Episode 265: Managing New Year's Anxiety

Acting Business Boot Camp

Managing Anxiety for the New Year.

Sometimes when I have something really large looming in front of me, like an entire year, I get anxious.

I think, “How am I going to do this? How am I going to handle this? This seems like too big of a thing to tackle.”

And there's that wonderful phrase that says, “Anyone can eat an elephant one bite at a time.”

And that's what I like to help actors with, not only helping you in the business, in the basics, because I have this theory that really the business is something that can be learned.

The problem is it's taught so poorly in so many places, and I have a tried true system that really works. And once you get on that system, it just chugs along in the background. It's like it works and it chugs along so that you can focus on the two other things that I think are the most important things, which is the ability to do your job, which is acting.

So to become a better actor. Possibly, more importantly, what we're talking a bit about today, which is core work, which is the work on yourself.

Because the more you know how you tick, the more you'll be able to apply that to a character.

So the more you become emotionally mature and the more emotional intelligence that you have, the better you'll be able to translate that into a character.

For today, talking about managing New Year's anxiety, or managing anxiety with an entire year in front of you.

You will never be given more than you can handle, but you will be given more than you can control.

And why is that? Because control is not your business. Handling is. That's also where that phrase, “Take the action, let go of the result,” comes in.

It's my job to show up and do the absolute very best I can.

My job is to suit up and to show up and to be the very best I can be in every single moment.

“I can handle this.” It's something I say to myself quite often, especially when faced with such a big thing in front of me.

Also, asking myself the question, “when the anxiety comes up, what do I think I can't handle?”

The other thing that I find, and this is just magical, is once I take responsibility for doing something in the area that I have that anxiety in, the anxiety does start to dissipate.

It starts to disappear. Why? Because I've taken responsibility.

There's something else about fear and anxiety that I want to point out,fear is your anecdote to success.

Let me say that again. Fear is your anecdote to success.

It is a bridge. If you can, slowly, methodically, quietly, stealth fully, do those things that you are frightened of, you'll start to build real confidence, a real understanding of you.

And that confidence that will carry you to the success that you want in your life.

It becomes the road more traveled.

That when that thing that comes up that you're frightened of, you do that.

It’s very important to stop, take that step back, and observe.

And at the beginning of this year, I so recommend you taking that moment, sitting down and doing a lot more planning and organizing.

And then, of course, doing that very difficult thing of following through.

I want to be responding as much as I can to 2024 and not reacting.

When I react, I go by my first thought, and my first thought generally is not healthy for me.

But my second thought is, because my second thought is more of a response.

And a response is a reaction with a pause and a thought behind it.