How to unlock your potential to achieve success as a performer…
Desire, Decision, and Definite Purpose
Oops, I did it again: Evansville, IN 2011 and Nashville, 2010
One afternoon, I sat down with my friend in a small café. She was a performer as well. We’d been friends from the day we met at our first rehearsal of the musical South Pacific in junior high school. Now, twenty years later we sat together enjoying lunch just a mile down the road from our high school. She’d moved back home to Evansville, IN from New York when she learned that she was pregnant. She wanted to have a more stable lifestyle and career to provide for her daughter. As we sat in the cafe laughing and reliving funny stories from our childhood, her eyes became serious. She said to me in a sincere and straightforward manner, which was always her way. “Brandon, what are you doing here?
Uhhhh, what?” I responded.
“What are you doing back here in Evansville?”
“Well…” I tried to form together some coherent and well articulated rationalisation for why I’d decided to move back home to Evansville and pursue a nursing degree.
To be honest, her question took me by surprise and I realised that I could not voice an explanation that I felt comfortable communicating to her. I’m not a good liar. And even, if I’d fully believed what I was saying, she has an ability to cut through nonsense. The truth is a colleague who I was working with at the time suggested that I take up nursing, because I would always have a career and a profession to fall back on. I took up the suggestion, because I was at a loss of real direction in my life. Before I knew it, I was a C.N.A. working at a nursing home, and studying general education courses at a community college to earn my way into nursing school. It was as far away a deviation from a performing career as I could imagine. However, I worked to the best of my ability, and I learned about patience, care, and connection. I also began to understand from some of my patients in that nursing home about regret, and I was slowly learning that I certainly did not want to live a life of regret.
Alicia explained, “Brandon, I came here because I needed to. I have a daughter that I have to consider. This is only a detour, and I plan to move back to New York after I finish my degree. You have nothing keeping your here, except fear.” She continued to encourage me and speak into my life. “Brandon you can work. You have ability. You can act. You can dance. You can sing. You don’t have to be here. Don’t give up on your dreams.” I knew that she was right, and I knew that there was nothing keeping me in Evansville, except for me and my fear.
I’d done it again! You see, this wasn’t the first time I’d found myself back at home in Evansville. Every time things got uncomfortable for me, I ran home. I was over thirty years old, and I’d still not taken my career path seriously. Let me explain. Several years before this conversation, I’d been a trainee with Nashville Ballet, and on a whim I packed up all of my belongings into a truck and left the ballet company. To everyone’s shock I’d decided at the last minute not to continue training. The company had decided to keep me as a trainee, instead of promoting me into the company. Instead of putting in more time to complete the two year programme to potentially earn a spot in the corp de ballet, I convinced myself that I had been treated unfairly. After ruminating about my plight, I fled impulsively, leaving the ballet directors scurrying to replace me. My leaving was a knee jerk reaction, because I was out of my comfort zone, and the real work was beginning. The universe was testing my staying power. But I gave up, and I quit. My self defeating thoughts, and negative self talk prevailed once again, and I found myself running back home like a scared dog with my tail between my legs. The realisation smacked me in the face as Alicia spoke to me. I was unhappy and stuck in limbo, and Alicia knew it.
That night, I emailed an old colleague and asked if they would consider hiring me for any available positions on a cruise ship as a performer. I heard back several weeks later. They needed a singer/dancer to perform on a cruise ship out of New York within the month. I tied up loose ends, finished my final coursework, left Evansville, and I never looked back. Alicia’s conversation inspired me. I acted on that inspiration, and thank goodness I did. That action set in motion a course of events that led me to where I am today.
“Motivation is when you get hold of an idea and carry it through to its conclusion, and inspiration is when an idea gets hold of you and carries you where you are intended to go.”
– Dr Wayne Dyer
DESIRE
True inspiration is a spark of desire from the divine. Sometimes inspiration comes to you in the form of encouragement from a friend, as in my case in my conversation with Alicia. Sometimes inspiration comes as confirmation that you are on your life’s correct path. You may experience inspiration as gratitude when your dreams become reality. At other times inspiration alters your destination when your path in life forks onto a different road. Inspiration is desire - the beginning of every worthwhile endeavour and project, and uninspired beginnings lead to worthwhile ends. Every journey matters, and every moment lived carries meaning and inspiration. Your dreams and desires of being a performer are possible, and you can achieve your goals in this life. But within you must be a burning desire to win. Desire is the first steps to you getting from where you are to where you want to be in the performing arts industry.
