Episode Details

After 30 years of coaching, I can tell you the number one thing that determines whether you're going to work in this industry or not work in this industry.

It's not talent. It's not training. It's not who you know.

It's your time management.

Because time is something we all have. The question is are you going to take advantage of the time you have, or are you going to be like 95% of the other actors out there and not take advantage of it?

Some actors tell me they're working on their career every day. And when I actually look at what they're doing it's totally scattered. It's all over the place. They're scrolling casting sites. They're worrying about an agent or a manager or a casting director or a producer. Worrying is not working on your acting career.

They're thinking about auditions that haven't even happened yet. One of my favorite quotes is from Michael Jordan, who said why would I worry about a shot I haven't even taken yet? Why would you worry about an audition you haven't done yet? Why would you worry about a moment you haven't even lived yet?

And the other thing I see a lot is actors watching other people's careers online. Watching what their friends are booking, what their acquaintances are doing. Which is really great for your self-esteem. All of this stuff feels busy. But it is not the same thing as moving your career forward.

Acting careers are not built on random bursts of effort. They are built on consistent, focused action. Those tiny little steps and tiny little decisions you make every day. That is what a career is built on.

One of the biggest traps I see is what I call waiting energy. You're waiting for an audition. Waiting for an agent to call. Waiting for a callback. Waiting for the big break. Or you're telling yourself, well once I'm done with this audition or this show, then I'll get to it.

That is one of the biggest traps ever.

Acting careers don't move forward because you wait well. They move forward because you keep building. Gabrielle Bernstein says the universe responds to the energy you bring to it. If you are bringing waiting energy, guess what you're going to get back? A lot more waiting.

But when you operate from creative action, opportunities tend to increase. Not overnight. But they do, steadily.

I talk about this in the weekly classes, in the Working Actor Roadmap, on this podcast, and to anyone who will listen.

The first part is the craft. Acting training, scene work, voiceover classes, voice and movement training, rehearsing material. Meditation, yoga, working out. All of it. Because that is the foundation. And it's not about thinking about rehearsing that monologue. It's about actually re