What Actors Can Learn from Athletes

This week Glasgow is alive with the spirit of the 20th Commonwealth Games. I was there at the opening ceremony and it was magical. Full of Scottish humour and the best of the arts. I’ve been watching a lot of sporting events over the past few days and on Saturday I will be heading to watch the Table Tennis finals.

It occurs to me that actors could learn a lot from athletes. They are both in such competitive worlds, and yet, athletes and actors behave so differently towards their performances, I thought that I would look to athletes to encourage you to do your best.

Here’s what actors can learn from athletes:

  • Athletes start young. Some actors start young. The younger you start the better. But just like the green bowling team, you can be a winner at any age.

  • Athletes put their development first. We will not be seeing many (if any) of the swimmers at the closing ceremony. Why not? Because they are away to train for their next competition and they cannot afford days off sitting around waiting for the closing ceremony.  They are dedicated to their training, they put it ahead of anything else. Some actors understand this. Most do not. Why should actors be any different? If you truly want to succeed as an actor, take a leaf out of the athlete’s book and put your development first. Before everything. If you can’t do that, then you may not make it. Put your development, put your acting career ahead of all else, because trust me, those ahead of you ARE. To become the best takes sacrifice. Decide if you want it enough to sacrifice holidays, music festivals, birthday parties and other lovely things MORE than you want success. Athletes put their career first.

  • Top athletes have goals and a timetable of when they will achieve them. Create a plan of your goals, make them small and measurable first. To get signed by an agent is a great goal for you if it’s attainable. If it’s not, then shift your first goal – to get good enough to get an agent’s attention. Carry out your plan. Take daily steps towards your goals. As you develop, re-evaluate your plan, adjust and improve it.

  • Top athletes have tremendous determination and commitment. There are a hundred excuses to avoid doing something. You’ll never be successful in any field without overcoming that. Recall your reasons for wanting to be a successful actor. That should give you the inner strength to achieve it.  If there’s something you don’t want to, start your day by doing it. Who wants to get up every morning for a 60 minute swim at 5am before going to work? As Brian Tracy says, you gotta eat that frog, do the worst thing first every day.

  • Top athletes have discipline. Some actors have discipline. Most do not have the discipline they could have. The self-discipline to kick your own ass. To stay later and arrive earlier. To learn your lines regardless of how late it is when you received them.

  • Athletes employ performance psychology to help them, actors should be the same. If we can fail, we will often sabotage ourselves to give ourselves an excuse later. Give yourself reasons to succeed instead. 

  • Athletes are good sports. If you live in envy of other’s success, you may never achieve your own.

These are just a few reasons why we as actors can learn from the best athletes. Put your career first. Understand what it takes. And you will become the best. It’s not luck. It’s mindset plus good coaching plus a shitload of graft. And that’s the thing, it isn’t relevant how ‘talented’ you are now. It’s how willing you are to develop the right mindset, get the best coaching (athletes move countries to be near the best coaches), and your willingness to graft. Not once a week. Every day. Talent is easy because we can hide behind the myth of ‘you’ve either got it or you don’t.’ – what really makes a difference is your mindset, coaching and graft. And faced with that reality, there’s only one person responsible for your success or failure.

Choose success.

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