if I could find and produce the most talented managers for the company, I knew that I would be considered a valuable asset and a top executive. In fact, with this philosophy I went on to be one of the top producers in a company with thousands of employees.  Considering the fact that I was with the company for only 5 years and 32 years old at the time, and earning more than all of the other Vice Presidents (the majority of them being much older than me), this was quite an achievement.
I can thank one of my early mentors for the advice that he gave me early in life.  Bill told me, "if you hang around dumb people - you tend to do dumb things, and people will look at you as a dummy. But if you hang around smart people - you tend to act smarter, and people will treat you as such. So hang around smart people!"
 
I was just a kid when I learned that lesson, and that piece of advice has helped me succeed in my business and personal life. What kind of people do you surround yourself with? How do you want to be looked at? As the mediocre manager with a mediocre management team and mediocre staff, or the great manager with a great management team and a great staff?  As a mediocre actor with mediocre friends and coaches that tell you how great you are; or great actors and great coaches that push you to get to their level?
 
BOTTOM LINE:
If you want to be one of the GREATS, then surround yourself with great people.

EMOTIONAL BANK ACCOUNT - PROFESSIONAL BANK ACCOUNT

Chances are you have a checking account. In order for you to write checks, you must make deposits into your account. The more deposits you make, the larger the balance you will have. If you don't make deposits yet continue to write checks and make withdrawals, eventually your account will have a negative balance. If you continue to write checks even if your balance cannot cover the checks you write, the bank will eventually close out your account.
 
In your professional life, you have a professional bank account with the people you work with. When one of your employees takes initiative and does his job well, that employee is making a deposit into his professional bank account with you. If that employee continues to do his job well and continually makes deposits into his professional bank account with you, chances are you will reward this employee with bonuses, raises, paid vacation time, etc.
 
However if your employee shows up late for work or doesn't meet a deadline, that employee is making a withdrawal from his professional bank account with you. If that employee continues to make withdrawals and neglects to make the proper amount of deposits, eventually his professional bank account will be in the negative and the possibility exists that you will have to close his account and terminate him.
 
In your personal life, you have an emotional bank account with your spouse. When you do nice things for your spouse, you are making a deposit. When your spouse does something nice for you, then your spouse is making a deposit. When you give your spouse a sincere compliment, you are making a deposit. When you come home late from a night out with your friends and your spouse is upset, you are making a withdrawal.
 
BOTTOM LINE:
Always make sure that you have high balances in your checking accounts, your professional accounts, and your emotional accounts. Failure to make the appropriate deposits will result in closed accounts.

 

Keep Rollin’

This morning during my regular workout, I was thinking about an actor I spoke to last week.  When I spoke to him, he told me about what he perceives to be a dire situation in the entertainment industry.  He said that he has great skills as an actor, and in another time he would be booking series regular roles on episodics. However, because so many “movie stars” are now moving to television, and because the networks do so many reality programs, and because CAA, ICM, William Morris, UTA, and the other big agencies have such a lock on everything, that’s there’s no way he can make it- a little talent group like mine can’t get through the doors of Hollywood, and he can’t break through them as an unknown actor.  He told me that he was basically going to be out of the business, and he was planning for it.  Get that?  He was planning to stop doing the one thing in life he said he loves, he was planning for failure.  He has literally thrown his hands up and said, “I surrender, I give up.”  Why?  I just don’t understand it.  As I was thinking about it, I became disgusted, and it was affecting my working out so I turned on the ipod.   Of course, the first song made me think about it more.  This song will never be a great social classic, however it sent a message to me.  As Limp Bizkit sang “what you gonna do now?  Keep Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’”  I thought, you know, that’s what this actor should be thinking- “no matter what, I’m going to keep rollin’” 

He was making a self fulfilling prophecy.  While you may not always get what you want, you will always get what you expect! Surprisingly, the power of belief and expectation work just as effectively on your feelings of self-doubt and limitation as they do on your thoughts of success and achievement. Think thoughts of defeat or failure and you are bound to be discouraged. Belief is an incredibly powerful state of mind. Your belief system not only defines and shapes who you are, but it also determines your potential. Henry Ford was correct when he said, "Whether you think you can or think you can't - you are right." Your belief system, like your computer, doesn't judge what you input; it simply accepts it as the truth. Earl Nightingale, co-founder of the Nightingale-Conant Corporation, concluded that life's strangest secret is that you become what you think about all day long. If you want to know where your predominant thoughts lie and what you believe, look at what you are experiencing in your life. Your thoughts are creative by nature and express themselves through your emotions, which in turn, drive your actions. Everything you say, both positive and negative, is literally an affirmation.

"Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Choose your words, for they become actions. Understand your actions, for they become habits. Study your habits, for they will become your character. Develop your character, for it becomes your destiny."
- Anonymous

Many years ago, I heard about an eager, new insurance agent who had just received his license and was looking for prospects. He met with a successful businessman who had agreed to provide him with referrals. As the businessman handed the insurance agent ten referrals, he asked him to contact the prospects immediately and get back to him with the results. Two weeks later, the enthusiastic salesman dropped by the businessman's office to give him feedback and ask for more referrals. The insurance agent was pleased to announce that he had been very successful! He proudly stated that he had already contacted and sold insurance policies to seven of the referrals and was still attempting to contact the other three. After thanking the businessman for giving him the ten prospects, he asked him if he had thought of any other referrals. The businessman smiled and said that he was very busy at the moment and surprised the insurance agent by handing him a phonebook. The businessman informed him that the previous ten prospects were not his personal contacts, but rather names that he had selected at random out of the phonebook. He suggested that the salesman go ahead and get the next ten prospects out of the phonebook himself!

The astute businessman taught the new salesman an extremely valuable lesson in the power of belief and expectation. The salesman had made those sales on the belief that he had been given ten preferred prospects. Therefore, he was confident and eager to contact those leads and expected to make the sales with little or no difficulty. What is your belief about your market and what expectations do you have for your success? Yes, belief is indeed a very powerful state of mind!

The actor I mentioned above should be thinking “we are going to push and sell myself as an actor, I’m going to become a self marketing, self promoting macine, and grow, not matter what!”  “I am going to find a way to succeed, not matter what it takes!”  “I am going to maximize every opportunity, every audition, and I am going to create more opportunities. I am going to train better, implement better, and execute better than I ever have before!”  “I will succeed in difficult times!”  “This is going to be the best thing that ever happened to me!”  And you know what?  If that is his mindset, there’s a real good chance that it will be right.  How many of you remember what the economy was like from 1988 – 1992?  I do.  I ran a division of a big corporation that was really suffering.  If I would have said, “well, the economy is bad, sales are down, I just need to figure out how to live on nothing”, you would probably find me living under some bridge with a blanket and bottle today.  However, I decided that I was going to be successful and my division was going to be successful, that there was a way to excel in a difficult market, and I was willing to do whatever needed to be done.  Guess what, I was right, there was a way.  Right now, this may not be a great market for some of you, your brand may be giving up market share, your local economy may stink, and a number of other things may be negative.  How it affects you and your income is up to you.  You can plan for the worst and it will happen, or you can plan for growth and success and it will come.

Do or Do Not
Indecision and a lack of commitment will derail your success. That's not to say that you have to commit to everything that comes down the pike, quite the contrary. What it does mean, however, is that you have to determine what you need to accomplish and be 100% dedicated to do what you need to do to accomplish it. Forget the half-hearted attempts; the results will be disappointing at best.

In the film, "The Empire Strikes Back," there is a great scene between Yoda and Luke Skywalker. Yoda is in the early stages of mentoring Luke to see if he can become a great Jedi warrior. Luke is struggling with the mental toughness and focus he needs to move objects with the "powers of the force." Yoda instructs Luke to raise his sunken spacecraft from the murky swamp with his mental focus.

Skeptical of his ability, Luke says, "I'll give it a try." Without hesitation, Yoda snaps back, "No! Try not. Do or do not. There is no try."

How often do you say, "I'll try" and what does that really mean? "Try" is a weasel-word like "maybe." It's what we say when we aren't willing to fully commit to a yes or no answer. It's actually ok to say "no." In fact, I would argue that it is far better than saying "I'll try" or "Let me think it over."

So before you utter "I'll try," think about what you really mean to say. Are you willing to commit or not? Are you willing to do what it takes or not? There is no try!

Is it real?

If you are an actor, producer, director, studio executive, agent, manager, casting director, or anyone involved in the entertainment industry, I would like for you to ask yourself the following question about your goals:

My goals are:

A.  Something I would like to achieve

B.  A Guideline

C. A Target

D. Mandatory

Think about it, which definition is most applicable to your company or your personal goals?  We’ve found that only nine percent of people perceive their goals to be mandatory, and therein lies a commitment problem- their goals are not real.  If you’ve ever wondered why most people don’t reach their goals, it’s because their goals are not real, they are just dreams and wishes.  It takes a lot more than a dream or a wish to become successful.

About seven years ago I made a decision stop making the big bucks for the big boys in Corporate America and start making them for myself; so I started my first business.  I remember a friend of mine being very concerned and saying “Good Luck.  You know, you make a lot of money now, it’s really hard to start a business, and a lot of them fail.  But I guess you’ll be o.k. If it does fail, you could just go back to working for one of the Fortune 100 Companies; they love you.”  Without thinking and without hesitation I immediately responded that “being successful is not an option- I have to succeed.”  I felt that I had put over 20 years of work and training, plus most of my savings into opening the business, and I could never walk away without achieving my goals.

Think about how your people respond to your goals and your leadership.  I had the opportunity to work for a great leader at one time; the kind of leader that I would follow into any battle.  Today, I still try to imitate his example.  He set a goal for our sales division to add 200 new customers in 1998 so that we could take our a division of the company public before the year 2000.   As the Vice President in charge of the sales division, our goal was not an option, it was mandatory.  There was no way that I was going to let my leader, my team, or my company down.  Because the goal was mandatory, there was no question of “if,” the only question was “what will it take and how we were going to do it?”  Our entire sales team was committed, failure was not an option. We added over 500 new customers that year, more than double the goal.

