How to Step into Your Zone of Genius

This morning I decided to revisit a lovely book called THE BIG LEAP by Gay Hendricks. Though this is a well-known and highly revered book in the business community, I was a bit underwhelmed the first time I read it. Shocking, I know.

I decided to flip through it again because a friend of mine mentioned to me again, and I also wanted to see if I could extract his actual step-by-step method for working in your Zone of Genius (I remember it being a bit trite the first read around).

CONFESSION: The REAL reason I revisited this book was because I looked at my To Do List for this week and immediately felt the excitement and passion and joy seep out of my body like a hole in a boat that you can’t plug. WTF. I actually had a great weekend full of creativity and fun and now that it’s Monday and I have to get back to “work”, all sense of motivation left me. BOO!

TIME TO GET MY MONDAY MINDSET RESET!

(and here’s how you can do it too!)

1. DELEGATE THE THINGS THAT YOU DON’T WANT TO DO.

Hendricks talks about 4 zones that you work in:

1. The Zone of Incompetence— things you don’t do well
2. The Zone of Competence— things you do well but others do them equally as well
3. The Zone of Excellence— things you do extremely well
4. The Zone of Genius— things you were born to do and uniquely suited to do

The Zone of Incompetence is comprised of all the activities you are not good at. I am personally good at doing anything that I set my mind to, so I like to look at this category as activities that don’t spark any joy for me. Things that feel like actual unfulfilling work. For me, that would be things like making spreadsheets and editorial calendars and scheduling posts. Anything routine makes me want to cry because I love to create and come up with new ideas.

Hendricks writes:

The best way to handle most things in your Zone of Incompetence is to avoid doing them all together. Delegate them to someone else, or find some other creative way to avoid doing them. (p.29)

Avoid doing things I don’t like to do? HELLS YEAH!! Well, if I am to be completely honest, I don’t like to avoid the problem. I like solutions. So I have two choices: DELEGATE or COME UP WITH A CREATIVE SOLUTION. I obviously can’t delegate my editorial calendar to someone else (because it is my blog after all), so I came up with a creative solution: I’m gonna write a blog post today when the inspiration hits me! And when I come up with another idea for a blog post, I’m gonna write down the outline of that right away before the inspiration leaves! And I’m gonna put all those new ideas and outlines into a separate documents titled “Blog Post Ideas”.  That way I’ll already have content built up next time I need to write another blog post. Forget forcing myself to come up with content that fits into the editorial calendar I had originally created. Write what I am passionate about and share that. BOOM. Editorial calendar already being made without really having to make it! Feeling better and more rejuvenated already!

How to get out of your Zone of Incompetence

1. Write down a list of all the things that you don’t like to do or things that you aren’t great at.
2. Decide whether to DELEGATE it or COME UP WITH A CREATIVE SOLUTION. Write down that choice next to each item.
3. For all the things you want to delegate, find people to delegate them to. Finding virtual assistants and other outsourcing on www.fiverr.com or www.odesk.com is easy and affordable. You can also ask your friends and co-workers as well!
4. For all the things you want to come up with a creative solution for, ask yourself: what can I do to make this easier on myself? How can I work around this? Write down your solutions and implement them.

2. SPEND 10 MINUTES TODAY DOING SOMETHING IN YOUR ZONE OF GENIUS

In the Zone of Competence, Hendricks asks one of his clients this question:

If money or your job description were not an issue, what would you really like to be doing in the company?

Her response was: I wouldn’t be doing anything in the company. I’d be working on an environmental project I’m obsessed with. I think it would turn into something big.” (p.32)

I bolded the words “obsessed” and “something big” because this is how I want to feel when I’m working everyday. Don’t you?? I want to be OBSESSED with my projects and the things I want to spend my time doing.

In order to move into your Zone of Genius, start thinking about what you would be OBSESSED with working on. What would light your soul on fire? What would you jump out of bed to accomplish with fervor and excitement and passion?  I often find that when I have a goal that I’m SUPER excited about, it’s so easy to have the motivation and focus and drive to get sh*t done and make that sh*t happen.

