In an industry that often shines the spotlight on the external + the material, it is easy to let your ego lead the way, keeping you feeling small, feeling like you’re an outsider + that you are somehow not enough.
Comparing yourself to others or even to “where you should be by now,” will quickly chip away at your confidence.
Maybe you look around and see those who are achieving success and think they have something you don’t have. Add a few scrolls through Facebook or Twitter when you are in a negative funk, and it could leave you feeling pretty hopeless + depressed.
Well, guess what?
At the age of 23, Oprah was fired from her job as a TV reporter. She was actually told she was “unfit for television.”
So how did she keep going, keep believing in herself + find the confidence she now exudes? I was so inspired to recently learn this….
Have you ever had moments where you really wondered if it was all going to work out for you (I had this feeling after every bad date I ever went on), but then, it somehow turned out better than you planned? (Now that I’m happily married…I can officially say, yes.)
When this happens in your acting career, is it because you did one more mailing or one more workshop? Or is it because you finally told yourself, it would all just work out…and somehow, someway, it just did?
Here’s a story that might help you believe in magic (even when you don’t see evidence of it.) (more…)
Your world is a mirror reflecting back to you your own inner state. When you are in a state of turmoil + struggle, then you will see a tumultuous world full of struggle. When you are in a state of inner joy, you will experience a seemingly joyful world full of possibility.
The tone of your experience is always preset by you, since what you see on the outside, is simply a reflection of your inner state of consciousness.
How does this affect your acting career?
You will spend most of your life as an actor, not getting the role. It is how you handle + internalize NOT getting the part that will determine your success. How will you let rejection affect your state of mind?
You can either use each audition as a chance to create a compelling character, play in the room, leave + let it go. Or you can use each audition as a chance to beat yourself up for not being good enough, when you don’t get the part.
When you don’t book the job, it’s easy to go back + replay your audition in your mind, telling yourself…
“I should have said this line differently. I should have worn blue. I should have taken more time with it. I shouldn’t have taken so much time with it. I should have stood for that scene. I should have sat for that scene. I should have been different, better, prettier, younger, older, wiser, and on and on and on….”
When you play the game of “If I only did this audition in a different way than how I chose to do it”, you are telling yourself + the Universe…”I am the problem. I need to fix something. I am not enough.”
It’s one thing to learn from an audition experience + walk away realizing, “I could have listened more, been more present or have connected more,” but if you did your work + just didn’t get the job, instead of beating yourself up, making it all about you + what you didn’t do or say or be…
Try this mantra….
Since our lives become a mirror of our inner state of being, I have a feeling this mantra must have been very present in the internal mindset of the following actors who didn’t get the part, but didn’t let it ruin them. They all went on to have huge careers.
Here are 10 successful actors who did not get the role, but also, didn’t dwell on it.(more…)
I’ve been there. I’ve auditioned for roles that have gone to someone younger, to someone older, to a more well-known actor, to an actor you’ve never heard of, to a blonde, to a brunette, to a guy, to another ethnicity, you name it, I’ve experienced it. I’ve been released from “avails” + have seen lucrative campaigns come to an end.
Yes, an acting career is like a marathon-length rollercoaster ride.
The key is that every single time I’ve used what other actors might deem as a setback or a failure, to fuel me.
Ultimately, I’ve used each experience (after the initial shock is over!) to deepen my trust in my own future, to believe that good always finds me, to lift myself up + to keep going. (Some days are easier than others, of course.)
But when I do this, things have always surprised me in the most miraculous ways and none of it was what I would have planned.
Ultimately, you have to….
Of course the work of doing this is an inside job. This internal work is part of your work as an actor. The ability to do this is what will get you to where you want to go.
So, now that we are 6 months into the year and you may have experienced some surprises + some “setbacks”, dig deeper than ever before and really …. (more…)
When you don’t get a callback or book the job you’ve auditioned for, do you beat yourself up or do move on easily? It might be comforting to remind yourself that every successful person has been rejected along the way!
If you’d like some proof that every successful person gets rejected along the way, here are a few of my favorites rejection quotes…. (more…)
One of the highest places you can get to
is being independent of the good opinions of other people.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer
So, you didn’t get the part. They “went another way.” When this happens, do you take it personally, feel rejected and start questioning yourself or your talent? Or, do you tell yourself, “it’s just one opinion and something better is on its way to me.”
What if the people the entertainment industry considers to be “experts”, are sometimes wrong? Here are 10 examples of why you shouldn’t care what others think! (more…)
YOUR AFFIRMATIONS ALLOWED ME TO STEP OUT OF THE FEAR AND BE PRESENT IN THE ROOM.
"I just returned from an audition after listening to your guided meditations. Your affirmations allowed me to step out of the fear and be present in the room. As I waited for my audition I envisioned the session being successful and feeling empowered afterward. And it was and I did."
I BOOKED THE JOB! LISTENING TO CREATING POWERFUL AUDITIONS MADE A DIFFERENCE!
"Been listening to your "Creating Powerful Auditions" mp3 daily since purchasing about a week ago. Listened to it on the way to an audition...took a few moments before leaving my car to do the visualizations. I walked into the audition room feeling totally empowered, feeling light. I booked the job. I feel your album made a difference. Thank you, Wendy."
I'VE TURNED A SLOW STREAK INTO A BOOKING STREAK AND I FEEL REALLY EMPOWERED.
"Wendy is so generous with her knowledge and understanding of the deeper, inside work that goes into living a healthy, happy, well balanced actor life. Her daily inspirations mean so much to me...and I'm grateful for the custom guided meditation she wrote for me. I've turned a slow streak into a booking streak & I feel really empowered."
2013-11-25T02:34:15-08:00
Community, iCarly, Good Luck Charlie
https://actorinspiration.com/testimonials/bartag/
Anzu Lawson
I BOOKED TWO ACTING GIGS IN THE SAME WEEK BECAUSE I HAD HER CD ON REPEAT!
"I listen to Wendy's guided meditations pretty much every chance I get. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have her amazing voice in my ear keeping me empowered, inspired + in the right mental space to persevere day in and day out. I booked two acting gigs in the same week because I had Wendy's Creating Powerful Auditions album on repeat. Thank you WENDY for your positivity + light!"
SINCE LISTENING TO YOUR GUIDED MEDITATIONS, I BOOKED 2 FEATURE FILMS
"I bought Creating Powerful Auditions and I listen to it every morning. "Empowering Myself" is my absolute favorite meditation, sometimes I put it on repeat until I fully and truly feel every declaration. Since I've been listening to your guided meditations I booked my first feature film + also recently booked the lead role in my first horror film. Thank you for coming into my life!”