The next time you travel by airplane, upon boarding ask the pilot how he feels about the goal of getting the aircraft safely to the destination city. Is it a guideline, a target, or something the airline would like him to do? If the pilot fails to immediately respond, "its Mandatory" - get off that airplane! A professional pilot knows that despite the weather, maintenance deficiencies, or other crises, he must land safely. The commitment is to make it happen.

That same commitment is needed for people in the entertainment business- in spite of the weather, the economy, the competition; we must find a way to attain our objective.  It’s our responsibility.  In the entertainment industry we often minimize the commitment that is required to hit our goals by finding one of thousands of possible excuses for not achieving our goals.  I hear people say all of the time, “I would probably book more jobs if I sent out thank you cards, made follow-up calls, you know, following the normal process.” I also hear managers of companies say, "we have a sales process, and if everyone followed the process we would sell more, but they don't."  I find myself thinking, “this is ridiculous.”  “If you have a process, and the process will make you successful, the why don’t you make it mandatory?”  The goal of following a good process shouldn’t be a guideline or something you would like to see happen, it absolutely must happen in order for your career or company to thrive!  Successful people don’t stay successful when the commitment to winning, to achieving, to meeting goals wanes.  Successful companies and people remain successful when their mentality is “if it is to be, it is up to me.”

It has been said that the difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will- a lack of commitment.  Success in the entertainment business, not just today, but in the future, requires that you make reaching your goals mandatory.

 

 

Crank it Up in 3 Steps

Do you want to achieve more? Do you want to crank it up a notch? There are three easy steps to do just that.

1. Know More
2. Do More
3. Become More

Sounds simple enough, doesn't it. While it may not be as simple as it sounds, there are some easy steps you can implement immediately by focusing on the right things. Let's look at the three items more closely.

Know More - If you want to be more successful, you have to learn and grow. Things change so rapidly that you can't stay still for long without being left behind or run over. So ask yourself, what do I need to learn to become an expert in my field, to be the best in my field? Then, do what you have to do to acquire the knowledge. Read, listen to tapes, go to seminars, attend classes, interview the experts; do whatever it takes to learn more.  Key phrase; “Whatever it Takes!”  I recommend starting with a book that really change my life, “The Greatest Salesman in the World” by Og Mandino.

Do More - Knowledge alone is not enough. You have to actually do something with the knowledge. You have to "do more." How are you going to apply the knowledge and skills that you already have? What actions are you going to take? What goals are you going to achieve. You have to become the valuable resource that you are capable of becoming. Remember knowledge is not power; APPLIED knowledge is power.

Become More - To become more, you have to be more. You may have heard that people are paid what they are worth. If you want to be paid more, you have to be worth more. You have to bring more value to the table.  The other morning I was going through my normal routine of self-improvement and evaluation.  One of the things I do before I leave to face the day is look in a mirror, reflect on my mission and repeat a mantra that I have been repeating every day for 24 years.  On this day when I looked in the mirror I thought about what I have become.  The day before I had done a speaking engagement that generated $43,000.  I was worth $43,000 for one day of work.  Next month, it will be $60,000.  To get to that level I had to commit to becoming more.  When I started as a motivational speaker about 10 years ago, I would only generate about $1500 per day.  Today, that wouldn’t even cover travel expense.  If I hadn’t decided to become more, I wouldn’t be in business now.  I wouldn’t have been able to open other businesses, give other people jobs, improve the lives of people and communities.  What are you doing to bring more value? How do you bring more value to your employer? How do you bring more value to your clients? How do you bring more value to your producers, your agents, your managers, yourself?

To get on the right path, ask yourself each day, "What am I going to do today to know more, do more and become more?" Then, work on your goals to make it a reality. Incremental steps every day will yield big results. If you're like most people, you will read this and say, "Yeah, I should do that." But the reality is not many of us actually will.

So, here's a simple plan to start small. Go to the library, bookstore or internet today and get a book that will be helpful to you in your business or professional growth. You may even have one on your bookshelf now that you just haven't gotten around to reading. If you spend a lot of time in your car, you may want to get an audiocassette or CD instead. Then set a goal to read at least 10 pages a day or listen for 20 minutes. Sounds easy, right? After you have completed each reading or listening session, write out a goal that you would like to implement based on ideas generated from the information. Be consistent, and do this every day. Before long, you will start to see real progress and growth.

 

Steps to Go from Ordinary to Extraordinary

Read this only if you are interested in simple, very plain truths about what it takes to be successful. I have tried the psycho babble approach to success, but all it did was have me spend time doing nothing. There is plenty of that nauseous stuff around to get us through the 21st century. I want to share with you some of the practical Real World advice that has led me to create the life I have wanted. And, yes, success for me includes financial freedom, as well as personal happiness, spiritual satisfaction and fulfillment, physical health, sense of aliveness and purpose, success and satisfaction in my relationships and just plain enjoying each day of life.

Some of the items on my list you will agree with and others might outrage you. I can only tell you that those who are looking to create success in their lives, are willing to really inspect what is true for them and move with action….