One of my dream goals is to write and produce my own film. So why haven’t I finished writing my script yet?! My goal today is to spend 10 minutes writing it. Good or bad. Whether I use the pages or not, I’m gonna write for 10 minutes because the picture I have in mind for my film really lights me up inside and makes my eyes sparkle with pure joy.

How to start living in your Zone of Genius:

1. Ask yourself: If money or your job were not an issue, what would you really like to be doing? Write that down.
2. Spend 10 minutes today doing that thing.

We all have 10 minutes that we can find in our super busy hectic schedules to do something that sparks joy and our inner genius. Elizabeth Gilbert talks about how she makes sure to write every single day because she loves to write. Stephen Pressfield writes in his book The War of Art how showing up everyday is how you defeat Resistance (aka fear).

10 minutes folks. I invite you to do something that lights you up inside for 10 minutes today. And then do 10 minutes tomorrow. What’s the worst that’s gonna happen? You lose those 10 minutes. You were going to do something you probably hated or didn’t feel happy about anyway, so why bring yourself 10 minutes of joy?  At the very least, you did something different, and that alone can bring you one step closer to fulfilling your deepest dreams and desires!

Remember: YOU ARE POWERFUL. YOU ARE WORTHY. YOU ARE ENOUGH.

You deserve to live in your Zone of Genius where your life is filled with an abundance of love, joy, success, and wealth.

Comment below and tell me what you are gonna do for 10 minutes today in your Zone of Genius. I’d love to hear!

And if you’d like more tools to make your dreams come true, download my eBook 100 Tools to Strategize Your Success FOR FREE! Just click here.

Success starts by saying YES to YOU. You deserve it.

Mad Love to you All,

Alicia

Success Can Happen at Any Age

 

Lately, I’ve been hearing quite a few people say that they are getting too old to be pursuing their dreams. I started to question my own journey of fulfilling all the magnanimous dreams in my head. Am I too old? Have I lost my chance? Is it past my prime?

Then I thought: NO! It can’t be! Maybe I haven’t reached A-List red carpet status yet, but goddamn if I am gonna quit now. I have continue to go for it or die trying!

“But WHY?” you might ask me. “Why go through all that disappointment and rejection and get knocked down time and time again?”

My answer: because I can’t imagine how my life would be if I was no longer creating the art that fills my soul with so much joy.

Listen, I chose a career that has a high risk of failure, where the odds are completely stacked against me, and where there is a massive possibility that I may never “make it”. But whether your dream is to be an Academy Award winning actress or to travel the world or find the love of your life, that dream is VALID and has the chance to come true if thinking about it lights you up with joy. If thinking about your wildest dream still puts a smile on your face, then don’t ever give up on it. Get out there. Take some inspired action. Believe in your heart that — come hell or high water — you’re gonna make it happen.

Too often, we get told that we have to achieve our massive success by the time we are 21. We are inundated with images of these young celebrities achieving all their fame and fortune at such a young age. Here’s the thing: You are not past your prime.

YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO MAKE YOUR WILDEST DREAMS BECOME A REALITY!!

F*ck the lies and false standards that society places upon us. Your dreams CAN come true!

YOU ARE POWERFUL. YOU ARE WORTHY. YOU ARE ENOUGH.

Stop for a moment today and celebrate all that you have achieved thus far. Smell the roses. Notice and take in all the beauty and wonderful gifts that are already in your life. You’ve got a lot going for you. You’ve got what it takes to rise!

Remember:

At age 23, Tina Fey was working at a YMCA.

At age 23, Oprah was fired from her first reporting job.

At age 24, Stephen King was working as a janitor and living in a trailer.

At age 27, Vincent Van Gogh failed as a missionary and decided to go to art school.

At age 28, J.K. Rowling was a suicidal single parent living on welfare.

At age 30, Harrison Ford was a carpenter.

At age 30, Martha Stewart was a stockbroker.

At age 37, Ang Lee was a stay-at-home-dad working odd jobs.

At age 39, Julia Child released her first cookbook, and got her own cooking show at age 51.

