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Motivation doesn’t last, neither does bathing – that’s why they’re both recommended daily!
Zig Ziglar
Acting is a tough business! There is not only a lot to learn, both about the actual skill and craft of acting, but also about self-promotion, marketing, branding, agents, managers, contracts and more. We’re expected to master everything and that means doing a lot! But you also have to have the right mindset.
If you believe the industry is too hard, you’re not good enough or you’ll never have an amazing acting career because of whatever negative stories you have going on in your head, (and we all have some) you’re going to have an extremely difficult time creating the acting career you truly desire.
Positive Affirmations are a simple tool we can use to help change our mindset around a particular subject, or set of circumstances in our lives. When used properly, they are highly effective.
By repeating the “new thoughts” out loud or silently, we shift our mindset to a place that is more in alignment with what we desire, rather than what is. When you focus on what is, you simply get more of what is, rather than what can be. The same actions are repeated, that produce the same results, that produce the same re-actions, and the cycle continues. New repeated thoughts, or affirmations, help break that cycle. They literally interrupt our thought processes, causing us to take different actions.
Positive Affirmations have helped millions of people make amazing changes in their lives, but they don’t always work for everyone. The key is knowing exactly how to use them and what makes them work; kind of the secret formula.
You become what you think about most of the time.
– Brian Tracy
Here are a few tricks to making positive affirmations really work for you.
1. Keep your affirmations within the realm of reality / believable.
One reason affirmations don’t always seem to click for some people is that they are way too far outside of the realm of reality, or what is possible or believable.
If you go overboard with affirmations that you really can’t believe, your brain will naturally be skeptical and won’t accept them. Keep your affirmations grounded. For example, instead of “I can win an Oscar by next year.” (When movies take longer to make than that and so does Oscar voting… just saying) try something like “I will stick with my acting classes and keep learning about the business every week to reach my big goal.”
2. Always state your affirmations in the first person.
You are the only person in the universe that can use “I” in relation to yourself. This signals the brain that something important is going on and worth listening to and paying attention. “You” gives you brain the idea that you are talking to someone else and it doesn’t necessarily apply to yourself. Instead of “You always book great roles.” Try “I attract roles that take my career to the next level.”
3. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
Just for a minute, think of all the negative chatter that goes through your head in the course of one day. Many of these thoughts are like tape recordings; programming picked up years ago, running over and over again, they continue to influence how we behave today. They usually sound like: “This is so hard. I don’t know how to do this. Things like this never work out for me. I’m to old for this. I’ll never figure this out.” … and the list goes on. Your new thoughts have to counteract the old ones, and then replace them. This takes time… and repetition. Self help pioneer and guru Louise Hay use to say that saying affirmations “200 – 300 times a day is barely enough!”
4. Keep it brief.
Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Easy does it. And little goes a long way. Our brains love to remember “sound bytes”! When replacing old thoughts with new ones, keep it short, sweet, and to the point! Instead of “I know every step of how to be successful and I can do anything as long as I put my mind to it.” Try “I know exactly what to do to achieve success.”
The difference between success and mediocrity is all in the way you think.
– Dean Francis
You’ve got to win in your mind before you win in your life.
– John Addison
Bonus:
Whenever I’m working with new affirmations, I write them out, usually about twenty times each day and do this for 21 days to about a month to create the new habit and thought pattern. It may seem like a lot of effort, but the thoughts you are thinking now, probably took hold over years of repetition, so a month or so to reframe, really is the short way to success. If your current thoughts aren’t producing the results you want, it’s time for some new thoughts. And building new thought patterns are just like building muscles; you’ve got to put in the reps and the time at the gym.
At the very least, this process will make you more aware of your old, defeating thought patterns. Never again will you think a negative, or self-defeating thought without being aware of it.
A positive attitude may not immediately change your circumstances, but it will change the way you respond to your circumstances. Positive people are much more likely than negative people to turn their ideas into positive actions, and that can only produce positive results!
From My Heart to Yours, Hunter
“Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.”
– Albert Einstein
p.s. While working with my private clients, I have found a few affirmations to be particularly effective. Here they are. Enjoy!
- Every thought I think is creating my future.
- I am willing to change, and learn a new way of experiencing life.
- I am the master of my life.
- I am open and receptive to all good. (Not a little bit, not just some, but ALL good!)
- Today I begin to accept myself exactly as I am.
- I welcome new people and new experiences into my life.
Like this post or love it? Tweet it. Post it. Pin it. Share it with actor friends! It’s a tough business and we could all use a little help!
* Please Note: I am not an agent, manager, or casting director. I do not procure work for actors. All information, workshops and coaching are for educational purposes only and are not a guarantee or promise of employment. Thank you for being here!