The night in 1987, that I cried out to God, and prayed that my life would be different, seeds of desire were born out of adversity. Some of those seeds of desire, germinated in the soil of my mind, and came to fruition in my life when I saw that whale on the beach in Maui, twenty years later. It took 20 years for the seed of desire within me to come to fruition.
You see, a desire is a seed in your imagination and that seed carries with it limitless potential. It is important for you to water that seed, and to make sure the ground is fertile and full of nutrients so that the seed takes root, germinates, sprouts, and grows into an obsession. There are too many failures, rejections, mishaps, and stumbling blocks on this journey that will try and knock you off course. You must develop a strong vision of where you want to be in this life. You must nurture your desire and allow it to grow into an obsession so that when you don’t book a job, or someone tells you that you’re not good enough, you don’t lose sight of your vision. If your desire is an obsession strong enough to push you, then you will keep the faith.
Desire is an idea, a seed and a thought that you must nurture. For most of you reading this, the desire is probably that you want to be a performer, but instead of a having a general idea about what the life of a performer is, you want to begin getting clear about what it is that you actually desire. What does it look like to be a performer in your mind’s eye? What does it feel like? You have to begin to dream. You need to feed this desire so that it becomes an obsession. It needs to overcome you and consume you so that you develop the invisible staying power that is necessary to translate your desire into its physical equivalent.
In the early stages of my career, my desire for success was not strong enough for me to act in the ways necessary to succeed. I would quit at the first sign of uncomfortability. Pleasing my peers was more important. Comfortability was more important. I often see this in younger pre-professional students. They stop coming to class when things get difficult. In the early stages of my career, my desire for success was not strong enough for me to act in the ways necessary to ensure my success. I would quit at the first sign of uncomfortability. Pleasing my peers and fitting in was more important tan success. Being comfortable was more important. I often see this in young performers. They are so worried about how they look in class, at work, and on social media that they don’t actually nurture their dreams and desire for a better future. They leave their careers and future in the hands of someone else by following the crowd. It is imperative that you become deliberate about who it is you want to be and where you want to go in this life. You must design and create your future by nurturing your desires and focusing on your goals in order to achieve the success you desire. I’ve had to nurture the idea that I can be a successful performer even when I’ve not felt very much like one at all.
I’ll explain. When I decided that I wanted to be a leading man in a musical, I was working as a swing in the West End. A swing is a performer who learns multiple roles in a show. The swing will receive a notice from the company manager early in the afternoon about whether or not they will be performing that evening. While I was a swing, I also covered a leading role in the musical I became an understudy for the role as an emergency, because someone had left the company. When I auditioned for the role, I was turned down and needed to audition twice. I was told that the director did not want me for the role. Imagine being a member of a company and being told by the directors that you are not suitable for the role. It does not feel good for one’s self esteem to be told that the director does not want you for the role. I was determined, though, and fortunately I had a person in my corner who was willing to push for me and tell the director that they would get me ready. I knew that although I may not be the best at performing the role, this would set me up for something greater in the future. I swallowed my pride. I attended more rehearsals. I worked my butt off and I was eventually hired as a second understudy. Although some people might have called this success, it certainly didn’t feel good to be taking the second choice position to what I preferred. I had a great amount of fear and self-doubt that I had to push through to maintain and learn the role. I can count on one hand the amount of times that I went on stage to perform the role, but it was a goal I achieved and I was so proud. When it came time for the cast to renew contracts, I auditioned again. I was sure that my hard work would pay off and I would be granted the role. WRONG. When the time came, I had to audition for the role again. I was devastated, and I bombed the audition. I was shaky, not confident, and my voice was a mess. Needless to say I didn’t get promoted and remained a second understudy. Although, I hoped I would audition and be promoted to first understudy, I completed a third year with the company. After another year with the company, I auditioned again for a third time. Third times the charm was not true in my case, and unfortunately I was not promoted. Talk about another blow to the heart. However, the entire time, I affirmed with myself. I am a leading man in a Broadway or West End Musical. I am happily playing a leading man in a Broadway or West End musical or something better. Looking back, I ask the question. Was I ready? Maybe I wasn’t. I needed that time to nurture the desire and drive I had inside me to grow into the person ready to play a leading man in a musical. I needed to cover the role and grow in confidence. I had to put in the time as an understudy so I’d be ready when opportunity met with my preparation.