ALSO:

• Vera Wang failed to make the Olympic figure skating team, didn’t get the Editor-in-Chief position at Vogue, and designed her first dress at age 40.
• Stan Lee didn’t release his first big comic book until he was 40.
• Alan Rickman gave up his graphic design career to pursue acting at age 42.
• Samuel L. Jackson didn’t get his first movie role until he was 46.
• Morgan Freeman landed his first MAJOR movie role at age 52.
• Kathryn Bigelow only reached international success when she made “The Hurt Locker” at age 57.
• Grandma Moses didn’t begin her painting career until age 76.
• Louise Bourgeois didn’t become a famous artist until she was 78.

IF THEY CAN DO IT, YOU CAN DO IT TOO! No matter what age you are or where you are in life, you can make it happen!

Keep fighting. Keep dreaming. Keep believing. And keep your head held high.  Live life on your own terms and by your own rules. F*ck what anyone else thinks. You know deep down in your heart what gifts you were meant to give to the world. So, create them and share them with the world.

Remember:

SUCCESS STARTS BY SAYING YES TO YOU!

You were destined for greatness!

Comment below and tell me what your dreams are! Let’s help support each other on our journeys to greatness!

Mad love,

Alicia

3 Big Lessons I learned from the Oscars

So, I did not want to watch the Oscars last night. None of the movies appealed to me and I couldn’t have cared less as to who won what. The only thing I was interested in was Chris Rock’s opening monologue and how he would address the #OscarsSoWhite issue.

Chris Rock did not disappoint. He went head on to address the issue and made excellent points with his comedy and humor. I couldn’t stop laughing. He had so many great lines that I had to start live tweeting about it. And then— I was compelled to watch the rest of the Oscars for his commentary. It was insane! There were mostly boring moments. But there were some definitely highlights: Chris’s opening speech, Lady Gaga’s performance, gallant speech by VP Joe Biden, Sam Smith’s dedication to the LGBT community, and Leo finally winning his first Oscar.

What was surprising was how fired up I was despite the overly long awards. All minorities want the same opportunities as white actors. It’s not just black actors.  I’m not one to twiddle my thumbs waiting for Hollywood to wake up, so my immediate reaction was: F*** this! I’m going to MAKE opportunities for myself and my fellow minority men and women!  The fire that used to burn deep in my soul was fully re-ignited with a strong sense of purpose.  I have to make my own films.  Because despite all odds, you can still make a difference. You can still win an Oscar. You can still create change and bring awareness.

Here are the 3 most powerful lessons I learned from this year’s Oscars:

1. Make your own opportunities. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, the producer who won best short documentary said, “This is what happens when determined women get together.” ENOUGH SAID. Dream big, have determination, turn that dream into a reality.  If it’s something you believe in fully,  you’ll always find a way.
2. Tell your story. Gaga’s performance was powerful and emotional and seeing all the sexual assault survivors on stage was incredibly moving. Tell your story. Speak for those who don’t have a voice. We all have our own story: pain, struggle, defeat. Others will identify.
3. Always remember: you are not alone.  There are others out there who share your dream. Work together. Write. Create. Make. Whatever oppression or suppression you are experiencing, turn it into art. Make a film, write that story, let your heart bleed out onto the pages of your incredible story and share it with the world.

You can make a difference. You can travel the world. Your voice has a chance to be heard. Go for it. Hey— it took almost 3 decades for Leo to win his first Oscar. You can do it too! Never stop believing.

All Love,

Alicia

How to save $1500 for your next trip

Dreaming of traveling to an exotic location is easy. Saving money to actually go there is… not so easy. Clearly, I have a desire to travel a lot this year (see my Bucket List Post). So, I thought I would share with you one way that I save up money to travel!

Last year I saved up $1500 to start my travels this year with the 52 Week Money Challenge. It was really fun, and I found it very motivating to see that pile of money grow! Here’s what it looks like:

How it works: every week you put money in your savings. You start by putting in $1 the first week and increase the amount every week. If you do this, you will have $1,378. That could buy you 137 Thai massages in Thailand! Woot woot! More importantly, $1,378 could easily buy you a plane ticket to your dream destination. Score!