Step 1: If your Life is not up to the standards you know you are capable of, it's your fault. Success begins and ends with you! Stop blaming everyone else, stop blaming your agent, manager, Hollywood nepotism, customers, your boss, the economy, the politicians, luck, the weather, etc. Your Success always begins and ends with you. 

Step 2: Spend less time preparing and more time doing.  People waste so much of their time figuring out, getting ready, and preparing that by the time they pull the trigger, the opportunity (the moment) has either passed or they are frozen in "how" to do it rather than just doing it. I see people fixing their office, preparing their Daytimer and not doing the only thing that will get them to where they want to go. Take Action, and take it in massive amounts!

Step 3: Quit thinking that you are going to have success without having Financial Success. It is not possible to be a good husband, father, wife, mother, good employee, actor, producer, director, contributing member of your community if you are constantly worried about how to pay your electric bill. Money greases the machinery; it makes things happen, so you need to put your aims at having money to get things done!

Step 4: Quit trying to PLEASE everyone. The word nice comes from the work stupid, so be careful being too nice. Having everyone like you is not the goal here. I assure you not everyone likes me (particularly my competitors), but I am not trying to please everyone I am trying to create a life for myself and my clients and still benefit others. The reality is most people do like me, but I am not living my life to gain their approval. Be true to yourself!

Step 5: Quit Believing Everything You Hear and Observe for Yourself. Get Guidance but please be careful of who’s giving it. Everyday people are going to psychologists and psychiatrists without any knowledge about who they are, what they teach, or how their patients are doing. If you knew the results of these so called professionals you would never spend a moment with them. Before you seek advice from someone on acting or producing, be sure they have been successful. The other day I watched a lady getting a fitness program developed by a person who needed a fitness program.  Yesterday I spoke with an actress that needs representation, but some genius told her that she could get representation without signing a contract.  I told her that I spend too much time and money on my clients to go without a commitment.  She proceeded to let me know that her “source” told her that Brillstein-Grey represents people without doing a contract.  I would be really surprised if that’s the case, and even if it is, why would they represent her, and if they did, how much attention would she get?  Come on!  Her advisor has her thinking that they are going to give her the attention they give Brad Pitt, Nicolas Cage, Sean Combs…right!  So ask for the statistics and expertise of those you seek counsel from.

Step 6: Walking on hot coals, breaking boards and such gimmicks may be good for a weekend but they are not solutions to creating the life you want! Deciding what you want and moving toward that goal with pure intention, and taking massive action followed by more action will get you what you want, and nothing less than that will do!

Step 7: Keep yourself pumped and focused. You’ve gotta' believe in you. Success is about having self esteem, believing in yourself, having a little respect for YOU. It's all about you, your confidence, your attitude when you really get to the bottom of it. 

Step 8: Never follow the masses. They are ALWAYS wrong. They have one thing in common and that is they never make the right decision. If 6 billion people agree on something then I can assure you they are lost. Find out what direction is true for you! Avoid the mass movements!  It’s funny when I talk to people in Hollywood about the things actors, producers, directors, managers, and agents should do.  There’s this prevalent attitude that says “this is the way it’s done here, and you should do it that way.”  I’ve learned since I’ve open my business here that very few people like to break from the status quo.  That’s great!- Because it means that it will be very easy to distinguish yourself, to set yourself apart, in this business.  Establishing a contrast to the masses is a very important factor to success.  If you want more information on this topic, refer to my article “The Laws of Influence.”

Step 9: Get into the habit of reading. One of the things I learned to do very early in life to stay pumped was to read about the success of others, to learn from them, and implement what I learned in my life and career.  Establish the habit of reading on a daily basis.  Just think of it this way; when you read a book, in many cases the person that wrote the book spent a lifetime of trial and error to figure out how to do something successfully.  They went through all of the pain, learned the hard way, and condensed a lifetime of knowledge and know-how into a little volume that can be read in a few hours.  To me, it’s amazing!  I recommend starting with “The Greatest Salesman in the World” by Og Mandino.

Step 10: Set Specific Goals. I’ve met and talked with some of the most successful people in the world, leaders of industry, athletes, entertainers, and every one of them keep written goals, ranging from 30-day projects to 10 year programs. I was impressed that their goals are IN WRITING. Athletes had performance targets, and the business leaders had sales goals. They all had family or personal goals that were just as detailed as their professional objectives. The advice we have all heard about writing down your goals really works!

Step 11: You have everything you need right now to succeed right now! You are endowed with it. It's just a question of getting the junk stripped away so you can find your passion; discover the greatness of who you are! The biggest sin of a human beings is that we don't see how incredibly powerful we are!

