Which One Are You?

You want the best acting career you can achieve right? Well, there might be something stopping you that you aren’t even aware of.

There are two types of people in this industry, perhaps in the world. Those who see what they desire. And those who see all the obstacles to achieving their desires.

Reminds me of a friend who confessed that he wanted to become an actor. But he told me he couldn’t do it because he didn’t think he would get into drama school, told me that even if he did, he wasn’t sure if he could afford to do it, told me that even if he graduated drama school, he might not get a decent agent, told me that even if he did get a great agent, then he might not get any work and the statistic is that 5 years after graduation, only 10% of graduates are still acting.

How could he ever achieve his goal of becoming an actor, if all he could see, if his vision was clouded solely by the obstacles that he would have to overcome to get there?

Reminds of a friend who wants to become a screenwriter. She told me that she didn’t want to write a screenplay if no one was going to buy it. Told me that even if she did write a good screenplay, it might not sell. Told me that if it did sell, it might not ever be made. Told me directors would probably spoil it, producers would probably mess with it. Told me that she didn’t have the time to write one anyway.

We’re not talking about positive or negative people. We’re not talking growth or fixed mindset. When presented with a goal, some people obsess on the goal and some people obsess on the obstacle and how it prevents them from getting the goal.

Our attention is controlled by your Reticular Activating System (RAS). It’s designed to filter information so that we can focus on specific things that help us survive and thrive. When our RAS focuses solely on the obstacles, that’s all we can see. When it focuses on goals. That’s all we tend to see. It’s not optimistic, realistic or pessimistic. They see obstacles and that serves as the proof they need to strengthen their belief in how difficult it is to achieve their goal.

Not convinced that your brain can alter your perception of things with you having any choice in the matter?

Ever seen this dancer? She appears to be spinning in both directions. Your mind simply finds evidence in the movement of her body to justify one interpretation or another. BUT if you focus hard, you can watch her foot and see it moving back and forth, back and forth. She’s not spinning at all.

It reminds me of the quote from William Arthur Ward: “The pessimist complains about the wind the optimist expects it to change; the reality adjusts the sails.”

Observe yourself today. Can you see only the obstacles? Can you see only your desires? Or can you imagine navigating your way around those obstacles to get what you want in your acting career?

How you see your goals will massively impact on whether you will achieve them.