Transforming Your Career Through the Power of Leadership
Who are the people who:
- Stand out from the crowd (In a positive way)?
- Achieve career advancement at work (Promotions, raises, recognition)?
- Find ways to consistently grow their business?
- Get re-hired
- Are frequently asked to write, speak, or teach at major events?
Give up? The answer: Leaders
Leadership has been defined as a process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task. Not a bad idea right?
Want to make more money, raise more money, gain a little prestige, get hired—all it takes is a little leadership.
Great…but how do I develop myself as a leader? I’m an introvert and overlooked and don’t have any letters after my name…
Don’t you worry about any of that stuff. You don’t need to have the personality of a Neil Patrick Harris, or the charm of an Oprah, or the M.D. behind Dr. Oz to be a great leader. You want to know a secret on how to be a great leader? There are no secrets. But here are four tips that I’ve picked up on my journey to develop my leadership skills. Hope they help:
Adopt new technologies:
- The first few people on the new frontier get all the spoils (and get to share them with their friends).
- Find new ways to become more efficient in your work and share your methods with your coworkers or colleagues.
- Learn to use social media (this means you folks resisting the use of Google Plus) and utilize its benefits properly.
- Read up on the latest cutting edge technologies, learn to use those technologies, and once the masses begin to utilize them; you’ll be able to start sharing or even selling your “expert” knowledge in this field.
ABH:
- You’ve heard “Always Be Selling,” but I’d like to expand and say “Always Be Helping.” Sell your empathy and humanity. If there’s a point where you decide to create a product or business and derive an income from it; you’ll have already gained a reputation as a likable and trustworthy person and your audience will have an easier time deciding whether to buy from you. This process also works if you want a promotion or raise from your boss, and if you’re an actor looking to get called in regularly by that up and coming casting director.
Create:
- Create a product, a piece of art, or an experience.
- If you’re creating you’re not sitting around waiting. You’re looking to improve your skills within your field and you’re looking to have a better relationship with your target market. You’re grabbing the bull by the horns. Product creation is as big a deal for intra-praneurs (entrepreneurs working as employees within a corporation they don’t own) as it is for business owners or entrepreneurs.
- If you’re creating art, you’re not waiting for your agent or Steven Spielberg to call. Learn to make something and learn to sell it. Other people within the arts want to do the same thing (so they don’t have to work in a restaurant to afford their health insurance) and if they know you’ve succeeded in what they want; they might hire you to give them the answer or start telling other people about you and how great you are.
- Creating an experience is something just about anyone can do. If your office is full of people who don’t get along you can be the one who bucks the trend. You can make a conscious effort to create a wonderful customer service experience for your clients. Treat them with respect. Return their calls promptly. Ask them about themselves and how they’re benefiting from using your product or services. Thank them for their business.
Put Your Ego in Check
- Good leaders know when it’s time to rally the troops and when it’s time let someone else take command. Sometimes a good leader recognizes someone else’s burgeoning leadership skills, allows them to take charge, and takes on a the role of sidekick. Leadership means you let yourself learn from other people—this could be your adversary, the janitor, or your childhood idol.
In reality, leaders get what they want most of the time. So if you’re tired of being stuck in neutral or tired of hearing the word “no,” then it’s develop yourself as a leader. Once you decide to become a leader, the change in your life is not going to happen overnight. You water the seeds of leadership in your garden every day, nurture them ,and give them the time they need to grow. Do this and one day soon your seeds will turn into juicy and delicious fruit that will be absolutely irresistible to the masses.
How to Keep Them Coming Back for More
You do everything you’re supposed to do. You’re on time every day for your freelance gig. You were brilliant and got tremendous praise from the director for your portrayal of Ophelia in that reading of Zombie Hamlet. As a dentist, you performed your newest client’s root canal with the utmost professionalism and care.
You did everything right—everything they asked of you but they didn’t hire you back/have you on for the next project/come back as a return client. How could they be so disloyal?
Does this sound familiar?
Well riddle me this Batman—did you speak up when you saw a glaring efficiency in the way your boss does business? Did you help sell tickets to that reading even though it’s not officially your job? Did put a little extra love and effort into your work, or did you just do the bare minimum?
If you want repeat business you had better over-deliver with whatever it is you promised your client or customer. You have to do extremely well with the work they give you so that they like you BUT it’s essential that you give 10-25% extra to turn them into rabid and raving fans who tell everyone about the great gal you are and how incredible you are at what you do.
