I have an important question for you.

What are you offering to your agent or a potential new agent to “sell” you with?

Take a look at the word represent. It literally means RE-present.  

Having a firm grasp on what you are presenting and what you are uniquely offering the show business marketplace is the surest way to quicken your climb on the ladder to the kinds of acting jobs you desire, gain visibility accompanied by acknowledgement, and attain the kind of financial stability and abundance that you seek.

When I ask this important question these days, most actors know they should have this answer at the ready, but many still haven’t done the work to figure it out or chosen a “defined” product for presentation.  Your talent is only one component of your offering. Other things to consider are your skill set, appearance, gender and age range but the most important thing to consider is your essence and archetype.

As a person you were born with innate qualities, tone of voice, and a vibrational essence that cannot be separated from the roles you will be acting in.  Your essence is felt in the audition room and will impact the performance you create in the show or on the set.

As an actor in a play, film, TV show, commercial or anything else you’ll be cast in, it has to be written first.  Writers create characters drawn from something called “archetypes”.  A few examples are: Leader, Caregiver, Sage, Adventurer, Innocent, Everywoman/man, Rebel, Hero, Lover, Devil, Jester, etc.  ALL story is comprised of these archetypes for the purpose of creating contrast.  If every character in a show was a Leader type, it would surely be boring…just as if every character in a show had a Jester type, it too wouldn’t have enough contrast to keep us interested.

Take the mega hit show Friends as an example.  If you take a look, each of these 6 characters are distinctly different archetypes.  They were not all Jesters. Even though the show was a comedy and all of the actors and storylines hilarious to watch, Matthew Perry as Chandler was the Jester.  Monica played by Courtney Cox was the Caregiver and her brother Ross, David Schwimmer, was a Leader type.  Throw in Joey (Matt LaBlanc) as the Innocent, Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) as the Adventurer and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) as the Everywoman and you had the explosive mix of a group of people that the writers created wonderful stories around that lasted for 10 seasons and 236 episodes.  This show will most likely continue to be shown for decades more, bringing laughter to millions and millions of dollars more to the actors and other creatives responsible. This wouldn’t have been possible without the contrast of these archetypes.

As an actor, if your goal is to make money acting, it would also be wise to stay with a particular archetype.  Using David Schwimmer as an example, the majority of his roles since Friends have been Leader types, as in the role of Robert Kardashian in The People vs. OJ Simpson. Matt LaBlanc plays wide eyed, you could have fooled me (and often do) characters in the series’ Episodes and Man With a Plan. Jennifer Aniston has done countless movies playing that Everywoman/Gal next door type.  Of course these very famous actors have also played roles outside of these main archetypes but the majority of the projects they work in and the roles they play keeps us a loving audience because we can count on them based on what we liked in the past. And this keeps them in the category of continually working actor. Literally bankable!

You want this too?  Figure out your archetype.

Don’t make it too complicated…archetypes are meant to be broad and actors often imbue a combo of two.  Two at most, but not more than that.  Harrison Ford has always played Everyman/Heros and Julia Roberts Leader/Lovers.  This is just the start of a larger conversation of how you can create your niche (rhymes with rich!)

If you think of an archetype like a sign of the Zodiac you’ll understand that though you were born on a certain date and that makes you one of 12 possible signs, you have the qualities of all 12 within you.  I’m a Libra, known for our wide smiles, being lovers of peace, happy in nature and loyal to the core (amongst other traits) but you may recognize some of these qualities in yourself and might be a Pisces or Sagittarius. Get it?

The point is to determine what your predominant archetype is and once you figure out this essential and important information, combined with your own natural essence, you’ll be able to “brand” what you offer with your marketing materials.  Then your carefully crafted message of what you’re presenting (headshots, resume, website, social media, online submission profiles) along with what you say in person and in writing will get you in the right doors to show your talent.

Your talent agent, or potential new agent/manager, will then be able to RE-present you and zero in on connecting you with the kinds of opportunities that fulfill your wildest dreams.  Begin this important process of defining your product today!

OK, OK, I hear ya.  A few posts back I gave you the answer to how to stop struggling by creating inspiration.  The answer was this: the minute you’ve recognized the thought that is creating the struggle, just let it go.