As I repeated the idea to myself that I have the ability to make a living as successful performer, I began acting differently. As I held the idea in my mind that I AM A SUCCESSFUL PERFORMER, my actions changed and I approached my work differently. As I behaved differently in my relationships, rehearsals, and auditions; I began to take myself more seriously and so did others. I started building into my life the habits that create successful performers. I started practicing who I wanted to become. Most people spend their lives stopping themselves from actually taking the risks to go for what they want, because they don’t believe in the ideas they have for themselves. However, if you have the idea, then it means that somewhere within you lies the creative power to manifest it’s outcome.
A recent study conducted by Dr. Marina Milyavskaya and her colleagues at Carleton University found that inspiration plays a significant role in achieving progress. The study revealed that individuals who were consistently inspired tended to set more inspired goals, which ultimately led to greater success in achieving those goals. This success, in turn, motivated them to set even more ambitious goals, creating a positive cycle of inspiration and progress. Therefore, it is essential for you to continue to cultivate a sense of inspiration and desire to achieve their goals and continue to set new ones.
The life of a performer is not for the faint of heart, and it takes a true conviction and belief in what you are doing in order to be a great success. You must take inspired action, because inspiration can be activated, captured, and manipulated to propel you toward your professional performance goals.
But how do you stay inspired when life’s rejections knock you down? How do you keep the faith when, self-doubt, fear, and critical thoughts wreak havoc on your emotions? Firstly, you have to make a definite decision to follow your dreams and goals of being a performer.
Exercise: What do you want?
Write for 15 minutes aboout what you want. Start with the words I want, and for 15 minutes keep your pen or pencil on the paper as you dream about all that you want. Keep it positive and focus on your own behaviour and things that you want for yourself or your family. You can also draw, or speak into your phone voice recorder if that feels more comfortable for you, but continue for 15 minutes.
Now that you have decided what you want, you may have probably started to have some sense association with your desires. You may have seen images in your mind. Perhaps, you smelled things, heard, or even touched and tasted. Look back over your list now, and start to use your other senses with this exercise. Try to hear, see, taste, touch, and smell every aspect of every want. Take another 15 minutes to do this now.
Did you start to get excited about any of your wants? If you didn’t, don’t worry. Some of us have forgotten the ability we have to use our imagination to affect our senses and emotions. As you commit to the exercises in this book, you will get better at this.
DECISION
Most of us have not experienced the success we want in our professional careers, because we have not yet fully committed to a decision to pursue our desires. You need to nurture your desire and then decide to develop a strong enough commitment to the life of a performing artist.
The story of my life is a testament to the existence of forces beyond our understanding and control. These forces have a way of meeting us where we are and conspiring to move us towards our desired destination when we make a definite commitment and decision to follow our dreams.
If you do not feel that performing is your life purpose or calling, it is important to take a step back and reflect on why you feel this way. It could be that you have been influenced by the opinions of others who have told you that it is not a viable way to make a living. It is possible that well-meaning friends or family members have planted seeds of doubt in your mind that you have nurtured over time. These seeds of doubt may have grown into weeds that are now blocking you from committing to your dream of being a performer.
In my personal experience from the story that I mentioned earlier, a friend of mine suggested that I pursue a career in nursing, which initially planted seeds of doubt in my mind. While nursing is a respectable profession with ample job opportunities, it did not align with my personal passions and interests. However, I don’t blame my friend for my indecision, because I am fully responsible for allowing that seed to take root in my mind.
Fortunately, I was eventually able to commit to following my dreams. Making a definite decision to pursue your dreams is the first step towards creating the life you want. It requires taking necessary steps, putting a plan into action, seeking out relationships with people who can guide and support you, and developing habits that lead to success. When I arrived in London with my husband, I auditioned relentlessly, facing rejection after rejection. The situation seemed more bleak than at any other time in my life. I remained steadfast in my belief that this was just a stepping stone towards achieving my goals. I was even turned away from the UK and spent a night in detention before being deported back to Berlin. Yet, in my heart, I knew that this was just another obstacle to overcome. After being turned away, I spent the summer in France, sleeping on a friend's couch in the high alps, working odd jobs for cash while visualising my dream. Though I was broke and homeless, I refused to give up. I knew that this was a necessary challenge for me to overcome in order for me to reap the benefits of the life I wanted to lead. I knew not to give up. The whole time I lived in France, I visualised my dream. I was broke, homeless, and worked odd jobs for cash here and there until I could figure out what next step to take. I was determined.
