Never Give Up

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I enjoy reading some of my old posts. When I was a teenager I had a diary. It really helped to get rid of teenage angst. And now this blog helps me get out of my head, voice some frustrations, get excited about what is around the corner and really stop to smell the roses.

I think about people like FDR who had polio and still unified our country in a very turbulent time. I think about Winston Churchill who lifted his hands in a V for Victory. They never gave up.

Sometimes it feels like why am I auditioning over and over? Why am I reading another book on acting or taking another acting class? Why do I do research and contact people and interview people and meet deadlines? Why am I taking a clown class? And I realize it is because I am an artist and I have a voice that i like to use.

I always felt this way. When my siblings were excelling in Sports, I was reading the classics. When things were low because we had no money and were getting on each other's nerves, I would entertain our family. When I was on high school I practiced and practiced until I became good enough to get on the dance team. The polio I had only made me work that much harder to get better and better.

I auditioned for every high school play. I played every role that i could get. When I got out of high school I missed acting so much that I found local community actors and joined them. At first they only let me help actors with their lines. Then I started getting small roles. Then I started getting chorus work on the musicals. Then I started doing Shakespeare in the Park. Then we moved to Los Angeles and I started doing background in the movies.

Along the way, some have discouraged me. And some have encouraged me. I have received rejection after rejection. And occasionally, I would receive an encouraging word from a director or a casting director or a fellow actor, or a good friend. And believe me, those encouraging words kept me going in my heart and in my soul.

The moral of this story is this. You must believe in yourself. If you do not believe in yourself, no one else will either. And eventually, it all begins to make sense and come together. And eventually you know what you can do and what you can't. You know what you are good at and what needs to be improved. You learn to accept constructive criticism and stay away from negative people.

Opportunities don't come that often so when they do, you must reach for them. And you must prepare for them because sometimes they come when you least expect them. And most of all, enjoy the ride.