Episode 308: Don't Quit 5 Minutes Before the Miracle
Release Date: 10/30/2024
Acting Business Boot Camp
Today I'm going to talk to you about the hazard of making excuses as an actor. And I'm going to start with perhaps something that if you were like me, or you are like how I used to be the idea of it's only me. So it's only me and therefore it doesn't count or, I'm tough, I can handle it. One of the things that making excuses as an actor does is it stalls personal growth. And anything that would affect me in a negative way, I used to be like, “Hey, I'm young. I can take it. Hey, no worries. I can overcome it.” Until I couldn't. And so the first thing I'm going...
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A subject that has come up with private clients of mine and in my weekly group class has been the subject of discussion of quitting.
And the phrase that I have been coaching on, is don't quit five minutes before the miracle.
Don't quit five minutes before the miracle.
And I get it. Especially for those of us in the U. S. who have been struggling with the industry this year. Let's just be blunt. It's a bitch, okay? It's just been awful. I have a friend of mine who's a producer and he says the word he keeps using is brutal.
It's been a brutal year.
But here's the thing. We're not gonna quit. There is no plan B.
So let's talk about the things that we need to do to motivate ourselves to not quit five minutes before the miracle.
So I'm going to have five points that I want to make and I'll coach a little bit around each one.
So the first one is, and this is really true for someone who has been in this business for 36 years.
Progress happens over time.
And often it's that level of you work, you grind, and then you get to the next level. And then you work, you grind and you get to the next level.
Now, something I've noticed with me is right when I'm about to get to that next level, whatever level that may be, that is when all my limiting beliefs come up.
My self-doubt comes up, all like my demons as it work come up.
But here's the thing, through coaching the principles and through this core work, I can go, oh, it's you again. Look at that. Oh, there you go.
You may feel like you want to give up.
But if you could just persevere for just a little bit longer. What you may discover is that you may discover you're having a breakthrough moment.
And then you get to that next level.
But understand that, it's darkest before the dawn.
It's the same thing with not quitting five minutes before the miracle.
It's when, it's those moments when you are just about I cannot do it another second. Those are the moments. When you need to keep going, those are the moments when you need to keep going.
I know something is about to happen when I start getting really squirrely, or my thinking starts to get really stinky, that means I'm on the verge of something.
It's so funny that we actually think it's negative. But what if it was positive.
Again, I go back to one of my favorite quotes, “change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.”
So remember that progress happens over time. And again, you work, you grind, you get to the next level.
And right as you're about to get to that next level, don't forget to keep on going.
Don't forget to keep on going. Even though every cell in your body may be going, What the fuck? I wanna quit. Keep going.
Keep going. No matter what.
Okay, next one. Patience. Patience pays off.
I just have to say, Peter Pamela says, patience pays off.
Success requires consistent effort.
One of the things I talk about with my clients is consistence and persistence and tenacity. Quitting too soon could mean abandoning all the work that you've already invested.
And I'm sorry, no, no effing way, okay? No fucking way am I quitting after I've put in this much work.
And that next step might be the one that creates the shift you need.
Again, don't quit five minutes before the miracle.
Continue to wake up, suit up, show up, and report for duty. And report for duty to what you are meant to do on this earth, whatever your dream may be.
The next one is that keep in mind that challenges build resist resilience.
Challenges build resilience.
When things get tough, it's easy to want to quit. It's what I was talking about in that first point. All that stuff comes up right as something is about to break.
However, pushing through strengthens your ability to handle future obstacles, making you more resilient and prepared for greater opportunities.
See, one of the things I talk about is that fear of success.
And when the thing about the fear of success is that at some point, what happens is that we have that fear of success because we realize that fear of success will mean that we will have more responsibility and more And that freaks us out just a little bit.
And what happens, our negative thoughts come up, because it tries to protect us.
It tries to keep us the same. It tries to keep us stagnant. Not because it doesn't like us, but because it wants us to stay the same.
Remember, handling obstacles makes you more resilient and prepares you for greater opportunities.
Number four, success is not linear.
OMG, can I tell you about that one? I find that this business is cyclical.
You'll go through the biggest drought and then you'll be so damn busy you won't know what to do with yourself. This business is cyclical. So is life.
Progress can feel slow. And sometimes freaking invisible, or as I like to say, go is at a glacial pace and staying the course, even when you can't see the immediate results ensures that you are still moving forward toward your goal.
Something that was brought up in my group class. This week that I thought was so interesting that they were saying that they're doing baby steps in so many areas that it doesn't feel like they're moving forward.
But the thing Is that of course they are, because they're even taking those baby steps.
Even by taking those baby steps, they are moving forward. That's the key.
Keep moving. I have this mountain, I went running yesterday, and I call this this mountain Killer Mountain. And this mountain is, it's awful.
I'm just gonna say, it is freaking awful. And I do it at the beginning of my runs so I get it over with. And I must run. I don't even know if I'm running at one mile an hour up this thing, but I keep jogging. I don't walk. I keep jogging. And as I'm going up it, I say to myself, while I'm totally miserable, I just say to myself, this is how you succeed.
You just do it. Keep moving. You keep going forward. You keep persevering.
Now, I'm not in physical pain while I'm going up this mountain, but I am working hard. Cause it is steep, okay? But the thing is that every time I go up it, I'm saying, okay, not only are my legs and my body and my heart and my lungs and everything getting stronger, the other thing that's going on is I am learning that spiritual lesson of putting one foot in front of the other.
I'm learning that spiritual lesson of consistence, persistence, resilience, tenacity gets you there.
It moves me forward towards my goal, which is to get to the top of the mountain, even though it may not be at the pace I would like it to be.
I love this last point. Self belief drives momentum.
Ooh, baby, there is nothing I like better than self esteem.
There is nothing that I like better than learning how to not abandon yourself.
Learning the importance of emotional self sufficiency. I love that.
That's what I'm teaching every week in my weekly class. It's so freaking good. If you quit now, you're only going to reinforce doubt and limit your potential.
All of my coaching is about creating the potential to get a better result.
Creating the potential to get a better result. Trusting your ability to endure tough moments fuels confidence and keeps you going. Until the miracle happens.