Its amazing how daunting life can be when things don't happen NOW. I'm sure we can all agree that it takes work to avoid the culture of immediate gratification that colors our lives. Ads promising to "flatten our bellies in just 2 weeks" or "fast tracking to success by flipping real estate" can fool us into thinking that if something doesn't happen immediately there is just no point in continuing. Our attention spans have been whittled away to practically nothing and studies show that going into the second week of January, most of you have already given up on your New Years resolutions. Many of us (especially actory creative types) dream big, get excited over the massive changes and things they will accomplish by next weekend and then when they go to look at their list of things to do become overwhelmed and spend the week beating themselves up for being failures which is a great excuse for eating Nutella straight out of the jar.
So what is it that you would actually like to accomplish? The first thing you need to do is specify what it is you truly want. This is usually the part that actors tend to miss, writing down a specific time measured goal. Its wonderful to be a dreamer, to want it all and truthfully you can. However if you do not first choose one specific measurable goal, it can mean the detriment to all your other dreams. Small accomplishments release dopamine in your brain that leads to increased motivation. So take inventory of your life. What are those things, related to career or personal life that have you saying "oh if only I could....., then I could be happy". Is it becoming a better actor? Being more fit? Learning an instrument? Forging more relationships? Learning a new acting technique? The only way I know to get better at anything is by constantly doing it. Practice. Repetition. If you do something every single day for the next 100 days you cannot avoid becoming better at it.
So what is it that you would actually like to accomplish? The first thing you need to do is specify what it is you truly want. This is usually the part that actors tend to miss, writing down a specific time measured goal. Its wonderful to be a dreamer, to want it all and truthfully you can. However if you do not first choose one specific measurable goal, it can mean the detriment to all your other dreams. Small accomplishments release dopamine in your brain that leads to increased motivation. So take inventory of your life. What are those things, related to career or personal life that have you saying "oh if only I could....., then I could be happy". Is it becoming a better actor? Being more fit? Learning an instrument? Forging more relationships? Learning a new acting technique? The only way I know to get better at anything is by constantly doing it. Practice. Repetition. If you do something every single day for the next 100 days you cannot avoid becoming better at it.
This video is amazingly inspiring and great evidence that so much can be accomplished in a very short amount of time when you a) Choose 1 specific goal to focus on b) do that thing every single day c) keep track of your progress and d) Make yourself accountable by telling people what you are going to do. So what would you like to accomplish in the next 100 days? At the very least, check out the website 100daychallenge.com for some inspiration. Make this year a year of action.
Robyn Kay runs The Robyn Kay Studio for actors in Toronto, teaching acting classes rooted in the Meisner technique. If you are interested in taking classes and reaching your acting goals email [email protected] or call 416-312-9188
Robyn Kay runs The Robyn Kay Studio for actors in Toronto, teaching acting classes rooted in the Meisner technique. If you are interested in taking classes and reaching your acting goals email [email protected] or call 416-312-9188
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