I’m currently reading Andy Andrew’s The Traveler’s Gift. One word…awesome!
I am writing out these couple of pages from Chapter 3 because I want it to really saturate my psyche.
It’s a tad long but worth reading every word. If you really want to feel the power…read it out loud!
THE FIRST DECISION FOR SUCCESS The buck stops here.
From this moment forward, I will accept responsibility for my past. I understand that the beginning of wisdom is to accept the responsibility for my own problems and that by accepting responsibility for my past, I free myself to move into a bigger, brighter future of my own choosing.
Never again will I blame my parents, my spouse, my boss, or other employees for my present situation. Neither my education nor lack of one, my genetics, or the circumstantial ebb and flow of everyday life will affect my future in a negative way. If I allow myself to blame these uncontrollable forces for my lack of success, I will be forever caught in a web of the past. I will look forward. I will not let my history control my destiny.
The buck stops here. I accept responsibility for my past. I am responsible for my success.
I am where I am today—mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and financially—because of decisions I have made. My decisions have always been governed by my thinking. Therefore, I am where I am today—mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and financially—because of how I think. Today I will begin the process of changing where I am—mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally and financially—by changing the way I think.
My thoughts will be constructive, never destructive. My mind will live in the solutions of the future. It will not dwell in the problems of the past. I will seek the association of those who are working and striving to bring about positive change in the world. I will never seek comfort by associating with those who have decided to be comfortable.
When faced with the opportunity to make a decision, I will make one. I understand that God did not put in me the ability to always make right decisions. He did, however, put in me the ability to ‘make’ a decision and then ‘make it right’. The rise and fall of my emotional tide will not deter me from my course. When I make a decision, I will stand behind it. My energy will go into making the decision. I will waste none on second thoughts. My life will not be an apology. It will be a statement.
The buck stops here. I control my thoughts. I control my emotions.
In the future when I am tempted to ask the question “Why me?” I will immediately counter with the answer: “Why not me?” Challenges are gifts, opportunities to learn. Problems are the common thread running through the lives of great men and women. In times of adversity, I will not have a problem to deal with; I will have a choice to make. My thoughts will be clear. I will make the right choice. Adversity is preparation for greatness. I will accept this preparation. Why me? Why not me? I will be prepared for something great!
I accept responsibility for my past. I control my thoughts. I control my emotions. I am responsible for my success.
I love those times in life when we reach a fork in the road. The road untraveled is always a scary one but filled with magical opportunities. When I’m hesitant, I like to remind myself the best opportunities often require I walk towards the fear.
Will Lisa walk towards the fear? Check out Episode 5.
Oh and don’t forget to vote for CHICK in the Streamy Awards for best new web series.
I’ve always found if fascinating how much we cling to old patterns even when they no longer serve us. Often times it seems we’d rather stay with what’s painful but familiar than go for something new but unfamiliar. This is Lisa’s dilemma in Episode 4 of CHICK.
We all have big dreams we’d like to realize. It’s amazing how often people kill our dreams just by the things they say. Lisa fights for her dream to be a superhero in Episode 3 of CHICK.
I trust everyone had a great Christmas if you celebrate that holiday.
Here’s episode 2…my favorite one so far. Hope is restored in this episode. Enjoy!
My web series CHICK is on hiatus for the holidays. If you haven’t watched the show, catch up over the break. I’ll be posting a recent episode every couple of days throughout the holidays.
If you like what you see, please vote for us in the Streamy’s awards for Best New Web Series.
You can vote once per day per category through January 22.
CHICK has been getting some great press including a feature in the print and online editions of a recent Sunday Washington Post. Check it out here.
So here’s Episode One of CHICK…enjoy! And Happy Holidays!
I wrote an article for my friend Sarah Sido’s site Brains of Minerva. It’s my take on how actors can take more control of their careers.
Check out an excerpt…
HOW TO BE A STAR – PART ONE
Here’s the quick answer.
Make the switch in your head and decide you’re a star now!
Okay, once you finish rolling your eyes let me explain what I mean.
Working behind the camera for a while now, developing and creating my own projects, has changed my opinion about how actors should approach their careers.
I’m a big believer in being proactive and making things happen instead of handing the power over to someone else to decide the fate of your career.
Acting is a tough gig. You’re faced with challenge after challenge. First it’s finding good representation, then it’s getting casting people to see you, then it’s getting called in for an audition, then it’s trying to book that first small role, then it’s trying to get in for bigger roles…you get the idea. It’s an uphill battle, not for the faint of heart and on top of it all your fate seems to constantly be in the hands of someone else; an agent deciding whether to represent you, a casting director torn about bringing you in for a role, a producer or director unsure if they should hire you.
There’s no way to avoid the way the system works, it is what it is, but there is something you can do while you wait for those big breaks to come along…decide you’re a star now!
Okay so what does it mean to decide you’re a star?
Getting my site completed is taking longer than I’d like but for good reason. CHICK, an interactive web series I’ve been working on for the last year, is finally launching. I’m excited and nervous at the same time. It’s like giving birth to a baby.
CHICK follows the adventures of Lisa, a woman disillusioned with her life, as she sets out on a quest to realize what she believes is her destiny; to become a superhero.
This web series is a passion project for me and very close to my heart. It manifested out of a very challenging relationship I was in.
On January 5, 1998 I was held at knifepoint for a night by my boyfriend.
It was the best thing that ever happened to me.
It forced me to look at a lot of choices I had made in my life that weren’t serving me and of course, being an artist, I explored this through my art.
CHICK started out as a feature film called “Guerilla Girls”. It was about a group of girls who went around beating up men who were a**holes. It was dark. It was angry. I was definitely working it out.
From there it morphed into a story about one main character who wanted to be a superhero to feel worthy. She still beat up men but something didn’t feel quite right about that angle so I let the idea sit for a couple of years.
By the time I revisited the script I had become fascinated with the internet. I reworked what I had to better suit the web. I also found a lightness to the story I had been searching for and the CHICK interactive web series was born.
Season one begins tomorrow, but it’s really just a tiny taste of the fun journey I plan to go on with this character and project. I hope you’ll tune in, become a fan, and share your thoughts.
