A personal trainer once shared this wisdom with me:
The gap between someone who works out for 10 minutes a day, and an Olympic athlete, is not that big.
The vast difference between an Olympic athlete and someone who doesn’t work out at all is insurmountable.
A person who commits to working out 10 minutes a day has the same set of values as an Olympic athlete:
- Dedication
- Consistency
- Persistence
- Momentum
- Accountability
Showing up for yourself every single day no matter what is the key ingredient to success.
(Ok ok, as far as olympic athletes go there are other factors – physique, ability, coaches, training, a high threshold for pain, an Olympic sized drive to win…)
On the other side of the British version of the coin, the person who doesn’t show up consistently struggles with:
- Procrastination
- Stop and start syndrome
- Lack of improvement
- Always playing catch up
- Inconsistent results
- No momentum
I think the same principle can be applied to an acting career.
Imagine the vast difference between an actor who spends just 10 minutes a day marketing, versus the actor who spends zero time on it.
You will be miles ahead of the game if you show up for yourself in this way.
What can be accomplished in just 10 minutes, you may be wondering.
Here are few possibilities:
- Researching a networking event and scheduling it in your calendar
- Call a friend to invite them to said event
- Write a thank you note to someone you recently met, worked with, or were hired by
- Engage with industry professionals on social media
- Call a friend and ask for a referral to an agent
- Laser focus on a search for auditions on a site like Cast It Talent
- Read an industry trade publication like deadline.com so you know what’s going on your industry
These are just a few possible steps you can take to keep the ball rolling in your acting career.
Olympic athletes achieve greatness because they show up and do the work every day – no matter what. Actors who put the time in every day to market their career (and of course spend time on their craft as well), are the ones who create lasting success.
No matter where you are currently at in your career, if you haven’t been marketing yourself, try putting in just 10 minutes a day. You’ll be off to a great start.
Psst…Scholarship alert!
There are 2 more days to enter to win a full scholarship to my program Stand Out From The Crowd. If you’re going to market yourself, you may as well do it effectively! Find out how to enter here.
DEADLINE IS WEDNESDAY 8/1 at midnight pst. Don’t miss it!
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I completely agree. the tricky difference between an acting career and the olympics is that our deadlines are shiftier…we can work for months and train and interact and it feels like nothing will come of it, and then suddenly we’re juggling 3 last-minute auditions and a callback. THAT’s what we train for: strength and consistency in our performativity; spontaneous and flexibile reception when all the payoff is thrown our way. the mere act of working a monologue, reading a play or analyzing a performance, or simply warming up always gives me the satisfaction that I honored myself and my dream. whenever i go more than 3 or 4 days without that, i feel the extra work of having to get back into it. it feels exactly the same as when i don’t exercise my body. thanks for sharing emily!
Thank you for reading! I agree, staying sharp in the craft of acting is important and takes consistent dedication. However – this article is about the importance of being consistently MARKETING. I see many actors who only focus on their craft and do not market at all, which is a problem. Adding a few minutes a day to market that incredible craft will help make those acting opportunities happen on a more consistent basis. Actors need BOTH consistent craft + marketing.
“commUnity .. keep inspiring .. Thanks y’all ” ~ Mihai Hoom
” It is an opportUnity to share the mUSe with yoU ” ~ Mihai Hoom
” BelievE yoU ” ~ Mihai Hoom
Amen to that.
Great reminder to reach out with focus into the world, Emily! Thank you.
Emily, I am so happy I found you. I love reading your blog. This is so helpful not only because the information is so incredibly solid but because for me it is so inspiring. It puts a fire under me. So thanks for the push! I’m a fan.
Hi,My friend,Thanks for sharing great post,your blog is great,I am excerpting some things now from the book}.Would you please write some articles?click your blog！|I will often come to here！}