Why Mindset is Critical in Your Acting Career

The biggest difference-maker from the actors, who have a career and those who don’t is…Mindset. 

But what is Mindset? And how is that going to help my career? 

The dictionary defines mindset as; “the established set of attitudes held by someone.” That is, how you perceive or think about someone or something. But that definition only begins to scratch the very surface of what mindset really is. Because, mindset goes much, much deeper. And if we’re talking about transforming mindset, the rabbit hole goes deeper still…

Mindset consists of many different things; such as your thoughts, emotions, habits, strategies, behaviors, shadows, beliefs, history, values, memories, experiences, identity. Hence the popular phrase, “mindset is everything.” Because it literally is. 

To keep this simple, you can think of mindset as a combination of your emotional past and your mental thought processes which ultimately drive how you behave. And it’s this behavior that will ultimately propel you forward in your career or keep you stuck. Your beliefs, your thoughts, and feelings…(i.e. your mindset) determine the action or inaction you will take for your career. 

And an actor who takes no action…well no action, no results…means no career.  

So, if you’re an actor who’s pursuing a professional career and still haven’t quite reached your career desires, it might be time to focus on the one thing you may have overlooked, your Mindset. 

Why?

Because no matter how hard you try, no matter how hard you may want it… 

…your professional growth will not exceed your personal growth. 

At a certain point in my career, I stopped seeing results and my career plateaued. I went from being an award-winning actor to having a meltdown every time I needed to self-tape.  It was as if everything I did; new headshots, better representation, better auditions, a new acting coach, and thousands of dollars, made very little difference in helping me in my career. Somehow, I was always getting in the way of my own success. I didn’t know what else to do. I felt like I had tried everything. 

Finally, after attending yet another acting workshop, I heard the speaker say, “your professional growth will not exceed your personal growth.” It was truly as if a real lightbulb turned on above my head. I knew she’d finally given me the key to breaking free from resistance and finally following through on my purpose without excuses or fears. 

I realized at that moment I had gotten it all wrong and what I thought would always be the major difference-maker in my career (new headshots, better representation, better auditions, a better network) was never going to have a lasting effect on it at all. I knew at that moment if I didn’t work on myself, ie. my mindset, I would never reach my full potential and my dreams would never be realized. I knew I had to do something different if I was ever going to see different results in my life and career.  

Although I didn’t know what transforming my mindset truly meant or how to do it (at the time), I knew I’d finally been given the key to turning my life and career around. A key that I’d desperately been searching for most of my career. Now I had it and I knew my life was never going to be the same again. I was elated.

I don’t know if anyone else in the room had come to the realization that I had. But it was as if everything I grew up hearing my father say finally made sense. I vividly remember the day mindset entered my life. My father handed me his well-worn copy of “Think & Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill and told me to read it. Once I read it, years later, I was absolutely blown away by the book’s contents. For starters, just the notion that I have a say over my own thoughts was completely new for me. And the fact I could program my mind for success made me incredibly excited because I knew I wanted more for my life. Reflecting on this memory I understood the secret was within me all along but I’d somehow lost sight of what the “real work” was. I forgot working on my internal state would make me far more prosperous than working on external things. 

When it comes down to it, when everything else is stripped away…

…your mindset is the most essential tool you have to upleveling your career. 

Acting is only a tiny portion of what we do as actors. In fact, we spend less than 5% of our time actually doing what we love, acting. The rest of the 95% is doing the work to get the job. And if we don’t have a mindset for success, we will continually find ourselves set back by our mindset.

I want you to answer the following questions: 

• Do I go after what I want without resistance?
• Do I feel grounded and in control no matter what life brings my way?
• Am I inspired and motivated to move toward my goals with ease and confidence?
• Do I have a fear of visibility?
• Do fear of judgement and rejection hold me back?
• Do I intuitively trust myself?
• Do I handle any challenge with calm confidence or do I feel overwhelmed and/ beat myself up?
• Do I easily maintain my boundaries and say “no” to things that do not serve my best interest?
• Do I suffer from performance, anxiety, self-doubt, or worry?
• Do you show up as your most authentic self that capitaves everyone around you?
• Do you wake-up feeling clear headed, motivated, with more productive energy?
• Do you live in a constant state of stress or fear or feel easily triggered?
• Do you feel like you have to live up to other people’s expectations? 
• Do you easily follow through on promises you made yourself instead of procrastinating? 
• Do you easily maintain habits & routines without feeling resistance or overwhelm?
• Do you find yourself with negative thought patterns and/ or running old programming?

How did you answer? Did you answer “yes” to any of the above questions? Did you answer “yes” to more than one question? 

Now, I want you to put yourself into the shoes of one of your favorite actors. Maybe you aspire to be the next Jennifer Lawerence, Tessa Thompson, Jared Leto, Daniel Kaluuya, or Awkafina. Whomever it may be, pick just one. Now, as this actor, answer the questions above. 

How did your famous actor answer? Did they answer “yes” to any of the above questions?” My guess is probably not.

Do you see just how vital having a strong mindset is? Again, mindset is the biggest difference-maker between actors who have a career and those who don’t. 

If you, as yourself, answered yes to any of the above questions, I’m here to tell you there is a solution. But that long-term solution is not new headshots, new representation, better auditions, or a better network. The solution lies within you and within your mind. Once you transform your mindset you will begin to see the ripple effect it will have on both your life and career.  

Today, I am back to working professionally and I attribute it all to transforming my mindset. I haven’t gotten new headshots, or new representation, or a better network. I’ve simply worked on myself. 

As a direct result of my inner work, my acting career took a giant leap forward. 

I embrace an abundance of opportunities and enjoy the self-taping process. 

My personal growth has directly impacted my acting career (but also every aspect of my life) and now that I know my personal and professional growth go hand in hand, I continue to make personal growth a priority by focusing on my mindset. 

In fact, as I began to experience the success and happiness I always strived for, I couldn’t bear to see the pain and struggle other actors continued to cope with. I decided to help them in the same way I was able to help myself. The reason I’m so open about my success and failures is that I want to show actors what’s possible for them. 

I’m not only a professional working actor, I am also a certified mindset coach and the founder of Empowered to Act®.  Empowered to Act® helps actors master the power of their mindset so they can transform their lives from the inside out and manifest the positive outcomes they desire. Using hyper-efficient mindset coaching therapies I help actors quickly break through their toughest inner blocks, empowering them to go after their dreams, live up to their true potential, and achieve the success they desire with joy and ease. 

If you’re interested in learning more about mindset and how it can help transform your acting career, you’ll want to check out my free guide, 10 Ultimate Mindset Secrets to “Next Level” Your Acting Career. It includes mindset secrets from some of the most accomplished actors of all time and includes one bonus secret to help you rapidly breakthrough in your career.   

1000% committed to your success!