Did you create a website for a veterinarian client? Great—now start sending every cat and dog owner that you know to this veterinarian and make sure he/she knows that the referrals are coming from you. Next time that veterinarian has a colleague who needs a website, they’re going to send that colleague to you.
This really comes back to the concept of reciprocity. A high functioning society doesn’t work unless its members are giving freely and helping one another. This is a very hardwired and primitive mindset. If within your caveman ancestor’s little society they came across another caveman who was willing to give freely of his particular skill set, then he was accepted into the group because that ancient community needed each other to survive living off the land; but if they came across a caveman who only took from the group and did not give, he would be cast out because he’d be seen as a dead weight who wasn’t helping the greater good of the society. This concept lives on today. We may not be living off the land but we still need each other to survive and thrive. You still have to charge for your goods and services but you can still help someone out by giving extra.
You want to be hired again, do repeat business, or do lots of business? Be a giving caveman who over-delivers—because the needy caveman and his relatives went extinct and so will you.
Monkey See, Monkey Do
Have you ever had some sort of obstacle in life where some sort of process—maybe putting together a cabinet, maybe making your first sale, or maybe it’s booking your first acting gig—was giving you fits for a period of time and you didn’t figure it out till you observed someone else having success over the same obstacle?
Now have you ever heard the phrase—monkey see, monkey do? It’s this idea of learning something by mimicry without knowing why what you’re doing works.
This concept is actually related to something called social proof—the idea that, “one means we use to determine what is correct is to find out what other people think is correct.” Or, “We will use the actions of others to decide on proper behavior for ourselves, especially when we view those others as similar to ourselves.”
I came across this idea while reading a book by Robert Cialdini called Influence,—a bestseller on the psychology of persuasion.
In the book Cialdini gives one example of how his three year old son was scared and refused to learn to swim without the help of plastic floating ring from his father or a trained instructor but finally learned by watching a fellow three year old swim effortlessly without an help. Cialdini, amazed at his son’s instant proficiency, asked his son how he learned. Cialdini’s son replied, “Well, I’m three years old, and Tommy is three years old. And Tommy can swim without a ring, so that means I can too.”
Here’s where I’m going with this: If you’re having trouble or think you can’t do something; maybe it’s time to find someone else who has had or who is currently having success in what you’re trying to achieve. At the very least, politely ask that person if you can quiz them on their success, but what you really want is to be able to observe that person in action jumping over the very same hurdle that you keep tripping on.
This is easier said than done but with the internet and YouTube you might be able to watch a video of someone giving a lecture on or performing the action you’re working to have success with. Don’t know anyone who’s doing what you do? Go to the blogosphere or social media. I’m sure there’s someone on Facebook bragging about the thing that’s giving you difficulties.
Bottom line is, social proof is going to help you and isolation is going to set you back. You need other people to help you achieve your goals and if you’re not reaching out then failure is your fault. You can achieve pretty much anything you want so long as you put your mind to it. Now go out and get it.
How to Make Time For More Time
“AHH! I am completely overwhelmed right now! I have this enormous pile of stuff that I need to accomplish but no time to get it all done!”
Isn’t this the usual dialogue you hear when talking about “time” with friends or colleagues?
As a successful artist or entrepreneur you have a unique understanding that time—your time—is a valuable commodity which can not be wasted. Time is of the essence—whether that’s the time you need to spend making a sale to a potential client or the time you spend making and sending off that audition tape to L.A. for pilot season. As modern day Magellans we want to live life to the fullest and pack as much into our day as possible. Yet it takes a special kind of person—a creative person—to be able to balance such a heavy workload while still maintaining your sanity.
So how do you do it? How do you write a blog, a piece of your book, take a few clients, take a meeting, update your marketing, and contribute to your social and in person networking all in one day—without feeling uber-stressed from everything that you’re juggling?
Well the answer lies in a question—actually two questions.
Q1) Are you doing too many things?
Be honest with yourself, and while you’re at; take a look at each of the tasks you’ve given yourself and list them in order of importance. Now sit with that that list and ask yourself:
Q2) Can any of these tasks that I’ve given myself be used to support one another?
For example, can you blog about your book? Or can your blog be turned into a book and can you ask some of your more successful clients to be guest authors of various chapters?
If you can compartmentalize your activities or use one to support the other then your issue isn’t really time—it’s strategy and/or efficiency—which are both very fixable.
