Consistency.
It’s probably THE number one secret to success in most things.
Think about it.
Showing up for the work is quite different from all the other (sometimes bullshit) stuff that surrounds the build-up of work itself: prepping ourselves, researching the best way to go about something, feeling aligned with what we’ve chosen to do, setting goals, visualizing best outcomes, surrounding ourselves with people whose support and encouragement can make miracles happen, a *load* of “actor busy work” level stuff that happens to find its way INTO this recipe at this point, and then the actual DOING of whatever it is we’ve decided needs doing.
That last bit… that showing up for it…
That’s where we sometimes get derailed if we’re not really mindful about the commitment we’ve made to ourselves to be consistent.
There’s a saying in the world of ballet (thank you, glorious Rhianna, for teaching me this during an Abraham-Hicks seminar we shared with the superbly fabulous Kelly this summer) that applies here.
Miss one day of practice and YOU notice. Miss two days of practice and your TEACHER notices. Miss three days of practice and your AUDIENCE notices.
Ain’t that the truth!
Whether it’s a workout, a day of compliant Whole30 eating, or my daily practice of listening to Abraham-Hicks MP3s, I can always tell when I “miss” a day.
And hoo, boy! It’s true that anyone invested in HELPING ME achieve goals that I say are important to me will give me a little extra eyebrow-raise on that second day I’m feeling creaky about getting back at it.
But it’s my BUYERS who show me in no uncertain terms that they see me being out of whack, living out of integrity, being off-purpose when I’ve let three days slip.
Think about that!
Whether it’s your craft, your SMFA mindset, your show bible upkeep, your pledge to self-tape, even showing up for these 11 straight days of 100% FREE training in the form of #GetInGear for the New Year (no, it’s not too late to get caught up), you may not feel like it’s that big a deal when you slack off a day.
And really, maybe that ONE day isn’t such a big deal.
But over time, the population who NOTICES you’re “off” somehow is your very fanbase. Your buyers. Those casting directors and producers and directors and showrunners and agents and managers and writers and collaboration-badass fellow creatives you sooooooooooo hope will find ways to help elevate your dreams and goals with their, “Yes, and…” energy somehow feel less connected to you.
And they “go another way.”
They may use any manner of stoppers to explain this choice, of course, and that’s not the point. The point is, YOU control your focus with your consistency.
So show up for yourself. Build a muscle for being there even when you’re fatigued by it all.
Because it freakin’ matters.
YOU matter.
And I’m showing up for you every damn day.
Meet me for it, won’t you?
PS — LA-actors, our pilot season SMFA Retreat is filling up! Grab your spot NOW if jamming with us in person is on your wishlist for 2018!
PPS — Yes, the price on #GetInGear for the Next Tier (our 100-day challenge) is increasing for 2018 but you can still score our best price right here. (And yes, Keith can work out a payment plan for you. Just give him a shout.)
All right, back at it. I have a few thousand of you jamming your asses off all over social media with our free year-end challenge and I freakin’ LOVE how inspired and fired up you make me every year with your energy and *commitment* to meeting up with Next-Tier You!
Let’s ROCK!
Bonnie Gillespie is living her dreams by helping others figure out how to live theirs. Wanna work with Bon? Start here. Thanks!
Yes. Yes. Yes. This is exactly what I’m wrestling with/working on/facing right now. Thank you.
You’re welcome! <3 Build that muscle, girl. I'm here to spot you. 😉
Thanks Bonnie!
This is definitely what I needed to hear. You’re so right that it’s a muscle and so important for our work.
XO Keep building it! 🙂 Future you will thank you!
Bonnie I nearly burst into tears this morning. Because my Day 1 GIG homework opened that door (my fear of not being talented or original or any of those other very ‘head’-y things), and this post showed me the reality of what’s been missing.
I’m showing up for others, but I’m not showing up for myself. And it’s creeping into my life, even if I can’t see it. Well, I guess I know what’s changing ASAP!
OMG, this is huge,babe! I’m so damn proud of you!!!!!!
YES!! “YOU control your focus with your consistency.
So show up for yourself. Build a muscle for being there even when you’re fatigued by it all.”
I NEEDED THIS. I need you Bonnie to keep me on track. I get derailed by life and all of its wonderful glory. I’m doing well but I want to do better-higher tier. My new plan is on days that I’m not working, to do my nonnegotiables when I wake up. Days I work are erratic & hard to plan around. I’m getting there.
I think that’s why I schedule my workouts FIRST THING every month. They are the first thing on the calendar, without fail. If I don’t build in consistency, inertia takes over and it’s a real bitch!
Damn! I needed this.
Thank you so much, Bonnie.
*smooch*
*Sigh* So true and such appropriate timing, always. It is a marathon not a sprint-and who would really want to sprint in this life anyway? I feel so eager to get to the finish line sometimes, that I forget what a waste it would be to be lying on my deathbed with the satisfaction of checking the last things off my list but not having really enjoyed any of it. Thank you for the great reminder!
So true. To say, “check, check, check” and blitz through so much without savoring any of it? What would be the point? Well done, Sonya!
The guilt I felt reading this information has “forced” me to stop making excuses and just do it…CONSISTENTLY!
Showing up for yourself is a favor you’ll ALWAYS be proud to have done for yourself.
Soooo on point with this!!
I’ve given myself a 12 week settling in Period moving country and this CONSISTENCY message is a timely reminder from my day 1 FOCUS WORD get in gear for the next tier in Jan. A reminder that this was once a sticking point for me and to keep focus and catch myself before allowing that to enter my life again. I have an alarm set in my phone to check in to my one note (so not always an open public check in) and I have picked back up my daily balance app tasks. Consistency I know is focus for me with my acting career and today serves a great reminder to remember how far we’ve come in the last year xoxo
Always celebrate that progress! And build that muscle for consistency. For sure! 🙂