 

 

 

 

Pain of Discipline vs. Pain of Regret

Today I woke up early to do my daily 3 mile run.  Unfortunately, I didn’t sleep well last night, it was a little cool outside, and my feet were hurting from wearing new running shoes the day before.  Trust me, I didn’t want to go outside, but I did.  After my first mile, I found myself thinking, “I’m tired, my feet hurt, and my legs are burning.  I could just stop now and walk.”   I have come face to face with my demons. They are the voices that tell me it's OK to give up. They seduce me with visions of breakfast in bed and the thought of doing anything BUT the training scheduled for this morning.  They tell me I can let my training slip and no one will know. (Which is true. I am the only one who knows how often I am supposed to run, how far, and how fast.)  These demons attack my intentions.  And it would be easy to give in.  But then I think, what's the cost? What price will I have to pay if I give up? The answer?  Regret.
When I realized I was thinking the negative thoughts, I thought about a lesson I learned a long time ago, the lesson of Price vs. Promise and Pain of Discipline vs. Pain of Regret.  You see, I know that to maintain good health at my age requires regular exercise and a good diet, that’s the “Price” that must be paid.  If I am willing to pay the price (the pain of discipline) by exercising regularly and eating right, I know that in the end I will feel better and look better (The Promise).  This morning, the pain of discipline lasted about an hour. One taxing, often teeth-gritting hour. But if I hadn't gotten my butt up to run this morning, the pain of regret would have lasted indefinitely. I would have felt guilty and knocked myself for being lazy. I would have known that I had given in to those demons and let them win.
If I give up, if I fail to be disciplined, if I don’t exercise and I don’t have a good diet, I will get fat, be tired most of the time, be less productive, and maybe even have health problems down the road.  Even with my business, if I don’t discipline myself to stay healthy, my business suffers because I am less productive.  After my workout, I felt proud because I knew that getting there hadn't been easy. I tackled the rest of my day with the confidence of someone who has accomplished something before most people have gotten out of bed. Weigh the two concepts in your mind. What will it cost you to crack down and follow through on some daunting, but necessary task? What will it cost you to quit? 

Take a moment and think about the sum total of everything you’re currently doing to improve your health, fitness, physique and athletic performance. Think of every detail you can - the workouts, the dieting, the level of effort, the sweat, the time - everything. Do the same thing regarding your business or acting career.  Think about all of the things you are currently doing to improve your business and skills.  Now grab a pen or pencil and a blank sheet of paper and draw a small circle - about the size of a golf ball - in the center of the sheet of paper. Imagine that all the work you’re doing is contained in that small circle. Inside your circle, write the words, “Where I am now: My comfort zone.” Next, take your pen and draw another circle outside the first one so you have two concentric circles. (If you didn’t draw the first one yet, go ahead and do it now so you have a visual).
The larger circle represents personal growth, increased performance and positive change. In the fitness arena, that might mean better health, higher levels of cardiovascular fitness, increased strength, larger muscles or decreased body fat. For an actor it might mean improving a skill or technique, better roles, more opportunities, accelerated career growth. In business it might mean improving a skill, increasing sales, increasing profits or customer satisfaction.  If you’re not seeing the changes you want – a frustration so many actors, people involved in the entertainment industry, and businesses  are experiencing today - it means you’re staying completely inside that circle of comfort most of the time. In order to make a positive change in your life or business, you have to expand your boundaries by climbing outside your comfort zone.
If that’s all there is to it – if a little step outside your comfort zone is all it takes to grow and improve, then why don’t more people and businesses do it? What makes that little step so difficult?  The answer is simple: In the space between your two circles, write the word, "pain" a few times, all the way around the circumference. You see, the second you leave your comfort zone, you experience pain, DIS-comfort and awkwardness. Since all positive changes take place outside the comfort zone, change is painful. The very instant most people feel the pain, they pull back inside the comfort zone. This is the reason why most people fail to improve themselves or create lasting changes in their lives: They are unwilling to put up with the pain of change.   I have business managers tell me “we could improve our business and revenue, but our people don’t follow our process; they’re lazy, etc…,”  I have agents and managers tell me all of the time, “we would like to grow and improve, but our actors won’t follow our instructions, our process; and if we make them, they will find other representation.”  I have actors tell me,  “I know I would improve my bookings if I did daily training, but I don’t have time.”  You get the idea. Excuses!  The real reason they don’t do it is because it’s not easy.  It takes a little bit of pain.
The pain we’re talking about may be: (1) the physical pain of muscles aching and lungs burning, (2) it may be the emotional "pain" of feeling awkward and clumsy at doing something new (such as pushing yourself to learn a new acting skill, stretching your range, developing a better process, learning new sales scripts  or sales presentations), or (3) it may be the “pain” of discipline and sacrifice. (For example, in your personal life, saying no to dessert, getting up at 5:30 a.m. for cardio, or passing up on a night out at the bars with your friends;  in business, keeping your sales staff accountable, holding daily one-on-one meetings, tracking your selling opportunities, activities, and results.). Most likely, it’s all three types of pain.
The statement “no pain, no gain,” has been misinterpreted, criticized and labeled a fallacy by many. However, the people doing the criticizing are almost always “comfort zoners” who haven’t achieved much with their lives. Don’t listen to them. Never follow the herd (unless you want to step in a lot of manure). Instead, follow the small percentage of people who step out and achieve great things.
Achievement expert Brian Tracy says, "90% to 95% of people will withdraw to the comfort zone when what they try doesn't work. Only that small percentage, 5 or 10 percent, will continually raise the bar on themselves; they will continually push themselves out into the zone of discomfort, and these are always the highest performers in every field."
Studies at the University of Chicago by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, author of "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience", concluded that the highest achievers are those who consistently push themselves out of their comfort zones. Instead of withdrawing to their comfort zones when they don't get immediate positive results, they force themselves to stay at this awkward, uncomfortable and painful (but higher and better) level of performance until the pain finally subsides and they become comfortable at the new higher level.
Here’s something important you need to know about pain: my friend Tom Hopkins, one of the world’s top motivational speakers, taught me this lesson many years ago and It's been burned into my brain ever since. He said, “The pain of every change is forgotten when the benefits of that change are realized.”
If you ask a champion in any field of endeavor, you will find that rather than avoid pain, they embrace it and accept it as part of the game they must play to win. Champions realize that pain equals growth and the benefits far outweigh the discomfort.
Seven-Time Mr. Olympia (and our Governor) Arnold Schwarzenneger said, "I realized that pain could become pleasure. We were benefiting from pain. We were breaking through the pain barrier and shocking the muscles. I looked at this pain as a positive thing, because I grew."
Cyclist Lance Armstrong put it this way: "Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit however, it lasts forever."
Muhammad Ali said it like this: "I hated every minute of the training. But I said to myself, bear the pain now and live the rest of your life as a champion."