If when you look at your list and none of these things that you’re doing are related to each other at all; then it’s time to start weeding your garden and toss aside anything that is not of the utmost importance. Now, that isn’t to say that you can’t come back to some of those weeded out items at a later date; they just don’t fit your life or your priorities now.
Taking a little time this week to manage your strategy or efficiency will do wonders for how quickly you achieve your goals but might just lower your blood pressure as well (how efficient is that?)! Oh and as always any other time management issues or tips would be gladly received and shared with the AE community!! Thank you!
Follow Up…Or Fail!
You’ve just gone to a networking event, passed out all of your business cards, and even met a few potential customers or business partners who you promised you’d follow up with. A couple of days go by and you either forget to follow up or when you do follow up they don’t remember you or won’t give you the time of day. Sound familiar?
I hear these stories all too often when in the early stages of working with my clients and for some, they tell me, the lack of networking results is extremely frustrating and enough to keep you at home spending your Thursday night watching Friends reruns with a pint of Ben and Jerry’s “Cherry Garcia” instead of going to your local Chamber of Commerce’s small business owner mixer.
Extreme disappointment, fatty foods, Chandler Bing, and abstinence do not have to be inevitable outcomes of networking. There’s a better way—when you learn to manage expectations and master the follow up.
First, no one is going to close business with you or hire you as the lead actor in a fifty million dollar action film after meeting you once. Networking is about building longterm relationships and it’s really about the actions that you take after that initial meeting beginning with the follow up.
To be a truly good networker, you must follow up or fail. But to be successful with the follow up, you have to turn it into a bit of an art form. You have to be creative to ensure that you’re able to establish the beginnings of what you hope to be a long-term mutually beneficial relationship with this new contact. Here are a few tips to get those creative follow up juices flowing:
- Follow up immediately
Don’t give them a chance to forget you. ‘Wow’ them by following up within six hours of leaving the networking event. If the meeting or event was late in the evening, follow up with them before you go to sleep. Don’t let a day on the calendar pass without sending a follow up or ‘thank-you’ email.
- Subject line of the email
If the person’s name is Jeff, don’t make the subject line “Hey Jeff,” or “From ___(insert your name.)” Make the line specific to where and when you met this person. “Nice to meet you at this evening’s (4/16) networking event at Dansinger Firehouse.”
- Brevity
Nobody wants to read a ten page manifesto on why the two of you are business soul mates. Keep it brief. Three paragraphs or less. People are busy and email is something that many people abuse. And if you abuse it, you lose it. Don’t force people to avoid your emails.
- Find a common interest
Within the body of the email, remind them of who you are and authentically mention something that you both talked about or a mutual interest that you both shared during the course of your conversation. This will show you to be thoughtful and trustworthy. Straight-shooters are easier to have relationships with and make it difficult to say no to.
- Be helpful
Find a way to help the other person immediately by connecting them to someone or something important to them. If they mentioned they’re looking for real estate lawyers as referral resources, and you know one—don’t hold out. And if their kid needs a new dentist—send them to yours. Helping someone’s family member or loved one puts you on the fast track to establishing a genuine relationship.
- Be Persistent
Follow up again, and again, and again. Whether or not they respond to the initial email, doesn’t necessarily mean they’re avoiding you and it probably doesn’t mean ‘no,’ forever—it could very well mean ‘no’ for now. People are busy and forgetful—and let’s face it, you’re probably not their number one priority. Be persistent with your follow ups while still being respectful of the other person’s time and overloaded email inbox.
Any schmo can print business cards and pay $20 for the right to pass them out to other professionals; but to master the art of networking it takes someone armed with creativity, authenticity, and a desire to cultivate relationships so that they can grow their careers and businesses to the level that they desire.
Guest Blogger Marissa Mutascio on Networking & the Power of YOU
Hey AE’ers
Today’s guest post on authentic networking, is by actor/producer Marissa Mutascio, whom I recently had the pleasure of meeting at a Theatre Resources Unlimited event.
Whether you are a new or veteran actor, knowing your type – meaning how others are most likely to see (and cast) you – is of primary importance, for this is where the bulk of your work will be. In fact, until you’ve successfully established yourself, embracing whatever type you most represent (e.g. the jock, the femme fatale, the hipster, the comedic side-kick, etc.) should be the tent-pole of your marketing efforts and the focus of your job submissions.
