My kindergartener continues to be a huge source of my inspiration, and frankly, one of my best teachers (in acting + in life).   He lives every moment in the present moment + always authentically expresses how he feels.

Last night, he didn’t want to do his homework.  He had to write multiple lines of upper + lowercase “S.” He declared loudly ,”I hate doing this,” and scribbled S’s on a page.

I get it.  There are some things I ‘hate” doing too, yet it seems the more I choose that perspective, the longer the task seems to take and the result is rarely one I love.

The same was true for my son, even at 5 years old.

I gently responded with…”I see that you’re frustrated, but what if you think about your friend Sophia while you’re printing your “S’s.  You could even tell her you’ve been working on the “S” in her name.”  He smiled.  He loved Sophia, he thought about her for a moment and began to draw a nearly perfect S.  I was in shock + replied, “Wow, that was amazing.”

Then I asked him, “Who is in charge of your mood while you are doing homework?”

He smiled + said, “I am.”  And he just got it.

I didn’t know if my suggestion would work, that part was up to him.  But watching a 5 year old go from hate to love in mere seconds and seeing his handwriting change accordingly confirmed what I know to be true…

I’ve run into many actors over the years who have said things like “I hate auditioning, I hate going to callbacks, I hate driving all over town, I hate this business.”

I’m not sure if any of them were consciously aware that bringing all this “hate” energy into their work, was not helping them get results they loved.  They usually used their lackluster outcome to fuel their mood, instead of knowing it actually works the other way around.   It’s so easy to blame auditions, traffic or a seemingly rude casting director when you don’t book the job, but the reality is you have the ability to transform it all.  Once you see that you can choose a new perspective, you regain your power.

Or as Wayne Dyer likes to put it…
“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

What if the next time you caught yourself in “HATE” mode, ranting about all the things that aren’t working in your favor, you used this acronym to turn things around….

You could say…”I’m noticing that “I hate”, so now I…..”

Have
Awareness
To Transform The
Energy

When you can stop yourself + become aware of your energy, you can transform it.  You can turn hate into love.

I also noticed lately that what I say to my son every time we are about to cross the street has become the perfect advice for us actors to follow.  Stop, look + listen.

It’s so simple, but effective on so many levels.  It’s really the “grown up” version of being mindful as we are crossing the “streets of life.”

Here are 3 Ways To Transform Your Acting Career + Your Mood (As You Turn Hate Into Love)

The simple technique of mindfully telling yourself to “Stop, Look + Listen” (in all kinds of situations) will help you transform HATE into LOVE.

1) Prepare Yourself In Advance

The main reason you “hate” getting stuck in traffic is because you feel out of control + most likely you feel you are wasting your time doing nothing.

Sure, no one wants to be stuck in hours of traffic, but when you prepare yourself for those situations in advance you can actually capitalize on the down time.

A) Stop complaining + be prepared for your next long commute (in a car or on the subway)

• Record your lines on Voice Memo (or any free recording App) + run your lines
• Download your favorite podcasts + catch up in the car or subway
• Have a to-do-list of important phone calls you need to make + get them done.

B) Look around you.

• Notice the beauty in the world as you drive.  By focusing on what there is to love all around you, you will find it hard to hate.
• If you are stuck on the subway, do a character study of people around you.  Notice how quickly we all type-cast people.

C) Listen to an uplifting audio, or call a friend who inspires you.

When you make the most of the time you have, you’ll begin to love the time you are given.

2) Watch What You Say Each Day

You can remind yourself to…

A) Stop SAYING words that perpetuate more of what you don’t want.
B) Look at the results you’re getting from the way you’re thinking (they’ll always match).
C) Listen to what better feeling thoughts sound like when you say them + say them more often.

Anytime you stop, look + listen, you are tuning into the present moment where you have a choice that will effect your day.  You are the one in charge of choosing to love or to hate and the outcome will always tell you which drum you are beating.

 When you play the What-If? game, look for things that make you feel better. There is never a situation in which there is not a way out—but, out of habit, most people continue to choose the “lack” perspective until they eventually find themselves where it seems that there are no more choices. But as you hold to your intention to look for evidence of Well-Being and thriving and success and happiness, you will tune yourself to the vibrations of those things—and so those kinds of good-feeling experiences will dominate your life.
— Abraham Hicks

3) Become Mindful of Your Focus At Auditions

Stop, look + listen can also serve you in the audition room.

When you are feeling your nerves get the best of you.

A) Stop + breathe.  The more nervous you feel, the more likely it is you’re not breathing deeply.
B) Look at who you are talking to + take them in.
C) Listen + really hear them.  Don’t just wait for them to stop talking so you can deliver your next line.  Hear what they are saying.

Really breathing, taking in your environment and focusing on the reader or casting director will often help to reduce your own anxiety.

That is the ABC’s of Stop, Look, + Listen + how they can transform your mood + your acting career.

Who knows, you may just start walking around saying “I love auditioning.  I love going to callbacks.  I love having time on my commute.  I love this business.”

I have a feeling the more you choose love over hate, the more you will find to love in your life + your career.

Leave a comment and let me know what shift you are going to make from hate to love?

Here’s to loving what comes your way!

Love + Gratitude,