Go back and look at your circles again. Do you realize that it may be entirely possible to continue expanding your circles to infinity? Draw a third one, and a fourth. Imagine yourself climbing up out of your comfort zone to these higher levels and look back at how small the space is that you used to occupy. You have far greater potential than you’ve ever imagined.
In William James’ essay, "On Vital Reserves: Energies of Men", he wrote, "Compared to what we ought to be, we are only half awake. Our fires are dampened, our drafts are checked. We are making use of only a small part of our possible mental and physical resources. The human individual thus lives usually far within his limits; he possesses powers of various sorts which he habitually fails to use. He energizes below his maximum, and he behaves below his optimum."
It’s a widely accepted fact that we only use a tiny fraction of our physical potential and even less of our minds. However, no true expert in human potential today would ever dare set a definite limit on what we are ultimately capable of achieving because for all practical purposes, our potential is literally infinite.
Have we seen any slowdown in athletic, intellectual, spiritual and scientific advancement during our lifetimes? Quite the opposite; the curve of progress is accelerating thanks to the brave souls who had the courage to step out their comfort zones. Meanwhile, the mediocre masses are left further and further behind because they would rather pull back into the apparent comfort and stability of their small “circles” rather than step forward through pain and into growth.
Ironically, when someone says, “I’m happy just staying right where I am,” he or she is demonstrating their ignorance of a basic law of nature. It’s the natural law that all things in the universe are either growing or decaying. There is no standing still. “Comfortably maintaining” is an illusion. Truth is, you must grow. You must push yourself beyond what you’ve done in the past if you want to avoid falling behind.
You don’t necessarily have to aspire to become Mr. Olympia, Tour De France winner, heavyweight champion of the world, or the number one producer, casting director, studio, actor, director, agent, manager... in the world,  but you must continue to grow, whatever that means to you. All you have to do is step outside your comfort zone and endure the “pain” of effort, discipline, sacrifice, frustration and hard work, and your reward of growth is as certain as the sun rising in the East tomorrow.
Soon the pain subsides, you enjoy the benefits of the change, and the pain is forgotten. You’ve reached a new, and higher plateau of achievement. Be on guard, though, for it’s not long before that higher level becomes your new comfort zone, and then it’s time to press on again.
Ultimately, you can’t avoid experiencing pain of one kind or another.  The is no magic fairy that is going to sprinkle magic dust on your dreams and hopes to make them come true; if you want them to come true, you’ll have to act. Project yourself into the future for a moment; see yourself in your final days, reflecting on what you’ve achieved in your lifetime…and reflecting on what you wanted to achieve, but never attempted. As you visualize this scene, remember the words of Jim Rohn: "We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons."

 

 

 

Commitment, Do You Have What it Takes?

 

Have you ever wondered why some people are very successful, while others struggle day to day? Over the past 22 years in business I’ve met thousands of people, actors, business executives—some who have the natural ability to be superstars, and yet they are below-average performers. As a matter of fact, most of the people I’ve met who are superstars are, from a talent and physical appearance perspective, nothing special. For example: I’m an average guy—not tall, not particularly good looking, not a genius, not a naturally gifted salesperson—and yet I’ve been a tremendously successful business man and speaker.

So far, I have achieved and exceeded all of my goals. Why? The answer is commitment. ..... Recently, I was visiting with a friend at a Talent Agency and asked to use a computer real quick to check my email.  When I went into the office he directed me to, there was another agent there online, filling out an employment application at a job site. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen people on the computer during business hours playing games, chatting, or job searching. I always shake my head and think, “what a commitment to their craft!”