Ironically, once you know the category of actors you are most aligned with, it then becomes your job to distinguish yourself within the pack. The most perceptive and successful actors are those who know that it’s the small elements of their unique personality that make them stand out in the audition room. It’s the seemingly simple act of bringing a little of yourself into whomever you are playing that makes the big difference.
In a nutshell, it is your “YOU-ness” that will help get you the job.
While harnessing the ‘power of you’ in your performances is what will help move you from the audition room to the set or stage, many actors seem to fear putting that same “you-ness” to work for themselves in non-acting situations. This goes against reason, for it is universally true that the more genuine and less ‘sales-y’ or ‘speed date-like’ our industry interactions are, the more likely a tangible lead or connection can be made.
Social media is an amazing gift that gives today’s performers the opportunity to create an online presence, in alignment with their specific type, while also being able to add his or her own unique personal voice through interactions with their audience. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Google+ are the stand out choices for building rapport both among your fans and among the industry contacts you WANT to build relationships with.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could just show up to a networking opportunity as our authentic self with the one simple goal of seeing if a connection can be made? In my opinion that is exactly what networking IS about.
Just as your mindset in the audition room will set you apart, it is the seemingly simple act of bringing a little of yourself into your social media presence that makes the big difference when seeking out networking opportunities. Whether it be in a meeting, online or at an event – in my opinion ‘networking ‘is simply another chance to use our active listening skills and let our unique, authentic voice shine through.
In a nutshell, it’s the subtle and unmanufactured ease with which you share your “YOU-ness” that will not only set you apart in the audition room, but will help you get in the door.
—
Marissa Mutascio is an actor, producer and co-founder of the NY Actors Tweetup – a casual networking group where actors, filmmakers, casting directors, writers, production crew and others in the performing arts can get together, share resources and have fun.
www.marissamutascio.com
There you have it folks. The best person you can be is yourself- cheap imitations always sell for less. Things to remember when networking, establishing relationships, and building our careers. Thanks Marissa! Have a good weekend everyone and talk to you on Monday!
Resilience—Don’t Leave Home Without It
“Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
~Christopher Robin to Pooh (by A. A. Milne)
Let’s talk resilience today—or the ability to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. I like to think that resilience provides us with an insulation that helps us bounce and not break when we fall.
Being malleable is one of the most important qualities you can possess when dealing with your career or your business (or your mind for that matter—but that’s for another day).
You want to maintain a resilient mindset so that if profits take a nose dive, if a job is lost, or if your investors pull out; you’ll be able to take that aircraft and maneuver it back upward as soon as possible and avoid a crash and burn or a prolonged depression.
But how do we do develop resilience? It’s something we need to practice and prepare for. We need to put a few tools into our professional resiliency toolbox. Here are a few practical tools that you can use to survive and thrive when the spit hits the fan. Use ‘em well my friends!
- Trusted supporters: There’s nothing like a bunch of positive people in your life who like you or love you whether you’re on top of the world or if you’ve hit rock bottom. Unconditional love is key. Build and/or maintain these relationships.
- A team of trusted advisors: You want to surround yourself with people who are smarter than you—so you can rise to their level and step up your game. Not only do they have to be smart but you have to be able to trust them. And they have to be the kind of people who give constructive criticism when you ask—not just pointing out your mistakes but showing the lessons to be learned from the mistakes.
- Look for the lessons: In success and failure, from the janitor or the CEO—there are always lessons to be learned. Mistakes and tragedies are a great time to learn lessons if we allow ourselves the opportunity.
- Products that sell in place of your time (i.e. passive revenue streams): If you’re selling your time, what else can you sell that takes you out of the equation so you can free up your time to fix your mistake(s) or do more of what you love? You want passive revenue streams—this could be an instructional video, a career in commercial voice-over work, or a franchise version of your business.
- Quality customer service: This is huge. This means you need to develop strong relationships with your existing and incoming customer base. When you make a promise you need to over-deliver and when you screw up, you need to take responsibility and say you’re sorry. Strong communication and listening skills are important here.
- Learn to write: Writing can be therapeutic or creative or a way to communicate the ideas and worries that have been swirling around your head. Writing out ideas can alleviate stress and strengthen the probability of acting on any positive ideas that you put to paper.
- Multiple revenue streams: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket! Can you start doing consulting work? Can you start making a little side money with one of your hobbies? Can you develop a skill in a hot industry and start making some cash with that? Doing one thing in this economy is going the way of the dodo.