TIPS AND TRICKS

1. Find a mason jar, old coffee can, or shoebox to put your money in. Put this jar, can, or shoebox in your closet. This way you won’t be as tempted to dip into it. If you are feeling creative, decorate it with a sign that says “Travel Fund” or “Bali Adventure” or whatever you are saving up for!
2. Print out the chart and put it up in a place where you can see it. If you want to save paper or like doing this digitally, download my version here: 52 WEEK MONEY CHALLENGE PDF.  You can use Adobe Reader to type in your dates and check off each week as you go!
3. Give yourself permission to check off the weeks out of order. This helped me so much! For example, if you get a bonus at work or a big tip from someone, check off Week 50 and put $50 in your travel jar. If you are strapped another week, check off Week 5 and put $5 in your travel jar. This way it will take the pressure off of having to find 50 extra bucks during Christmas time if you have done that week earlier in the year.

What money saving tips have helped you save enough to travel? Comment below. I’d love to hear about them! Here’s to exciting adventures in 2016!

Much Love,

Alicia

 

10 Ways to Stay Motivated

Happy Monday Motivation!

I’d like to take some time today to talk about how traveling taught me how to keep myself motivated in reaching my goals.

We all have goals. We all have dreams. But life throws curveballs and obstacles in the way that cause us to falter.

When I was traveling in Thailand, I had the same experience happen to me. I had a goal and a purpose for being there, but little things along the way beckoned to take me down a different path. I had to learn how to keep myself motivated towards what I wanted to get out of my trip.

I am one of the lucky ones. I got everything I wanted out of my trip to Thailand. I met people who were like-minded and who became my life-long friends, I actually met my soulmate, and I re-discovered who I truly am and what I wanted to do with my life. All in a tropical paradise.

It wasn’t always easy. And it wasn’t always paradise. I had resistance along the way, and sometimes it was hard to stay focused on having a good time.

Despite all those ups and downs, here’s how I got the most out of my trip. You can apply these lessons to your life at home or abroad:

10 Ways to Stay Motivated
1. Define your goal. What do you want to achieve? What do you want to accomplish? Write it down clearly and concisely. You have to know where you want to go if you want to get there. For me, I wanted to go to Thailand to meet my soulmate, make peace with my dad, and re-find myself and what I really wanted out of life.
2. Figure out your why. WHY are you pursuing this goal? WHY are you going on this trip? What is it that your heart really wants. Your “why” is also called your PURPOSE. For me, my purpose was to feel whole again. I wanted to find myself and my soulmate and reconnect with my dad because I was unhappy. Why did I want to go on this trip? To find true happiness and to find myself.
3. Have a plan of action. Yes, you can fly by the seat of your pants. Yes, you can overplan. Regardless, you need to have a plan of steps to take in order to get to where you want to go. For me, I wanted to get the most out of my time in Thailand, so I planned out what cities I wanted to go to, how much time I wanted to spend in each place, and charted out transportation and accommodations for each area. I also compiled a list of all the possible adventures I could do in each city. It was a nice little road map that made my trip less stressful to navigate knowing where I was going and where I was going to stay.
4. Take action. All the planning the world does no one good unless it is put into action. Even taking the smallest step towards your goal is better than doing nothing at all. Most people have dreams of accomplishing great things. But few put those dreams into action. For me, I had never planned a month long trip like this before. So I reached out and met up with some friends who had. I got great advice from them and then started booking my tickets and hostels for my trip. Each click and each reservation got me one step closer to having the trip of a lifetime.
5. Stay the course. There are always going to be tempting offers along the way that will make you want to deviate from your plan. Remember what your goal is. If it helps you achieve that goal, do it. If it doesn’t, move on. For me, my soulmate wanted me to travel with him to another northern city. My original plan was to leave the next day to attend the Full Moon Party with my friend, so I declined his offer. I knew that if it were possible, we would meet again later on our trips. As fate would have it, we did.
6. Go with the flow. Ride the wave. Be open to other possibilities. So, this might sound like a complete antithesis to staying the course, but here’s the deal: plans can change. And they often do in life. Just because you zig zag a little, doesn’t mean that you won’t reach your goal. For me, I had originially planned to go from the Full Moon Party to Koh Phi Phi. However, my new friends really wanted to travel up to Koh Tao for diving. At first, I resisted this change of plans because I had already reserved ferry tickets to Phi Phi. However, there was still time to experience what I wanted to do if I went, and I did want more time with my new friends. So, I ended up going with the flow and following the pack to Koh Tao. It ended up being one of my favorite islands to go to and I had some of the most magical experiences there with my friends.
7. Choose what makes you happy. Do you. Sometimes other people will try to rain on your parade and tell you what you need to do. Screw them. You are in charge of your own happiness. No one can make you feel inferior unless you let them. For me, I had a friend who wanted to party all the time and get involved in sexual relationships that I was uncomfortable with. Despite the arguments, I decided to do me and found people who wanted to partake in the adventures I wanted to do and who wanted to have a good time without getting wasted. I ended up having a great time doing things that made me happy!
8. Stay true to yourself. Own it. One of the best things about traveling is that most people don’t have their social walls up because you are out in different environment without having to see your new traveling companions again if you didn’t want to. People are more open to being themselves and wanting to connect with like-minded people. So, speak from your heart, be yourself, and let your inner beauty shine. It’s the most attractive quality anyone can wear. For me, the moment I opened up and showed kindness from my heart, I ended up meeting the most amazing girls from Canada who have become my life-long friends.
9. Make decisions. Getting stuck in indecision causes you to waste time. Time is valuable. You can always make more money, but you can never get time back. Especially on trips, you have a finite amount of time away from home, so make the most out of every moment. For me, I started listening to my intuition more. What did I want to eat? I asked my stomach and it told me what I wanted. What did I want to wear? Whatever was clean. I didn’t care if it matched or not. What did I want to do that day? I asked people what my options were and then chose the activity that sounded the most fun. Life can be easy. You just have to decide.
10. Focus on what you can do and less on what you can’t do. Enjoy the journey. There are always going to be moments when we don’t get our way. That’s fine. What can you do about it? Focusing on a solution will solve your problems faster than focusing on the cause of the problem. It’s easy to play the blame game and bitch about other people’s behaviors and actions. At the end of the day, you are responsible for your own actions. So enjoy it. For me, it was raining the first 2 days that I was in Koh Phi Phi and I couldn’t go snorkeling. That sucked. So, I asked myself, what can I do? Well, I can explore the island. I can go shopping. I can climb to the peak to get a bird’s eye view of the island. I can work on my blog. There were tons of other things that I could do. And so I did 🙂