Do you let fear and worry dominate your thinking? Do you find yourself frequently questioning your decision on your chosen career? A lack of commitment not only creates self-doubt, it is emotionally draining and ineffective. No great achievement has ever been accomplished without a plan and commitment. Without commitment, you will be defeated even before you start. A lack of commitment is one of the major causes of failure, and it’s a weakness common to many individuals. However, it’s a weakness that may be overcome.

In battle, the ancient Greeks established a well-deserved reputation for bravery, discipline, and determination. They were successful because they were well trained, well led, and most of all, well motivated. The Greeks understood how to instill commitment and prepare their soldiers for victory.

To infuse their army with commitment the moment they landed on the enemy’s shore, the Greek commanders would give the order to burn the boats. Imagine the tremendous psychological impact on the soldiers as they watched their boats being set to the torch. There was no turning back. Once their boats were burned, they realized the only way they were going home was through victory. The ancient Greeks understood the power of commitment.

 In your career as an actor, agent, casting director, manager, etc… you are not asked to commit to battle, but make no mistake—commitment is required. And the moment you become committed to your goals and your career, great things will happen. The true underlying motivation for all success is a deep and steady commitment to the task at hand. The entertainment profession is a demanding and challenging career, but it is also highly rewarding and lucrative for those who are fully committed. If you have a lack of commitment, it’s time to burn your boat and become fully committed to your career. If you are merely “doing this” until something better comes along; or, for example, you are an actor but your real job is… it’s time to find a new career.

For those of you who really want to become a top professional actor, casting director, agent or anything else in the entertainment industry, the first step is to make a decision that you’re going to be successful. Burn your boat, and commit to doing whatever it takes to reach your objective. Once you’ve made a real commitment to be successful, write out your plan of action. What will you need to do to reach your goal? Once you’ve written your plan and are committed to it, the only thing between you and success is the execution of your plan. It’s up to you to carry it out.

Here are some strategies that top professionals in many industries practice daily to achieve success: Top sales professionals avoid things that keep them from being successful. They don’t wait around for something to happen, they make it happen. They stay away from negative people. They study to improve their skills, and they practice, role-play, and implement what they learn. They make sure they are working on career enhancing activities all day (during business hours), every day.

That means they are either training, on the phone with people that can move them closer to success, mailing letters or sending email, or out networking. Waiting around for “the lucky break” is not a career enhancing activity. Top professionals program their mind with positive things, review their goals every day, and have a plan to achieve these goals. The truly committed will not let anyone or anything deviate them from their plan.

I have a mantra I go through every day, which helps me reach and achieve my goals and reinforce my commitment to my career. I did the same thing when I was selling and running a Fortune 500 Company. A mantra is something you recite on a daily basis—principles that you program into your subconscious mind. I recommend that agents/managers use a mantra for positive programming similar to the one below.  Actors, Casting Directors, Directors, Producers, Industry Executives should do the same thing, just adjust the words to fit your craft:

• I will sell a client for a major audition today

• I will book a job today  

• I will give 100% professional presentation of my clients.

• I will follow-up on 100% of my client submissions for projects

• I will follow-up on 100% of my client auditions

• I will follow my agency process with 100% of my clients.

• I will get complete information, especially email address, from everyone I talk to today

• I will turn every deal that I can’t close now to my manager.

• I will prospect 5 new industry contacts today.

• I will track everything I do and document it in my daily planner/database.

• I will improve at least one skill today.

• I will do whatever it takes to achieve my goals.

With commitment, ordinary people can achieve extraordinary results.

Get started now—burn your boat, and never look back!

 

 

 

The Three Laws of Human Influence

Learn the Laws of Influence and change your career, life, and income– for the better.  These laws are so powerful, you will be amazed at how easy it will be to guide people to a buying decision, regardless of what you are selling- your services, your client, your film, your idea, or yourself as an actor. 

The first Law of Influence is The Law of Social Proof.  The Law of Social Proof says that if more than one person does something, other people will do it too.  Almost everything in society is influenced by social proof; fashion, transportation, education, etc…

How can we apply this powerful law to the entertainment business?  Here’s a few ideas: 1. Create a Social Proof/Evidence Book.  Get testimonial letters from your customers.  Show pictures from your projects.  Clip press releases and positive articles about your project or business.  2)  Make social proof statements whenever the opportunity arises, for example:  “Let me show you why 100’s of producers say they love doing business with us”,  “I understand how you feel, a lot of my clients felt the same way until they found how easy we are to do business with”,  “we have quite a few clients producing films using our facilities, they say that we are worth the drive”, etc…   Show your clients what other people think of the your product, skills, results and service experience.

The second Law of Influence is The Law of Reciprocity.  The Law of Reciprocity states that if you do something for someone, they will reciprocate in kind.  I’m sure you can think of many examples of this.  Ever had someone give you a gift for Christmas (you didn’t get them anything– yet), so you felt obligated to go out and get them something too?  This is also a very powerful influencer.  How can we apply it to the entertainment industry?  Give your clients a great experience when they come into your place of business, offer them something to drink, eliminate shortcuts– spend sufficient time with them, let them see and ask questions about your product or service.  Always send thank you notes or thank you email for everything- auditions, phone conversations, business meetings.  Make follow-up calls on submissions, meetings, auditions, and interviews to let the prospective client/employer know that you really want to work with them.  Remember birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions.  Talk about things that are important to the other person. Do these things, and people will reciprocate by giving you their business.