After I married my husband in Prague, I was able to move back to the UK. However, due to the high cost of living in London, I had to settle for a job working in a hotel in the north of England. One day feeling discouraged, I prayed, “Ok, God, if this is where I am at, fine, but this is not where I’m going to stay. I will do what it takes or I will die trying.” I worked hard at the hotel, going above and beyond my duties, and this brought me a sense of great peace and calm. I realised that what mattered most was my attitude towards my situation and myself. I became content with my job, even though it was not my ultimate goal. I was determined to keep working towards my dream, even if I never achieved it. That weekend my agent called me about an audition in London. I could not afford the train tickets, but the agency loaned me the money for my expenses. That weekend, I booked two jobs - one as a dancer in a film and another in a theatre. Since then, I have not stopped working. Making a definite decision to stay the course and follow my path changed my life forever. Although I still face challenges, both professionally and personally, my decision to stay focused on my goals has helped me eliminate distractions and stay on track.
“Every experience in your life is guidance, but your response determines the quality” (unknown - found in a tea bag)
Exercise:
Journal your answers to the following questions.
1. Can you look back over your life and point out a series of decisions that you are not aware of that when considered together brought you to a cumulative successful moment?
2. Now, consider the opposite. Are there a few pivotal small decisions that lead you down a path that you ended up regretting? John Adair puts the “art of effective decision making” into the following context:
- all decisions are a fraction of the total outcome
- some decisions are smaller, and some bigger, and some a fork in the road
- generally, the great number of the smaller decisions make up a cumulative result
Most of the time, we’re not able to understand how a small decision will affect our life until we look back in hindsight. Then we recognise the few pivotal decisions that had the greatest result. Therefore, it’s the result of smaller decisions over time that yield the great results. Next, we will look at developing a definite purpose for your life. This is similar to deciding upon the ulitimate objective for you life as a performer. Having an objective is your guide. Otherwise, all of your decision making will exist in a haze.
DEFINITE PURPOSE
“Decide upon your major purpose in life and then organise all your activities around it.” -Brian Tracy,
Life is full of unpredictable experiences, but having a clear understanding of your definite purpose can help you make informed decisions and prioritize your actions. It's important to recognize that each of us has a unique reason for being on this earth, and it's our responsibility to discover and define that purpose. To do so, you must take the time to reflect on your values, passions, and goals. Once you have a clear sense of your purpose, it's essential to channel all your energy and enthusiasm towards fulfilling it during your time on Earth. Remember, discovering your purpose is a lifelong journey, and it's never too late to start.
The path you should take is not always clear for you. Just as a ship needs the guiding light from a lighthouse to to lead it back to shore when it is out at sea, so it is important that the guiding light of your definite purpose in life will guide you. An old proverb says, “If you do not know what port you are heading for, any wind is the right wind.” Whatever it is that you see for yourself in the performing arts industry, having a definite purpose helps you to monitor your progress goals and keep them aligned to your purpose. In this way, you can be clear that you are taking the necessary steps in the direction of the grandest version of the greatest vision you have for yourself.
Developing a definite purpose for me was helpful, because many people around me doubted my professional goals. I adopted their beliefs and began to feel as though my desire of making a living as a performer was selfish and nothing more than a hobby that I should give up at a certain age. I attached guilt to my desire of having a creative life. I moved away from my family to school in Boston and I missed my brothers. I didn’t make great money so it wasn’t always possible to visit them. I missed births, weddings, and I felt that no one took my profession seriously. My professional life had not added significant financial assistance to my own life, and I felt I was a broke loser. Also, I didn’t take the desire seriously, because of all of this shame, guilt, and trouble. However, when I completed the exercise of defining my definite purpose in life, I realised that my dreams and goals of being a performer was a serious and altruistic profession. I realised that my desire was not only god-given, but it was a calling that could help my community and help the world. Furthermore, I had a responsibility to my family and friends to become a successful performer so that they might to be inspired to follow their dreams. When you make a decision to create a definite purpose, you clarify your vision and decision - and by focusing in this way, you raise your energy by adding necessities your your calling as a performer.
“There is a time when we must firmly choose the course we will follow, or the relentless drift of events will make the decision for us.” - Herbert V Prochnow
Ten years, ago, I intentionally set out to uncover my purpose, using a process I read in Jack Canfield’s self-help bible, How To Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, and since then, I have learned that focusing on it helps me to eliminate distraction and infuse love and passion into everything I do. My purpose is to inspire others to overcome self-doubt and limiting beliefs, unlocking their potential for peak performance and exceptional success. I achieve this through teaching, writing, and entertaining, always striving to be an example of energy, passion, and high-quality entertainment. Whenever I realize that my actions or behaviors are not aligned with my purpose, I eliminate them to ensure that everything I do is in line with my definite purpose.
