I have interviewed hundreds of talent who want to become actors, models and musicians. Some of them have succeeded, many of them have not. What I’ve found is that the people who are the most successful have seven similar things that they practice regularly that help them consistently succeed. Here’s what I’ve learned.
1. Ditch the Fixed Mindset and Go For Growth
Don’t be satisfied with what you’ve already achieved. Celebrate the win for a few minutes, then look forward. When you have a fixed mindset, you’re excited because you participated. You believe your own press. Those who are most successful know that they have to keep growing and pressing forward. They know that they have to go over that monologue again. They run the extra mile. They do the extra reps. They set up a system to follow up with people they’ve met. They know that they never arrive–they are running a marathon not a sprint.
2. Adopt An Abundance Mentality, Not Scarcity Mentality
There are approximately 160,000 members of the Screen Actors Guild, out of whom 2% are working. That means that 156,800 of them paid the initial fee to join, pay their yearly fees and are not working. Now…you can see that one of two ways. You can look at that and say, wow, that’s a lot of people who aren’t working. Or you can be the person who knows that they are putting in the work, they are constantly networking, has done the research and knows what they qualify for, and are ready to be in the top 2% of actors.
3. Fail Forward Fast
Instead of being afraid of hearing the word no, embrace it.
The word “no” in business is not personal.
There are so many factors that go into decision making that you cannot see. Perhaps the client wants someone who is 2 inches taller; who has a different hair color. Your job is not to take rejection personally–your job is to enter every room so prepared that when you are told no that you know it is not because of you…it’s literally because of factors that you could not control.
4. Create a Long-Term Vision Instead of Only Short-Term Goals
One of my mentors told me a long time ago that I have to start the way that I want to finish. He told me that in reference to setting up a business, but that applies to acting, modeling and music as well.
If you don’t know where you are going, how will you know how to get there?
Do you want to grace the cover of one magazine, or do you want a long-term career in modeling that will allow you to create a magnificent life? Do you want an extra role in a show or do you want to leave a legacy that leaves people talking for decades?
Create a vision board of what you want to accomplish over the course of your life, and start moving toward those goals.
5. Listen to Your Gut
If it seems too good to be true, it is. Let’s be honest, there are no shortcuts in life. You know that as well as I do. The actors, models and musicians that you look up to and admire didn’t get there by luck. They weren’t overnight successes. Their overnight success took them 20 years of hard work. Stop looking for a shortcut and do the work. Network. Train. If you have to ask if it is legit, it’s probably not.
6. Let Positivity Flow Into Everything You Do
Whether you believe you can or you believe that you can’t, you are correct.
So, the question is which one will you choose? When you walk into a room, everyone in the room feels how you present yourself. As you are working on a monologue or a walk or a self-tape, the energy that you put into it, whether it is positive or negative, whether you are enjoying the process or if it is torture.
So, whatever you are trying to accomplish, be positive about the process and the outcome and watch your life change!
7. Practice gratitude
When is the last time you took a few minutes to look at your life and take stock of all of the amazing things that you have? Your friends…your family…food in your stomach…your heart beating. Successful people focus on what they have and show gratitude for those things.
What you appreciate, grows.
So, if you truly want to be successful, take stock of those things that you have accomplished and more of the same will come to you.
“Having connections is important because they allow you to know about opportunities before everyone else” – Deneen White
Please note that VIP Ignite is not a career opportunity. VIP Ignite is an education-based company that helps actors, models, and musicians hone their skills, develop a portfolio, and get connections in the entertainment industry to accelerate their careers.
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