I was just in a meeting at a management firm and noticed the above quote, on a whiteboard. I stopped the meeting to write it down because it is so profoundly appropriate for me… and, probably many of us. Hence, why I’m blogging about it.
The bottom line is that many of us chase any and every opportunity that crosses our pathway because what if it’s THE big break? Well, I’m here to say that this approach may not be the most productive use of time.
Trust me when I tell you, I try to do it ALL. But, I’m slowly learning that sometimes you’ve just got to follow Nancy Reagan’s sentiment and “Just say, ‘No!’.”
What does this have to do with hosting, in particular? It goes back to the old thing that I keep hammering on – know who you are and what your specific are of expertise is. Because, if you are an expert at cooking, digging ditches, dressing models, grooming pets and reading tarot cards then you’re going to run yourself ragged pursuing jobs in all of those disciplines. Then, you’ll be like sh*t – all over the place!
I’m sure you are super talented in many arenas, but I beg of you to hone it down to something that can fit in a breadbox or even in a subject line of an email. For example:
Certified personal trainer
Registered dietician
Award winning barista
Guiness Book of World Records holder for fastest basket weaver
I truly don’t care what the area is, just choose one. To calm any worries, selecting an area of expertise doesn’t mean that you’ll ONLY be able to audition for shows in that areas; it just gives casting folks, producers and agents some context through which to talk about you.
Doing EVERYTHING doesn’t make you any better… in fact, it probably makes you more scattered and less effective.
In the infamous words of my husband, Marty Metro, “Good luck and be yourself!”