An important thing to consider when pursuing your goals is your level of urgency.
A sense of urgency comes from having the drive and determination to see things through, and I believe it can only come when your goal is: a) challenging enough that you need to take a leap of faith, and b) exciting enough to keep you feeling stimulated along the way.
I was recently having a conversation with a friend about this principle and because it is such a powerful one, I wanted to share my thoughts on it.
Starting with the end in mind is all about developing and specifying what your destination and your objective look like. The more precise you are with this vision, the easier it is to achieve it.
Acting As If is a powerful technique for manifesting things into your life. It involves giving yourself the experience of what you want to have, do or be. Acting As If tells the mind that what you desire is possible to attain and that your dreams can exist right now.
For example, you could go for a ride in the car you want to purchase, visit apartments in the area in which you desire to live or even eat at restaurants you’d love to frequent one day.
As an actor, I have to do it all the time. I have to play different people and create a new world for each character I want to embody. I change the outside world so that my mind and body believe that I’m someone different on the inside.
In my personal life I do a lot of travelling, and to be able to afford it all I do what I call “basic travel”. That means budget airlines (where you bring a packed lunch onboard), walking long distances pulling my luggage to avoid taxi costs and travelling overnight when tickets are much cheaper.
I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent in the last few years on a smelly coach only to get off with my neck dislocated in about 12 places!
That’s not what I really want for myself. I want to travel often for work and pleasure, and I want to do so comfortably. And why not, right? Why not love the travelling part as much as I love being at the destination? And why not make the experience more exciting and peaceful?
So, in order to create the belief that I could do it, I booked myself a first class train ticket from Glasgow to London last weekend. The journey was easy, stress-free, comfortable and it gave me a taste of the future. And this experience is a vision I can hold onto to strengthen my belief and desire for luxury travel.
Henceforth, I’m going to travel in style as often as I can. If that means saving up for a bit longer or working a little harder, so be it. I’m worth the effort.
I had an audition last week and it didn’t go well.
Yesterday I received feedback from the casting director who said my performance was underprepared. I was disappointed when I heard this, not because I was offended but because it was absolutely true.
Let me take you through my audition prep: receives the script, waits 4 days before reading it, reads it once, look at my lines a few times. Job done. I left the audition room looking and feeling pathetic.
The role was for a lead part at a big theatre in London and the way I treated the audition was not on par with the quality of work produced there.
It’s embarrassing to think that a big casting director thought I wasn’t very good, and it’s not what I want people to say about me as an actor. Though this obviously isn’t the end of the world, I will not allow myself to repeat this again. I take full responsibility.
In order to move forward, I’m flipping this experience into a positive.
*Opens window, exhales negative energy and inhales gratitude.*
What I can do now is reevaluate my game plan. I want to finish drama school very strong. I want to feel proud of myself knowing that I worked my ass off and did the best I could, so I’ve got to prepare for that.
That means showing up with the right attitude – a professional attitude. That means doing all the prep and research before I get to the rehearsal room. And above all, it means enjoying the process. The same principles apply to all future auditions as well.
Wouldn’t it be fantastic walking away from auditions or meetings or the rehearsal room knowing that I performed at my best and left a great impression?
This lesson has come at a good time where I need to be consistent with what I’m offering as an actor and in my efforts, ensuring that my identity and self-image are in total alignment with my actions.
A few days ago I visited my former secondary school, Parliament Hill School, to give a talk entitled “Don’t Give Up on Your Dreams” to about 150+ students in Year 11. The talk was about self-belief and why it’s so necessary to invest in your skills, dreams and talent.
This event was my first official speaking engagement and I loved every minute of it. I managed to address the young students with authority and conviction in a warm, friendly style.
Outside the doors of Parliament Hill School
I wanted to give the talk because I remembered how tough it can be as a young person looking ahead and having to make a million decisions about what to do and where to go in the future. Throughout my teenage years I was lucky enough to have been pushed in the right direction, and so today, being in a position to reap the rewards, it’s a message I’m determined to share with others.
Following my talk, it was suggested by members of staff that I become a governor of the school. Now I don’t know what that will really entail, but it does sound pretty fancy, right? I’m going to pretend the role comes with a fabulous title and that I get to wear lots of faux fur and sit on the iron throne sipping on champagne…
My return to Parliament Hill School meant I could catch up briefly with a few of my ex-teachers. A highlight of the day was conversing in French with my former French teacher as confidently and as accurately as a native speaker. Let me tell you I was feeling myself because I proved that I could go all the way. I did it, I never gave up, and nothing could taste sweeter!!!
Next up, I’ve got a Q&A with young, aspiring actors in Derby this weekend with Open Door, an organisation supporting young people to gain access to drama school. It’s an informal event with about 6 or 7 budding actors, but I believe my experience both during and before drama school can help clarify the role and journey of an actor, and hopefully motivate the kids to reach for the stars.
I’ve been on plenty of trips alone over the last few years. My first solo trip was to Amsterdam in the summer of 2014. I was very nervous to go on my own for a number of reasons. I didn’t know the city, I was a young woman – 19 years old at the time – and I had to be completely dependant on myself. Still, I was excited to test out solo travelling and see if it was as good as what I’d heard and read online.
I was in Amsterdam for about 4 days and the entire experience surpassed my greatest expectations. Since then I’ve been on a number of solo trips and even moved abroad for 7 months last year.
Solo travelling has honestly been one of the biggest blessings in my life, so here’s why I think you should give it a try.
A couple of weeks ago I started Thinking Into Results, a personal development programme with the Proctor Gallager Institute. The institute is run by Bob Proctor, a renown personal development guru, and Sally Gallager, a business entrepreneur.
The main point of the programme is to begin thinking about life in new ways. It’s about breaking old habits and putting in place new ones so that you can improve yourself and expand your potential. Essentially, you’re thinking big and developing the self-discipline to change habitual behaviours.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! WOOHOO! WE MADE IT!
I really feel it in my core that 2019 is going to be crazy incredible. Looking back on the last year, regardless of what happened around me, I always felt pretty good.
So, looking ahead now at this fresh start and new perspective, I’ve got 6 specific goals that I’ll be working on in 2019 to push myself further. Here we go!
So what were my main objectives in 2018? Did I succeed or did I fail? Here’s my honest reflection on my goals for the year.
In 2018 I wanted to:
1. Learn to speak Dinka
2. Take weekly dance classes
3. Travel outside of Europe at least once
4. Develop my spirituality and faith
5. Be open, positive and optimistic