What are some tools you’ve developed to help you hang in during tough times? Please share so we can all benefit and become a bouncy group of people…thanks!
Guest blogger Melanie Sirois on The Magic of Movement
Hey AE friends,
Today’s guest blog is from my new friend, Melanie Sirois. I met Melanie through a Business Networking International meeting and found her and her approach to being an artist quite fascinating. Melanie is an actor, dancer, and Certified Movement Analyst and I am going to go ahead and turn it over to Melanie and let her explain that a bit. Without further ado…Melanie everyone!!
MOVEMENT, it’s the essence of life. How we are in the world is through movement. We cope with the environment through movement. We express, discover and LIVE through movement. Even when we don’t ”move”, the breath, the blood, the organs, even the mind (dreams) are still in motion. So how come most of us barely know anything about our bodies, their function or their potential? Even dancers, fitness professionals, actors, athletes seldom explore the theory of movement. They are specialists in physical activity and yet in their specific training are rarely exposed to Rudolf Laban’s theory of movement.
I am a Certified Movement Analyst and by practicing and applying what I’ve learnt in my studies of Laban’s theory and Irmgard Bartenieff’s exercises with applications of the theory, I have transformed. My presence on stage, my dancing, my alignment, my choreographies, my karate practice, my art and my way of being in the world have all significantly altered. Moreover, I have acquired tools and insights that have allowed me much more freedom, and by freedom, I mean choice. Now I can chose to relate to a person or a group in a way that will have the most impact or be most relative to the situation. Throughout my day, I can choose the posture or alignment that will best suite me for whatever activity I’m undertaking. This might sound clinical or robotic, but it’s quite the opposite. If we explore all movement possibilities and how to execute them, we are then free to mold ourselves any way that is relative to the situation. It’s quite similar to a piano player. This musician will first focus on finding the proper positioning of the hands to produce a certain sound (proper alignment). Once he knows he is accurate, he rehearses all the notes available to him (moving through scales, learning how to support the movement). This process then allows him the freedom to improvise music whenever he feels inspired with grace. Movement is the same. One needs to know about all the variables before one can go out and improvise with grace.
As actors we bring human behavior to the stage. We take in from our own experience, we study the behavior of others and we use our imagination. In order to bring to life all of our creations, we need to be grounded, focused, open and present in our bodies. The greatest actors express everything through their bodies. Remember silent films? Expression separated the good actors from the great. Not only were these actors able to discover and embody any characters physicality, but they were free! They were open, their energy was flowing and their minds were focused.
Movement therapy is also an application of the theory. Moving through whatever is coming up for you can bring healing. We all have holding patterns. Actors, because of the pressure they put on themselves, commonly hold tension in the shoulders, the jaw, the hips and the sacrum. When we hold tension in our bodies, we literally hold ourselves back. Our energy is bound, our breath is restricted and if we don’t assess and release the tension, it will worsen and we will feel pain. You can move through these limiting patterns!
As I’ve emphasized earlier, an actor is fully prepared when he is focused, energized, spontaneous and imaginative. The only way to achieve that is by being present, which means being fully in your body. I’m sure you’ve heard numerous times “your body is your instrument.” As a movement coach, I can equip you with the tools you need to use your body to its fullest potential so you can be fully expressed. I can help you transform the paralyzing fear and the unbearable anxiety around auditions and performance. With the use of Laban Movement Analysis, Bartenieff Fundamentals/exercises, hands on work, techniques from Body Mind Centering and yoga, I will create the perfect session appropriate for you and your immediate needs. BE THE BEST ARTIST YOU CAN BE!
Please feel free to email me with any questions at melsirois@gmail.com
Thanks Melanie! I happen to be a big believer that movement and refining the instrument that is our body is crucial in creating and interpreting successful art. Hope everyone got as much out of that as I did. Talk to you AE’ers on Monday! Have a great weekend.
The Four Ingredients to The Recipe For Success
Success: favorable or desired outcome; also : the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence
From Merriam-Webster
I don’t know about you, but I don’t know many people go into their day saying, “I hope I screw up a whole lot today…that whole ‘success’ thing is for suckers.” No! We all want to be successful. We all want to have those favorable outcomes and a little wealth beside the two nickels we’re currently rubbing together. But how is it that some people are more successful than others? How come the Guy Kawasakis and Seth Godins and Oprah Winfreys are thriving while your friend Jeff can’t get his new invention funded and most small businesses close up shop within a year? After looking at multiple successful entrepreneurs, colleagues, and friends—I’ve come to the conclusion that whatever the final product of someone’s success looks like, there are certain ingredients that are always present in the recipe for “success casserole.” Just like there are numerous delicious recipes for chicken noodle soup, there is always some sort of chicken and some type of noodle in the soup. The same goes with success.