The third Law of Influence is The Law of Contrast.  The Law of Contrast states that nothing is good or bad until you have a benchmark to compare it to.  We can apply this powerful law through distinguishing ourselves and our business from the competition.  If we give our clients or perspective employers (casting directors, producers) a different, more professional experience, they will clearly see a value difference between us and the average actor, casting agency, production company, agency, etc...  I know this goes against a lot of the "Hollywood Standards," but I believe that this law is important.  For example, with my clients, I don't use the same headshot style that the rest of the industry uses.  I ask a lot of the agents I know what type of headshots they want their clients to have, then I recommend the opposite for my clients.  I want them to be distinguishable.  The status quo in Hollywood is that Agents and Managers don't really make follow-up calls on submissions and auditions- we do!  Why?  Because we want to be different, and we want to book jobs.  If you are a casting director pitching your services for a job, what will make the producers choose you over the other 400 casting companies out there?  If everyone is the same, makes the same presentation, gives the same service, then the only deciding factor will be the price- you get less- they pay less.  However, if you make your agency stand out; if you really make them see a value difference between you and your competition, then they will want you and want to pay more to have you.  Actors, if you do the same thing, look the same way, audition the same way as all of the other actors, again- what's going to make the casting director or producer choose you?  Set yourself apart.  If everyone say's you shouldn't dress to fit the part for and audition, then dress the part.  Of course, sometimes you will get that tired old CD that doesn't want to see anything different, so they won't book you.  However, more often than not, you will set yourself apart and put yourself in a better position to book the job.

 Ben Franklin used the Law of Contrast when making decisions, and selling– bet you didn’t know he was a great salesman.  To lead people to the right decision, Ben would take out a blank sheet of paper, draw a line down the middle, put a plus sign on the top left, and a minus on the top right.  He would then have his customers list all of the reasons why they should do something under the plus sign, and list all of the reasons why they shouldn’t on the minus side.  When they were finished he would add up each side.  If the plus’s outweighed the minus’s, then it was the right thing to do.  This method is call the “Ben Franklin Close” today, and it’s still powerful because it applies the Law of Contrast.  Try it with your business, product or project.

If you practice and apply these laws, they will put you and your business on the road to growth and prosperity.

 

Tips for Casting Directors from a Producer

We asked Producer, Diana Lui, the question, "What can a Casting Director do to make production easier and better?"

Here's her tips: 

Basic organization & being prepared on time.  Make sure they have the most up to date Cast Day-Out-Of-Days when making the offers.  Have cast deal memos done as soon as possible...especially before the actor starts work.  Have & maintain a cast list with all the necessary info production needs.  Deal with any Taft Hartleys that may need to be done.  Don't expect or wait last minute to ask for scripts from production.  Make sure the production coordinator is aware whenever there is a casting session so it can be put on the schedule.  That's all I can think of at this late hour.  Hope that helps somewhat.

 

1/20th of a Second

When looking at a web page, internet users form first impressions of web pages in as little as 50 milliseconds (1/20th of a second) In the blink of an eye, web surfers make nearly instantaneous judgments of a web site's "visual appeal." Through the "halo effect" first impressions can color subsequent judgments of perceived credibility, usability, and ultimately influence our purchasing decisions.  I want to give you an example of the Halo Effect.  Internet users will have an initial reaction- a gut reaction to what they see.  The first impression carries over to other attributes of things on the web page, called "the halo effect."  or cognitive confirmation bias.  They will search for confirming evidence and ignore evidence contrary to their initial impression.  People want to be right, and tend to look for clues that validate their initial hypothesis.

You are probably thinking, "what the heck is he talking about?" and "how does this relate to anything we do?"  About 95% of talent submission is done via the internet today.  Casting Directors are basically the web surfers described above.  Your headshot, profile, resume online gets 1/20th of a second to make a great first impression, 1/20th of a second to get them to consider you for the part.  In addition, regarding the Halo Effect, if we manage to sell a Casting Director on you, despite a poor headshot, and you get an audition-  when a producers see's your headshot, he or she will form an initial impression.  If that impression is poor, then the Producer will be looking for reasons to validate his or her initial impression during the audition- and you don't get the job!

What I'm saying is that it is vital that your headshots make the very best possible first impression.  Your resume needs to make the very best possible first impression.  If you don't have good headshot, get one.  Stop making excuses like "I can't afford it."  Find a way to afford it.  The poor headshot could very well be why you can't afford it- it's keeping you from getting jobs.  If you don't have much on your resume, get things on there.  If you have not done a lot of big jobs, put everything on there- background work, theatre, anything that makes it look like you have a body of work no matter how small the part.  As you get bigger roles you can slowly replace the smaller roles.

I am going to send everyone a copy of their profile on breakdown services.  Look at it and figure out how it can make it give the best possible first impression.

 

 

 

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