A guest blog post for Actor-Webs by Elise Arsenault, The Global Actor
Are you feeling stuck in your acting career? Maybe you are auditioning, even booking, but it’s not quite the work you want? 2019 is just a couple months away, and I’d love to help you clean house and get clear on what you actually want for the year ahead.
I can pinpoint almost all career success to the ongoing habit of goal-setting and action planning.
Working in this industry often lacks certainty. Sometimes waiting on being called in, casting, and approval from producers leaves us feeling like everything is up in the air. Fortunately today—due to social media, having our own websites and being able to create content for ourselves—there is so much we are in control of. So what are you going to do right now to feel in control of your career?
Let’s dive into the importance of goal-setting and why it works.
Why goal-setting?
Without a goal, how can you know where you’re going and how to plan for it? How do you know what daily actions to take, who you’ll need to meet, what further training you need, etc.?
Think about when you went to school. There was a road-map already set for you when you entered Kindergarten. You would go to school every school day take part in all assignments asked of you for a year, and if you passed, then you’d move up to first grade, rinse and repeat for second grade, etc. until you essentially graduated from high school in 12th grade.
This thirteen year plan with a mix of short and long-term goals does not really exist in the professional acting world, which is why it is SO important that you take the time and energy as the CEO of your acting business to create a structure/plan for yourself complete with short and long-term goals.
A plan gives us an end game result, but it also includes mile-markers to check off along the way as well as daily, weekly, monthly actions that move us forward and keep us practicing our craft. With a plan we are always ready for the opportunity that could be right in front of us today! You really never know when that perfect breakdown will come in, and if you’re not keeping up with what’s happening, you could miss out on your “next big break”, or “leveling up”, however you define a big career jump.
How does one specify a goal?
It takes some time to look at the big picture of where you’d like to be a few years from now, but once you explore and get clear on what that looks like, you can reverse-engineer a goal based on where you are now.
For instance, if I want to be a lead on Broadway, but I’ve still not gotten an Off-Broadway role, that might be what I work on next. However, if I do not have any professional credits yet, my next goal would be my first paid theatre role. At The Global Actor, I encourage all of my clients to create time-bound, specific goals that feel both exciting and achievable. Creating both short-term and long-term goals are necessary for forward and upward momentum in this career.
Are you ready to put a plan into place for 2019?
This fall, I’d love to invite you to join me in a FREE 5-Day Challenge at the Global Actor where we will get clear on a long-term vision, create a time-bound specific long-term goal and build the mindset to keep you steady & supported on the path to getting what you actually want in your career. It’s called “Dream Big, Plan Smart” and you can register today! The challenge kicks off November 5-9th and is the perfect gift to help you professionally plan your 2019 ahead of the holidays!