I’m writing today’s #BonBlast from New York, where I got sober two years ago.
You’re likely reading this while I’m in flight to Barcelona, having officially gone off the grid — yes, tech-free (I’ll only be using my phone as a CAMERA, y’all) — for two solid weeks.
Within hours, I’m boarding a ship that will tour me through ports such as Mallorca, Sicily, Mykonos, Athens, Santorini, Rhodes, and Valletta. When I’m not exploring these jaw-droppingly beautiful places for the first time, I’ll again be immersed in the woo-woo with Abraham-Hicks. Bookended by a whole bunch of teaching, speaking, book-signing, and coaching in New York, Berlin, and London, this trip is a full five weeks away from Los Angeles.
The combination of things I’ve never experienced and things I have done many times before is a wonderful way to kick off a new year in my life.
Because on October 16, 2016, I got sober.
As I’ve been bopping all over New York, I’ve been thinking about how much of early sobriety is about “reclaiming.” Going places, connecting with people, having experiences all from a new POV. Encountering the exact same things from a totally new perspective. Reclaiming… proving that “This person can be my friend even if I’m not drinking” and learning “This place is even more enchanting now that I’m sober” and all that jazz.
The reason this very personal post is actually this week’s BonBlast is because the work I’ve been doing with artists and creatives all over the world has become more and more about enoughness, plain and simple.
And there’s a reclaiming that happens with each new level of belief in oneself too.
Anyone can use the Self-Management for Actors principles to help actors shoot and select on-brand headshots, format a killer resumé, clean up an online presence, recut demo footage to be more powerful, and tweak a target list so the RIGHT buyers are in focus.
But there’s a special kind of investment that goes into helping storytellers believe in themselves more fully.
It seems my journey of reclaiming places and experiences as a sober woman is running parallel to that of so many of you who’ve begun to believe in yourselves more than ever before, and this work we’re doing is becoming more about reclaiming your creative career — one experience, one relationship, one audition at a time — from a whole new level of enoughness.
And just as sobriety is managed, enoughness is managed. Our mental health is managed. Our happiness is managed. Feeling confident in our ability to navigate this industry — and to weather its ups and downs for the long-haul — is managed.
As I disconnect from the outside world so that I can fully connect with my inner world and all that nourishes me from beyond my immediate surroundings, I’ll ask you to consider that you are similarly on a journey. Always building the muscle for a better-fortified state of enoughness. And therefore reclaiming certain experiences from that new, more powerful position.
Just because you tanked an audition in front of that casting director before doesn’t mean you have to go in feeling low on the enoughness scale next time. Just because you violated your NO line with this producer before doesn’t mean you ever have to do that again. Just because you doubted yourself when you last did a round of agent and manager submissions doesn’t mean today’s targeting has to be the same.
We are constantly renegotiating and redefining our relationships. Most of all with ourselves.
Be on your own side. Show up. Believe in yourself. Trust there’s good work to do tomorrow if today’s work didn’t go so well.
If you’re signed up for any of our awesome free training goodies or paid programs, you’ll keep getting emails from me because they were created and programmed before I went off the grid. 😉 But I’ll be OFF that grid (and filling in a new one) ’til the end of the month!
I look forward to reconnecting with you on the other side! 🙂
Stay inspired!
Bonnie Gillespie is living her dreams by helping others figure out how to live theirs. Wanna work with Bon? Start here. Thanks!