Episode 277: Are You Stuck?

Acting Business Boot Camp

So, this week, I've received numerous emails from actors who have told me that they feel stuck.

That's why I was like, if they're feeling it, maybe I should do a podcast about feeling stuck.

So we're going to get to that.

Private coaching

Being stuck. I think being stuck has a lot to do, at least for me, about timing.

Generally, it always comes down to timing—not my timing; it's the Universe's timing. And then that sometimes just doesn't work. If I'm not in the greatest place, that frustrates me even more because I'm like, “Why not now?”

“Why not now? What the fuck is going on?”

And then I think I'll go great guns and put a ton of stuff out there, and then it'll be like this. Yeah, you get it. It's silence, right?

Or things just aren't moving as fast as I would like. And ultimately, being stuck has to do with timing.

It's just where you are right now. And if you are in the entertainment industry—which, chances are, if you're listening to this podcast—you know that we are going through one heck of a correction right now.

But this is the truth, and I don't think anyone is really talking about it.

But the truth is, the Universal Truth is this, too, shall pass.

This, too, shall pass.

The trick, and I really believe the difference between working actors and non-working actors, is what you will do with this time when things may not be as fast as you would like.

Things are happening, but they are not happening at the rate that we were expecting.

The other thing that I will say is I really want to fully recognize and validate this feeling because I've certainly been having it.

We had COVID. The world stopped. My career stopped. Then we got all very busy. And then we had the strikes. First, we had the writer's strike. Then we had the actor's strike.

And that went on for months.

And now, that's all over with. Again, my career stopped. Nothing happened.

And then, we had what we're going through in 2024.

These first three months, where we're what the hell is going on. This is just, again, not what we were expecting.

And then we hear rumors of the IATSE strike, and that's the reason: yes, the industry is contracting, but also, there's this threat of the IATSE strike, and, oh, wait a minute, their contract isn't up until July 31st.

It's this feeling of stuck, and I feel like we're all in a collective stuck, and I just want to say, ah, yes, I'm so freaking frustrated by the whole thing.

And when I feel this way. It is because things are out of my control. It's other people, places, things, and situations.

And when it's another person, place, thing, or situation, I can't do anything about it.

What can I do about it? I can change my life, my attitudes, my thoughts, and my actions.

That's where my power is. I can also consider what I can do to take care of myself spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally.

During what has been a very tumultuous four years of the industry since, quite frankly, 2020.

When I say tumultuous, I also mean good because a lot of good happened between 2021 and 2023.

We had two busy years. But let's talk about timing, and let's talk about getting unstuck, and there's this wonderful reading.

The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie.

“There are times when we simply do not know what to do.”

That's when you're stuck, right? “Or even where to go or what to do next. Sometimes these periods are brief, sometimes lingering.”

And what I just have to say, what I feel as an industry, or certainly, yeah, as an industry, is it was like, nothing. Obviously, the world stopped with COVID-19, then it was feast.

And now it's, I don't want to say it's famine, but it certainly isn't abundant right now.

“We can get through these times. We can rely on our disciplines of taking care of ourselves.”

We can cope by using our faith in the universe. Other people, good friends, and resources. And the resources are, for example, this book.

And the resources are coaching. Just getting that extra little bit of hope and help. “Accept uncertainty. We do not always have to know what to do or where to go next. We do not always have to be clear. We do not always have to have necessarily a direction, but I certainly will say it helps.”

“Refusing to accept the inaction limbo makes things worse.”

I also just want to point out what I was talking about earlier, which is not accepting that we cannot do anything about other people, places, things, or situations. When we still don't accept that, things do get worse.

Again, where we can do something, what we can manage is our own lives, our own attitudes, our own thoughts, and our own actions.

It's okay to temporarily be without direction.

In this moment, that is okay.

Say, I don't know, and be comfortable with that. We do not have to try to force wisdom, knowledge, or clarity where there is none.

While waiting for that direction, we do not have to put our life on hold. We can let go of anxiety and enjoy life.”

Another big thing I talk about in my private coaching is letting go of anxiety or learning emotional intelligence by becoming emotionally self-sufficient.

“We can enjoy the love and the beauty in our lives.

We can do something fun. We can accomplish small tasks, and this is crucial. They may not have anything to do with solving the problem or even finding direction, but this is what we can do in the interim. Clarity will come. The next step will present itself. Indecision, inactivity, and lack of direction won't last forever.

And like I said, this too shall pass.

But this is the whole thing. We don't have to suffer.

We don't have to suffer.

And if I can help you to get through this stuck, weird period, please let me know.