Let me tell you something. It's not the easiest thing in the world. I do it because I love it. It's who I am. If I haven't already, I could go on and on and on about why I am an actor and what it means to me and why I chose this profession and blah blah blah blah blah, but that's a different story for a different day. The thing is, it's a pretty darn tough industry. And the stakes are incredibly high because it means so much to me (heh I originally typed steaks. Maybe it's time for lunch....). When stakes run high, emotions run high. And when emotions are running high, well, the lows can be pretty far down there. I have learned one secret to getting through it, however. Well, ok, it's not THAT big a secret, but it DOES make that big of a difference:
Gratitude.
I've always been a pretty grateful person in general, but recently I've taken the next step up and began a Gratitude/Success journal. Yup. I AM that cheesy and nerdy. Every night before I go to sleep, I try to write something in it, even if it's just one sentence. A lot of the time, I'll write a full entry (What!? Me?? Being Verbose??), but sometimes I'll just simply list the things I'm grateful for.
Even if I'm having an absolutely horrible day with nothing going right whatsoever, I'll find one thing to write down. Then another. Then another. And soon, I can't stop and I can not take the giant smile spread across my face.
There's a lot in my life that could potentially knock me down. Maybe I didn't book a job. Maybe I blew an audition. Maybe my career isn't as far along as I'd like. And those are just the acting-related things! But no matter what may be wrong, there are an infinite number of things that are going right. I have A LOT to be grateful for. I have a pretty damn good life. I won't begin listing all of those things now because I've already written another essay. Plus, I have them all written down in my bright pink journal with a Jane Austen quote on the front ("Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery"- How perfect is that?!!?).
Try it. When you finish reading this (if you finish reading it, I just keep writing more and more words. I promise I'm almost done), think about what you're grateful for. Write it down. And just try to not smile while you do so. I'm pretty sure it's impossible.
But, if for some reason that doesn't work for you, check out this site from BuzzFeed: 13 Simple Steps To Get You Through a Rough Day. And if THAT doesn't work...perhaps it's time to seek professional help. 'Cause that site is made of everything good on the planet.
So how 'bout it? What are you grateful for?