I Wasn't Special

For years I wore the fact I hadn't reached all of my highest targets as an actor despite having given it everything I had as a badge of honor. It was a way to proclaim the "injustice" of the industry and forfeit some accountability.

But as I got older, I realized there was absolutely nothing noble or unique about giving something your all and still coming up short. There were people in all types of industries who'd spent just as much emotional, physical, mental, and financial capital into a project for years and years only to see their dreams not come to fruition.

Instead of distancing myself from this people, clinging on to the notion that nobody would understand how I felt, I began to find ways to humble myself. These people became mentors, role models, and inspirations. 

I tipped my hat to their sense of fortitude and refusal to quit their quest to find some way to amplify their voices and offer value even if it may now be in a different way than originally intended. 

Consistency

"Most people stop right before they're about to see results," I heard the moderator say. I was listening to a Webinar about digital marketing strategy. Her observation was in response to a question I'd asked about when to shift targets versus when to change tactics.

But the more I thought about her answer the more it began to resonate with me. For years, I'd stayed consistent in just about everything I started: morning routines, taking acting workshops, travel, and incorporating steps to maintain my mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.

To be honest, it was often difficult to gauge whether the years of consistency had paid off. It was kind of like expecting to see immediate results in your body after going to the gym for a week.

It wasn't until friends began pointing out the disciplines I'd developed and largely taken for granted. They started asking questions about my routine, how they could include them in their own busy schedules, and any books, seminars, or podcasts I could recommend. In other words, the work I'd put it had not only began to show, but influence others.

In a previous blog post, I wrote about a word I love called, Kaizen. Kaizen means incremental improvement over time through little, seemingly insignificant actions.

Find your own method of Kaizen and remember once you cultivate those routines not to to quit. Chances are you're much closer than you think to reaching your goal.