When you discover your life's calling and purpose, you will gain momentum, and things in your life will start to fall into place. This doesn't mean that your life will be perfect, as you will still face challenges and adversity. However, you will learn whether you are on the right path, and the excuses and chaos from not living life on purpose will fall away.
“Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person.”
- Albert Einstein
Exercise: Definite Purpose and Calling Exercise[1]
Take out your notepad and complete the following exercises.
1. Make a list of interesting personal traits you have. Look back over your list and pick out two traits or personality characteristics that you feel the most connected to. Examples might include, versatile, nurturing, sense of humour, patient, determined.
2. List one or two ways you enjoy expressing these qualities when interacting with others. Examples might be such a encourage and excite.
3. What does a perfect world look like to you? How is everyone interacting with one another? Write the answer to these questions as a statement in the present tense, describing a utopia as you see it and feel it. Remember to have fun, because a perfect world is a fun place to live in.
Examples: EVERYONE IS CONNECTING IN LOVE; EVERYONE IS JOYFUL. WE CREAT ART WITH ONE ANOTHER. WE ARE A COMMUNITY OF LAUGHTER AND HEARTFELT PASSION. PEOPLE ARE LAUGHING AND BONDING.
4. Now combine the answers to the three exercises. Start the phrase with - MY PURPOSE IS TO USE MY sense of humour TO encourage and excite others to joyfully CREATE ART.
OTHER EXAMPLES OF DEFINITE PURPOSES:
After you have decided on your definite purpose and calling, read it aloud every morning. If you are an auditory, visual, or kinaesthetic learner, you may want to draw or paint a picture, take a photograph, create a sculpture, or compile a playlist that helps you to sense, feel, and create an emotional connection with your purpose.
Here is my definite purpose statement:
MY CALLING IS TO USE MY PASSION AND DETERMINATION TO ENTERTAIN, EDUCATE, AND INSPIRE OTHERS OVERCOME SELF-DOUBT AND LIMITING BELIEFS TO UNLOCK THEIR POTENTIAL FOR PEAK PERFORMANCE AND EXCEPTIONAL SUCCESS.
I do this as a performer in theatre, television, and film performances, educational performing arts workshops, speaking, teaching, and writing. I know that this book is aligned with my purpose, because it is meant to inspire you to move beyond your own self-doubt, victimisation, and fear to have a fulfilling professional career as a performer.
TIP: Once you’ve developed a definite purpose for your life; leave it and come back to it in a day or two to check and see if it still resonates. You may notice immediately how to refine and make it more focused so that it is more inspiring for you.
Remember the I Want list you created? Go back to those things you wanted and see which of those wants is in line with your definite purpose in life. There may be no direct association now with the wants and your definite purpose that you can see, but the defined purpose will help you to rule out any of those wants that are in direct opposition. And your definite purpose exercise will help you to centre on those goals that if attained would bring you the most fulfilment.
“I’d rather regret the things I have done than the things I haven’t” - Lucille Ball
When we encounter chaos as humans we seek to structure it, to see through it, or at least gain an overview/understanding of it. Reducing the complexity of difficult and challenging situations enables us to concentrate on what is important by suppressing that which is not most helpful for us at the time. By creating a definite purpose, you give your life a direction which you can then use to align your decisions around what is important to you.
According to Brendon Burchard’s book High Performance Habits, a decade long study of high performers, when you have a purpose your drive to serve others sustains longevity in pursuing goals, because your call to a higher vision, mission, or calling pulls you through the hardships of achievement. A purpose serves as a social obligation or responsibility that causes high performers to succeed consistently, but not because they felt this as a negative pressure. The external demands of a social obligation reinforced their own choices and behaviours that they were already committed to.