I hope these tips help you find the motivation you need to reach your goals. Do you have any motivation tips that help you stay the course? Write them in the comments below. I’d love to hear them!

YES TO THE YING TIP: This is your life. This is your time. So dream big and take a step towards making that dream come true. Why? Because YOU CAN.

Much Love,
Alicia

3 New Habits for a Brand New Year

It’s hard not to slip back into old habits when you get back home. I’ve been back home in LA for about a week, and everything is just… different.  Eating out is expensive, I’m driving everywhere instead of walking, and there just seems to be much less stimulus to keep my attention and keep me excited. It all seems to familiar, too much of the same.

Last night as I was catching up on all of my old TV shows, I realized that I was slipping into a hypnotic state of boredom. Where was all the excitement?? Where was all the adventure?? I switched my TV off and immediately took in my surroundings. What could I DO that would bring more of that wonderment and joy into my current LA life?

I loved my life on the road, so I decided I wanted to keep as much of that as possible. Here are a few habits I am bringing back into my LA life:

1. Live a lot more on a whole lot less. Less is more, right? I only had 1 suitcase and 1 backpack full of clothes and personal items the entire month. And I got along just fine. It actually made my life simpler because I had less clothes to choose from. Picking my outfit out for the day was so much easier when I only had 3 shirts to choose from! In order to implement this in my LA life, I went to my closet and CLEANED IT OUT.  YES TO THE YING TIP: When cleaning out your closet/apartment, ask yourself this simple question: if I saw this in the store today, would I buy it? If the answer is no, chuck it. You’ll easily get rid of at least 25% of your stuff. I parted with 2 trash bags full of clothes!

