Fuck being special. be confident.
Wtf is special?
Awards?
Compliments from the casting director?
Ivy League Admission?
Praise from your agency/management?
The number of your supporters?
Do you need all that to live out your truth? Does anyone need any of that, to live out their purpose?
Instead of finding the life in your purpose, you get stuck playing chicken or the egg…
“They WILL pick me IF I’m special. … But I’ll only be special after they pick me.”
Chasing your own tail? Yes.
Special isn’t even relatable ya’ll.
Because special is manufactured superhuman myth. It is a myth that fuels the Hollywood economy. Whole publications and luxury brands and blockbuster movies loving the helll outta the special myth to make sales. It’s money. We gotta see through it.
At the base of every person, is all the same human experience shit. Nobody is so special that they escape the everyday pangs of guilt, pressure, anxiety, and depression.
What I urge you to seek is confidence.
Confidence propels action; pushes your limits so that you can reach for more; generates the courage to move the needle in your life.
And the not-so-secret fact is confidence is actually practically obtainable; “being special” is not (like I said, it’s barely real.)
Where does confidence come from?
A history of steps taken, and a record of results — good AND bad (yes, the bad ones. Especially the bad ones. They teach us the most when we’re ready to learn.)
Keyword: history.
You know what I’m about to say: start now. The writing on the wall is time. Actions over time equal confidence. And that’s with every fortune, and every failure. Every step you took, and every result you clocked is going to teach you a thing or two about what you’re doing, what you’re going to keep doing, and what you’re not.
That kind of layering of experiences doesn’t happen with one step. or two. or three. But every staircase is built wit ONE mothafkn step FIRST, RIGHT?
Stop pressuring yourself to move BIG! Move small!
The tiniest freakin project can be perfect to get your toes dipped in the water.
Before you talk yourself out of it, I want you to remind yourself of how much you want in this life, and picture it like a big body of water. Please see yourself wholly plunged in that body of water.
You want in. You’ve got these beautiful waters to explore.
See yourself submerged in that water head to toe, deep, anchored, invested, and on your way to diving even deeper.
doesn’t it always start with the itty bitty toes, dipping in and out?
Get to dippin! Itty bitty toes!
What’s the next small step you can take that takes you into that body of water of your dreams?
Is it finding one audition this month for a project you love, and going for it? Is it setting aside 1 hour this week to work on your voice/breath/movement? Dust off the ‘ol instrument? It could even be collecting 5 images that inspire you or remind you of your dreams, and putting it somewhere you can see it.
The only thing I need you to make it is actionable. It’s GOTTA BE ACTIONABLE…..but it absolutely does not have to be big. Because it is all going in the same direction, baby.
Please have faith in every small step you take.
These steps, set a history, and over a history of steps and actions, you will examine your results, you will pivot, and from this pivoting and from the results, you will find confidence.
I know that might sound far off now, but it’s right around the corner if you just forget about it and get present about that first step.
Now, my history of results doesn’t make me feel invincible.
And I pledge to never seek that kind of “finished” state.
My history of results simply allows me to build trust in myself. It stops me from giving up in the pinchiest of pinches.
Step after step has challenged me, and by showing up for each step, I’ve shown up for myself over and over and above all else. That’s where my confidence comes from.
It’s the roots, not the fruits, that make me feel OK to take another step.
All we ever need is to take another intentional step.
When we *know* we can do that, and we’ve given ourselves a history of that over time, the confidence follows -- the kind of confidence that needs no validation. The kind of confidence that is quiet, but deadly.
Ok, friend: will you take the next 7 days to plan your next one small step?
And it caaaaaan be easy! LET IT BE EASY!
AS YOUR FOREVER CHEERLEADER, I MADE a free little cheat sheet to HELP YOU plan that NEXT small step :)
YOU’RE WELCOME! NOW, let’s go!