Purpose pulled actor Chadwick Boseman, as he explains in a commencement address speech. “Purpose is an essential element of you…remember the struggles along the way are only meant to shape you for your purpose. When I dared to challenge the system that would relegate us [African Americans] to victims and stereotypes with no clear historical backgrounds, no hopes, talents, - when I questioned that method of portrayal, a different path opened up for me. - Chadwick Boseman, Academy Award winning Actor. When you wake up to your definite purpose in life, you “don’t have any other choice” than to succeed. This is not because of a lack of freedom, as is someone is forcing you to do something. However, you feel compelled to succeed, because it is an exceptional and remarkable opportunity. The top 15 percent of successful high performers talked about things like “legacy, destiny, divine timing, God, or a moral responsibility to future generations” as the drives for their achievement. [1]
Having a definite purpose in life is crucial to making informed decisions and prioritizing your actions. It is important to reflect on your values, passions, and goals to discover and define your purpose. Once you have a clear sense of your purpose, channel all your energy and enthusiasm towards fulfilling it during your time on Earth. Developing a definite purpose helps you monitor your progress goals and keep them aligned with your purpose. It also helps you eliminate distractions and infuse love and passion into everything you do. When you discover your life's calling and purpose, you will gain momentum, and things in your life will start to fall into place. Remember, discovering your purpose is a lifelong journey, and it's never too late to start.
Quiet Reflection Exercise
Another exercise that you can do is to sit in quiet reflection with some soft music playing. You can do this in a comfortable place at home, or you can find some calm place in nature. Take deep slow breaths, counting down from 10 and once you have become relaxed, ask yourself, What is my life calling? What is my unique role on this earth? You might not have an answer come to you right away, but just be aware of any thoughts, images, and impressions that come. Jot or write down some notes about what comes to you. Your purpose doesn’t need to be poetic; what is essential is that you feel inspired.
Before your read any further, you can complete this model to spark your imagination for what lies ahead for you.
The Crossroads Model
Answer the following:
1. Where have you come from? What is it that you believe makes you who you are today? What are the key moments, decisions, life obstacles, accomplishments, and people who have contributed to the development of the person you believe yourself to be? Now, make a list of any notes and/or keywords that you feel are important.
2. What is important to you? Jot down the first five that pop into your head. You don’t need to be specific or detailed. What are you core values, and what do you believe in? Which principles are important to you?
3. Who is important to you? Whose opinion matters to you? Who influences your decisions? Who is affected by the decisions you make? Who do you like, and who do you fear?
4. What is holding you back and who is stopping you? What gets in your way and stops you from concentrating on what you feel is important to you? Oh the old procrastination bug? What stresses can you identify right now? What deadlines do you have on your mind? What do you have to do, and when do you have to do it?
5. What are you afraid of? List what situations, circumstances, or people cause you to feel worried or rob you of your personal power?
Now, look at your answers to these questions: What stands out to you? What issues have come up, and what have you left out? Circle keywords. Underline people. Place a square around surprises.
Now look at the path that lies before you, and imagine each one:
1. The path that calls to you.
2. The path that you imagine in your wildest dreams, whether it seems possible or not - what do you dream of?
3. The path that feels comfortable, reasonable, and sensible. This may be that those people whose opinions you cherish might suggest to you?
4. The path not travelled. This is the unknown unknown. The road you have never considered.
5. The path you have already been down.
6. The path back, to a place where you once felt safe.
You can decide.
When was the last time you did something for the first time?
The crossroads model will be helpful for you right now, so that you
By engaging in the exercises provided, you are taking the first step towards utilising your imagination to cultivate your aspirations, establish your purpose, and intentionally shape your career by making choices that align with your unique calling. This proactive approach allows you to break free from a reactive state of mind that is often influenced by past regrets and memories. Instead, you can transform into the person you have chosen to become by defining who that person is, rather than dwelling on past mistakes. Having a clear purpose will enable you to merge your faith with your desire to pursue a career as a performer. This combination of faith and desire is the key to turning your dreams into reality. Earl Nightingale once said that the secret to success is the progressive realisation of a worthy idea, and I wholeheartedly agree. In my own experience as a performer, success has come from repeatedly affirming the idea that I can achieve my goals. Most importantly, these exercises will help you practice becoming the person you want to be. Many people spend their lives holding themselves back from taking risks and pursuing their dreams. Remember that failure is a natural part of the process, and it does not mean that you should give up. Instead, take a moment to reflect on what you have learned, and use that knowledge to keep moving forward. As the Chinese proverb goes, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Your journey towards success begins with nurturing your desire to make a definitive decision to follow your life’s purpose in pursuing your dreams.
[1] There are multiple ways to define your purpose/calling. I learned this version from Jack Canfield, author of The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.
[1] Brendon Burchard, author of High Performance habits is a leading high performance coach and CEO of the High Performance Institute. His book is about the art and science of cultivating and practicing the habits of high performance. They include seek clarity, generate energy, raise necessity, increase productivity, develop influence, demonstrate courage.