I got a lot of emails asking me “How do you do that?”  By the way, I’d love it if you’d ask these wonderful questions in the comments section of the post so that I can answer here on the blog and everyone can access my answer instead of just one person, capisce?

So here it is:  The number one way to “let it go” is to GO GENERAL.  To stop the forward momentum of a negative recurring thought (you know the one(s) right? That one…that just came to mind!), once recognized, and that’s key, is to think a less specific thought.

Here’s an example.  One of my recurring thoughts that keeps me struggling is “it has to be perfect”.  When I write these posts, create courses, choose webinar discussion topics, or am about to give a talk or speech, I want it to be perfect.  This often stops me from getting it done.  Projects take longer than they need to and I’m never truly satisfied.  But I have identified this as a negative, recurring thought.  After I recognize this thought again (and again and again) I GO GENERAL.  I don’t think about how to stop this thought or even change this thought.  I GO GENERAL.

I look at my dogs and focus on how awesome they are.  I look out the window and see the blue sky and appreciate how lucky I am that it’s a pretty day.  I wash the dishes.  I call my mom.  I do something to take my focus to a general and non-specific place, especially around the “perfectionist” conversation.  I do something, anything, to slow or stop the forward momentum of that particular unworkable thought.  I GO GENERAL.

By simply engaging in the process repeatedly once the thought is recognized – again that’s the key – this practice is your beginning to stop struggling, by letting it go, therefore slowing that momentum, bringing in a clearing for inspired creativity.

Got it?  Broken down, I’m sure you’ll agree this is a LOT simpler than the persistent struggle and rat-on-a-wheel thinking that keeps most of our creative community in “starving artist” mode.

It’s starts with your thinking!  Feel free to let me know your thoughts on this subject in the comments section below.  I’d also love for you to share how you might GO GENERAL the next time you recognize a negative recurring thought.  Here’s to your inspired ACTion!

People often ask me, “what is the most effective technique for transforming my career quickly?” OK the truth is, they don’t really ask this exact question but the bottom line is that what they mostly want to know is how to get what they want in this biz faster and easier.

Well I gotta say that after years and years of research, my best answer is to just be a little kinder. What? Huh? No seminar or course or pathway or step by step plan to follow? Bummer. Not really. It’s a lot easier than you think.

This is the paradox of the power of kindness. It doesn’t feel powerful at all. In fact, it almost feels too simple to be important. It’s actually the #1 thing that can transform your career and indeed your entire life. And in the business of show, I say it’s a secret weapon to get where you want in your career faster and with ease.

How can that be? Because simply put, kindness is the foundation of a good heart and with a good heart…a good life will follow. You are a giver of gifts in the form of your talent, but if your good heart isn’t in it, I fear you have a tough climb ahead.

Have you ever practiced random acts of kindness? It was a big thing awhile back and I started this practice when it was a trendy and loved it so much it’s now a part of my everyday existence. Try it!

Buy a movie ticket pass and give it to the girl that makes your coffee at Starbucks. Take out your neighbor lady’s trash. Take that flyer from the guy on the corner with a big smile and a thank you instead of charging by with your head down. Pick up the garbage someone just tossed at the can ahead of you and missed. Keep some quarters handy to put in people’s expiring parking meters. My personal favorite is to clean a public bathroom I’m using by picking up toilet paper and paper towels off the floor and putting them in the trash where they belong or mopping up water around the sink.

Practice kindness toward others, but don’t leave yourself out! Take a bubble bath. Buy yourself some fresh flowers. Get that doo dad or gadget that you’ve been wanting but denying yourself for whatever reason.

But how does simply being kind impact your career so that your transformation from talented unknown to rising star happens gracefully and easily? How can it not? This is a business built on relationships where it’s all about who you know and who knows you. Creatives want to work with people they not only know, but also like, trust and who are genuinely nice. It’s pretty simple really. Just be kind!

Having confidence in yourself and that the path you’ve chosen is the Golden Rule in your career.  If you don’t have it, how can you expect your talent agent, a casting director or other industry players to have the confidence to hire and work with you?

We all have moments of doubt about whether we can truly achieve our dreams, hopes and goals, and that’s OK, but only for a moment! This can, and most likely does, happen in other areas besides your show biz career…your physical body and attractiveness to others, your ability to provide for your basic needs and for the needs of your family, and even simply having the confidence to speak the truth about a situation.

