Celebrating the Successes

Lately I've done a lot of complaining about what hasn't been working out...the two SAG national commercials, the big network series audition, etc. What I've failed to mention is what is going right and that's plenty!

It's May and I've already booked six jobs this year, including my first indie film lead and a national print campaign. My agent has kept me very busy auditioning and I've gotten a callback on almost every big audition this year.

And it's no happy accident. At the end of 2010, I decided 2011 was going to be my year to kick it into high gear and see what happens. No more negative self-talk, no self-sabotage, no more giving up on myself when things didn't go my way. And I've already faced bigger challenges this year than I ever have before, but I've also gotten bigger rewards.

It's going to be a tough year ahead. Even though I've come very far, I have a long way to go. I've started back to class again and am surrounded by some extraordinarily talented people, which makes me feel like I'm starting all over again. But they will push me to demand more from myself. There's nothing that excites me more than a challenge.

It's a journey and a process just like anything else in life. Those who succeed are the ones who push on when they have no reason to. You have to believe in yourself. Those are the defining moments in life when you just know you have to show the world what makes you special. That's when the magic happens. It's not in the perfectly executed auditions or bookings, it's in the pushing forward when you have absolutely no reason to.

So while the bookings and monetary gains are one measure of success, the bigger one is the personal development and proving to yourself just what you're made of. Nothing could ever take the place of that. As far as that's concerned, I already feel like a star.