Back in May I attended the INC Convention in Chicago where I got to spend the day with 18 top entrepreneurs such as Mark Cuban, Mark Lemonis and the guy who struck me the most…Bert Jacobs. Bert is the CEO (Chief Executive Optimist) of the company LIFE IS GOOD (aka the lifestyle brand with the stick figures as he calls it). Bert told me his story and got me thinking about my own which I talk all about in an upcoming feature in Cosmopolitan.
Many of you know me but many of you don’t. Many of you wonder if I write all of the emails (minus the Operations ones) and the answer is – yes I do. It would be easy to just hire someone to spew out impersonal emails and push sales but that’s not what me or my company is about. The day I step away from wanting to be personally connected is the day I should no longer be doing what I’m doing. When the heart is no longer involved, it’s game over. That goes for everyone in any career. When you find yourself going through the motions and not feeling passionate about what you’re doing, it’s time to re-evaluate.
One thing that really moves me is how passionate you are about the path you have chosen. This business will try to eat you up and spit you out but if you’re resilient, stay the course and constantly uplevel your game…you have a good chance of getting to where you want to go.
Bert talked about “selling optimism”.
I want to talk about the “30 seconds” that can change your career. That “30 seconds” has to do with mindfulness. If you can master this, you will for sure rise to the top. When you feel anxious about an audition, begin wondering if you are good enough or are not present in a scene…you are not being mindful. You are not in the moment. You are stuck in a loop. To be mindful is to be at ease and to listen and react authentically to what’s in front of you. It is the key to mastery at any audition. The major thing that separates the amateurs from the pros is that the pros pay homage to the environment or circumstances in any given scene and in turn create magic. Develop the inner and outer world of the character and you will create a callback. That level of mindfulness is riveting to watch. It takes about 30 seconds to center yourself in any situation. Take some deep breaths, identify what’s happening around you, realize where you are (in life, in a scene) and behave accordingly. There is no anxiety in the present moment (unless circumstances call for it in a scene). There is no self-doubt, no criticism. There is only here and now without judgement. Let the process be the goal. Enjoy it, lose yourself in the scene and the present moment.