2. Simplify your morning routine. On the road, I was so tired from the previous night’s extravaganzas that I ended up waking up in the morning, throwing on clothes, and running out the door. Okay, maybe it was a little more than that (I did wash my face and brush my teeth), but my normal routine in LA took me almost 2 hours to get ready for the day (I was SO that girl lol). What a waste!! So now I wake up, write in my gratitude journal for 5 minutes, brush my teeth, wash my face, put on some makeup (10 min tops– watch my video on how to put on a natural face in 5 minutes), throw on some clothes, and I am out the door! All in 30 minutes or less.  YES TO THE YING TIP: Take a shower and wash your hair at night. It’s a great way to save time in the morning and it also feels great to wash off the grime of the day.

3. Listen to your body. I’m super body-conscious (I live in LA, le duh!), but I love to eat. On this trip to Thailand, I decided to f*ck it and eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. The only rule I gave myself was to listen to what my body wanted. If it wanted chicken, I ate chicken. If it was tired of eggs, I ate muesli instead. If I felt dehydrated, I drank water (or coconut water– mmm!). If I needed to sleep, I SLEPT. Sleep is so important.  I get the whole “You can sleep when you’re dead” motto, but I can’t enjoy my beautiful surroundings if I can’t see straight. Just sayin’.  YES TO THE YING TIP: A great tip from my dad– Stop eating when you are full. I have this thing about being wasteful, so I usually clean my plate regardless of whether I want the food or not. My dad made a good point though: if your goal is to be skinnier or in better shape, then eating less is more of a priority. Don’t worry about being wasteful. Eat enough. Then stop. Confession: I applied that principle while I was traveling, and surprise surprise, even though I ate carbs at every meal, I totally lost weight!! Comparing the pictures from the beginning of my trip to at the end, the difference is apparent and undeniable. Dad was right. I’m definitely continuing this practice in LA!

I’m sure there are more ways of living that I adopted along the way. I’ll write another post with more! Please leave comments below and let me know if these work for you or if you have other habits that have helped you!

xoxo

Alicia

 

 

6 Tips on How to Attract Success

The past two weeks were better than I expected. I was really hurting for cash and desperately needed to earn more money. As a private acting coach, part of my income does depend on whether actors get auditions and whether they want to coach with me.  I can’t control when they get auditions so sometimes it’s tough to know where that next check is coming from.

One night I sat in my bed freaking out looking at all the negative stuff that was happening: I barely had enough money for groceries, I needed gas in my car, I was on my last pair of contacts and desperately needed new ones, my computer was on the fritz, and yet I didn’t have enough money to fix any of these problems. F**K!!! What was I gonna do?! I took a deep breath and pulled out my journal. This cannot be the end of me. This WILL NOT be the end of me. SOMETHING GOOD WILL HAPPEN. This isn’t how I want to live! No. It’s time for a change! I grabbed my pen and started furiously writing what I wanted to happen:

I am making $___/wk. Money flows to me easily and effortlessly. New clients fall into my lap easily and effortlessly. I have an abundance of money. I am making $____/wk. Something financially amazing is happening right now. 

I wrote this over and over and over again, demanding it to be true from the Universe and until I believed that it was going to happen. Something good was gonna come my way.

I then started writing a list of things I did have. I had enough food in my kitchen for the next week (eggs, oatmeal, frozen veggies, protein shakes, frozen berries, etc). I can walk to work so I can save the gas in my car for auditions. I have plenty of clean clothes to wear. I have a great job that I love. I have my iPhone if my computer breaks down. etc. I started to see that I had a lot of things already in my life and that I was gonna be okay. I was gonna make it through this fine. I breathe a heavy sigh of relief and went to bed.

The next morning I woke up with a call for work. Two of my clients requested me for a coaching and a new guy wanted to coach with me. HOORAY!! My prayers have been answered! Thank you, Universe!!! I leaped out of bed and got ready to go to work. I repeated the same journaling every night for the next two weeks. And let me tell you: when my check came in, it was the highest amount I’ve ever earned AND I made my goal. I felt so accomplished and proud of myself for staying focused on the good and being grateful for all the clients that kept coming back to me.

Here are 5 Tips on how you can attract your own success:

1. Stop looking at what you don’t have. You get what you focus your attention on. So if you are constantly thinking, “I never have enough money. I never have enough opportunities. My job doesn’t appreciate me.” Then you are going to continue to manifest those things.