A lot of people might believe they are confident, depending on how they feel on any given day. But true confidence is not a fleeting thing that is here today and takes a holiday tomorrow. Confidence is all pervasive. It shows itself in every aspect of our lives: the way we view ourselves, perceive our world, approach crises, the way we treat others, our readiness to exercise compassion and forgiveness, and, most important, the way we treat ourselves.

True confidence is an incredible feeling because it has attributes embedded in it which are the hallmarks of the ability to reach your wildest dreams with speed, ease and power.

Want to build your confidence easily without struggle or effort? Practice confidence by giving and receiving acknowledgment. How to do that powerfully?  Take on this confidence affirming and fun exercise:

The next time you’re in public (at a class, audition, a store, walking down the street) and with someone who you don’t know, offer a genuine compliment.  “I love the color of your sweater.  You look great in it”.  Or, “great smile!” or “you have a great way of doing that”. Then just keep moving.  You’ll probably notice their attitude shift, sometimes “puffing up” with gratitude or even a stunned silence.  It doesn’t really matter which as you’re not doing it for the reaction, you’re doing it to offer your words and yourself authentically with confidence, expecting nothing in return.  Move on, feel good and let it go.

The other half of this exercise is to receive a compliment with confidence, offering nothing in return but a “thank you”.  The next time someone says “great scene work” or “I love the color of your sweater, you look great in it”.  Simply say “thank you” and move on, again, feeling confident and feeling good.  Why?  Too many people deflect compliments, making excuses like “oh, this old thing”? Or “it’s nothing”, or some other self-deprecating remark.  It actually steals the thunder of the person who offered the compliment. It undermines their confidence.

See both sides?  Practice this simple giving and receiving of compliments today, tomorrow and the rest of the week.  Without knowing how it works, by the end of the week your confidence will rise significantly.  Cool or cool?

I’d love to hear your comments here, especially after you’ve done this exercise!  Thanks for sharing your experience.  It’s truly inspiring!

“The battle of life is, is in most cases, fought uphill; and to win it without a struggle were perhaps to win it without honor. If there were no difficulties there would be no success; if there were nothing to struggle for, there would be nothing to be achieved.” – Samuel Smiles

Huuuuuuhhhhhh? I have to admit I used to believe in struggle. Although I didn’t realize it, I’d believed in struggle for years. Years. I would have some success and then find some way to screw it up to slow my progress. I would go forward, then back 4 steps, forward a few and keep repeating the cycle. It’s like I had to make things more difficult for myself then they needed to be. Have you ever done that?

What I didn’t get back in the day is that I bought into a really bad BELIEF about struggle. I thought things needed to be difficult and a struggle was necessary in order to achieve my ultimate goal(s). It’s a belief passed onto all of us from our environment; home, school, parents, jobs we’ve had, and other people around us, particularly in this business of show.

It’s a belief I see so often in the ‘starving artist’ community. Check this out:

You know that saying – ‘the rich get richer and the poor get poorer’? I’ve come to learn it’s true, but it’s only true because the poor have bought into the belief called struggle. Struggle is all about negativity. Struggle develops from a self image that doesn’t believe one’s worthiness to succeed. The rich know there is no struggle with regard to making money. If you haven’t already, I recommend highly that you read “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill to dig deeper into this subject. In fact I created a great seminar on the subject called “Think and Grow Rich Acting” so actors could see these hidden beliefs and blind spots, identify them, and release the struggle.

But what is the origin of all of this often expected, and mostly taken in stride struggle? It develops from a belief around one’s worthiness. Heck, we all want to succeed, but do you believe you will, and if so, what is that belief based on?

Do you realize there may be some ridiculously stupid belief you bought into years ago that’s holding you back today from your best self? Yes, someone said something, and you believed that in order to have what you really wanted, it would be hard, a struggle, and you might possibly NEVER get it. Like that huge acting career, with an awesome agent that leads to an Oscar and a bulging bank account? Can you have that?  Only if you believe you can.

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right.” – Henry Ford 

So what’s the opposite of struggle?  Stay tuned for my next post…