Here are my four ingredients that are always present in:
The Recipe for Success
- Create
- Make something that has the potential to become bigger than yourself (Create a movement, a risky piece of art, or something that changes the world).
- Make sure you believe in the power of what you’re working to create/just created.
- Make sure your creation is the solution to someone, (Or ideally) some group or demographic’s problems.
- The creation can’t be just about gaining more income, and if it is— why do you need the income? Is it for your child’s education? Will the money help free up your time so you can learn a new language or create art? Seldom is anything just about the money.
- Be helpful
- None of us can achieve our goals solely on our own. We need help from others to get to where we want to be. To get help, we need to start helping others first.
- When you help someone with their business or project, you’re beginning to establish a long term relationship with them and put a deposit in the friendship bank. Relationships are what people invest in; not products, services, or creations. When the relationship that you’ve established becomes fruitful, then you can go back to that relationship and ask for a withdrawal from that friendship bank.
- (Ps. the relationship will never work if you decide that you’re going to keep score as to who owes whom what favor. Let it happen organically)
- Take Risks
- This is key. You have to be willing to fall flat on your face in the process of achieving your goals. Failure helps you get where you need to go faster than you normally would without it. How? You begin to learn invaluable lessons and figure out what and what not to do.
- Gravitating toward comfort is human nature but the most successful people that I’ve ever seen are explorers and adventurers—modern day Columbuses and Magellans who have taken their ships and sailed away from shore with no land in sight, believing that they would one day find the “New World” that would bring them the personal and/or career riches they were looking for.
- Persevere
- You have to be willing to persevere and stick through the most difficult of times. Success is never something that happens overnight, rather it’s a process in which you need to practice patience and tenacity. Anything worth having should be something you’re willing to fight for…so FIGHT! Whenever you get knocked down— get up, brush yourself off as soon as you can, and start throwing punches again. You have to be a Rocky or The Little Engine that Could (and is).
Feel free to add these ingredients to your recipe for success. One point of note, these ingredients are delicate and you must keep a watchful eye on the stove and make sure that all these flavors are in balance with one another. Bon appetit my friends.
Guest Blogger: Mike Bauer on The Difference Between Dreams Goals
Hey there my AE friends!
This week’s guest blog is from my good friend Mike Bauer. Mike is a very talented actor, singer, and now artistic director of the new Loom Ensemble in New York City. Without further ado: Mr. Mike Bauer!
Thanks Josh,
This is the smartest thing I’ve learned so far. Do you know what difference is between a dream and a goal? I will tell you.
A goal is a measurable act that, once reached, ceases to be a goal while a dream is something that can be lived out every minute of every day of your life. For example if you were to ask a poet “what is your dream?” many poets might reply “to be a New Yorker Magazine published poet,” or “to write a bestselling novel,” but that would be inaccurate, those are not dreams, those are goals. Once that poet gets their work in the New Yorker, then that act isn’t a goal any more, they’ve done it, its over. However, if that poet responds “it is my goal to be published in the New Yorker, but it is my dream to live the life of a poet, to experience the joy of language, and bring others to a deeper truth of themselves with my words,” then they would be speaking with greater accuracy. That is something the poet can live out every minute of his life. It is the difference between doing something, and being something. You do the thing called “accomplish a goal,” you be the thing called “Artist.”
Now many artists are living their goals and telling themselves they are living their dreams. They say “its my dream to be on Broadway,” or “it’s my dream to get my film into this festival.” I suggest to you that it might be to your benefit to live your dream rather than your goal. Forget for one week what your goal is and live your dream from one minute to the next. Fill out that statement for yourself, “it is my dream to…” with something that would bring you joy if you lived it every minute, and throw out your goals. Do that, and you will discover a great secret; if you live your dream, then goals will suggest themselves! You will be inviting new ideas of goals into your life that you never would have though of.
Thanks for sharing Mike. It’s great to witness first hand, the successful pursuit of your dreams as an artist. If anyone wants to get in touch with Mike to learn a little more about himself or the Loom Ensemble, you can catch him at mcb257@gmail.com . Thanks everyone…we’ll be back on Monday!