2. Clarify what you want. Make a list of what you actually want. I want more money to pay my bills and have enough left over to buy whatever I want. Great! Quantify how much you want to earn per week. And make it something that makes you smile.

3. Write out what you want in the present tense until you believe it. Keep it in the present tense so that you are manifesting it to happen RIGHT NOW. For example, Money flows to me easily and effortlessly. I attract new clients everyday. Happiness fills my life.

4. Do actions that forward you towards that goal. Ask for a raise. See if your boss needs more help with anything at work. Inquire if anyone else needs your assistance or help. You just might get a yes!

5. Write down your successes for the day and what you are grateful for.  Maybe you didn’t get all the money that you wanted, but you earned 80%. CELEBRATE THAT. You are opening up the flow to you. Keep it open so more good things can come into your life.

6. Rinse and Repeat. Continue to re-focus your thoughts from what didn’t happen to what did happen that was good and what you want to have happen that is good. Again, you get out of life what you put into it. So put in the good thoughts. More good will come.

At the end of the day, we all just want to FEEL GOOD. So focus on the things in your life that put a smile on your face. We could all smile more. And we all deserve success!

xoxo

Alicia

How to Achieve Success AND Happiness in Hollywood

When I moved to LA, I searched high and low for the answer to every artists’ biggest question: How do I break into Hollywood?

Whether you are an actor, writer, producer, director, or cinematographer, it seems incredibly vague as to how to “break in” to the Hollywood scene. There doesn’t seem to be one right way. Some people are born into the Hollywood family. Some have a look or a special talent that got them on the map. For actors, some have done the casting director workshop scene and gotten in the door that way. Some say it’s all about relationships and start using social media to get closer casting directors and producers.  And some have made it on sheer luck (aka being at the right place at the right time for the right role). Well, that didn’t help! It’s not like wanting to be a lawyer where all you have to do is 1) go to law school 2) pass the bar 3) apply to law firms and boom– you get yourself a job at a law firm. Why can’t breaking into Hollywood be that simple?

WHO do you build relationships with and HOW do you do that?

I listened to a seminar with Gary Weinstein, the producer of “Pretty Woman,” and a beam of sunshine parted the clouds. He said that there were two simple steps to break into Hollywood:

1) Find out who you truly are, what makes you so unique, and what stories you tell better than anybody else.

2) Find people in the industry who tell similar stories to yours, and develop relationships with them.

Oh my god, the seas have parted. This made so much sense to me! Taking a step back and looking at what I previously booked, I realized that I booked roles where the role was totally me and the stories that I liked to tell OR I knew people on the production side who called me in for their projects that told stories similar to the stories I liked to tell. The proof was in the pudding! My stories are of strong, smart, sassy women. It’s not that I can’t tell the story of the fresh-off-the-boat Asian girl who’s a victim and lost in a new world, but that’s just not me. And quite honestly, there are other girls out there who can tell that story much better than me.

So, here’s what you can do to further expand on these two steps:

1) To find out who you truly are and what stories you tell the best, ask yourself:

* How would my friends describe me?

* What kind of stories do I love to tell?

* What do I usually talk about?

* What are my favorite kind of stories/shows/films to watch? 

* What do I like most about those stories/shows/films?

* What stories resonate deep in my heart and get me excited/invigorated/inspired?

2) To find the people who tell similar stories, research:

* What TV shows and/or films tell my kind of story?

* Who are the people who make that show (i.e. show runners, producers, writers, directors, editors, etc)? You can find out this info on imdb.com.

* What is their contact information?

Once you have a list of people, start to contact them and develop a relationship with them.

This really de-mystified the process for me! I appreciate being able to embrace who I am and what stories I like to tell and find others with that similar story. Embrace who you are. Everyone has a unique story to tell. Celebrate your unique story and share it. The world wants to hear it. Why fit in with the crowd when you were born to stand out? Who knows? You could be the next big show! Everyone loves a discovery and is always looking for the next big thing. That thing could be you! What have you got to lose? At the end of the day, as long as you are staying true to you and your true story and purpose, you will be happy. And the success will follow.

xoxo, A