So You Think You Can Dance is back. This isn’t the first column motivated by thoughts that creep in as I watch this fantastic show. But this week, I’m going to combine what I saw in last week’s auditions with the “skimmer vs. diver” concept I mentioned in a piece on Thrival Jobs.

Jess LeProtto, age 18, who has been on TV before (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) as well as on Broadway (Bye Bye Birdie, How the Grinch Stole Christmas) took the stage with such confidence and talent that I stopped all multitasking and just watched. Just. Watched.

I immediately thought, “Wow. What an amazing thing, to know — and for the world to know — without a doubt, that this is your path. That you are made for this thing you love doing.” See, because — like many readers who have reached out to me over the years — I am a hyphenate. So, I don’t know the reality that this kid knows: Stepping up to do something and having it be the only thing that is totally meant to be, in life.

Now, this doesn’t upset me. I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’m going to do a lot of different things before I leave this planet (like Kareem Abdul Jabbar says, “Life is short, but it’s real wide”) and I’m having fun trying everything on for size. But I’m lucky! I’m in a segment of the industry where being a hyphenate has always been more acceptable. For actors — even though things are changing — once you choose to also write or produce or direct or teach, you run the risk of being taken less seriously as an actor.

Case in point, we were talking about this issue in the Master Class of my Self-Management for Actors Seminars last week. One of the finest actors out there is coming back after a hiatus. She used to also teach. As she stages this comeback, should she teach again? Maybe not right away. Maybe offer one-on-one sessions with select clients. But to re-enter the game as a hyphenate is to potentially create brand confusion when her buyers need to get her, and quickly.

As CeeLo Green said on another of my favorite shows — The Voice — “Competition doesn’t always come to meet you where you’re comfortable.” So, while establishing your brand, go with your strengths and get on the map doing the thing you do best, so you’re ready to meet that competition (whether in an audition or within yourself) when it comes along. I’m all about helping creatives find the shortest distance between themselves and the money. So, get specific. Get focused. Get known. Get buyers invested in you for what you do best, first. Then show the world all the other things you can do. They’ll go with you on the journey because they are already fans of your work.

And if you’re so lucky that you really only have one thing you could possibly be made to do in this life, do it well. Enjoy that there is no doubt what you are meant to be, in life. Take the stage with confidence and bliss. Love every second of it. And shine.

Bonnie Gillespie is living her dreams by helping others figure out how to live theirs. Wanna work with Bon? Start here. Thanks!

Originally published by Actors Access at http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/archives/001351.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.