Choose Wisely
Thoughts. I will not speculate where they come from. I will however plead the case for choosing wisely those we listen to, and those we dismiss as the overzealous rumblings of a monkey mind. That’s right mind you just got punked and it is well deserved. Our mind seems to have one agenda – produce a constant stream of thought. For us, mind owner/operators, our job therefore becomes one rested firmly in the area of management. At first glance you might say “I’m not into management” or “Managing is lame” or “I’m an actor” but, the truth is you’re already doing it – it’s then a question of just how effectively.
So what are some elements of Management involved here?
A.) PRODUCTION. We’re in charge of quantity as in how many thoughts. Yes it is possible to quiet the mind. It’s kind of like ignoring a child (someone Else’s not yours) eventually it surrenders. For those who have attempted to quiet the mind it can be tricky. However, what’s our alternative? We all know how paralyzing a non-stop mind looking for every and any worst case scenario can be. It truly is exhausting – like trying to chase a monkey through an extensive network of rabbit holes. ( it could have been rabbits but monkeys seem more elusive)
B. FOCUS. Once the output is more under conscious regulation we then must deal with the ones that slip through our radar. This concept gets to the very heart of this article. Herein lies the choice of the matter. Will we listen to the thoughts that say “I’m not good enough” or “I’ll never get anywhere”? Or alternatively will we just say “Pass”? No thank you mind. What else you got for me? That is our power. The power of choice. To be depressed, one would have to consistently (probably even subconsciously) choose depressing thoughts. Yes, depression results from choosing over and over the same thoughts that lead you to a state of depression.
C. QUALITY. This category also ties into focus. Once we realize we have the power to choose, we can focus on quality. We can focus on the good thoughts, motivating thoughts, empowering thoughts. All the ones that make us feel good. Obviously this doesn’t need to happen overnight. It can be a gradual process of replacing the negative one with one that serve us.
I hope this helps. Just remember – You always have time/power to make a choice. Choose wisely.
Best
David
To Flow or NOT to flow
Energy flow. Whether we want to believe it or not it’s what animates all life. Science has heretofore failed to get it’s brain around the concept. Suffice it to say it is among life’s mysteries. While some may not be familiar with the feeling of flowing energy, most are familiar with the opposite – Pain. Or perhaps we can label the opposite phenomenon as simply symptoms. Yes when energy fails to flow that gives rise to a physical condition. At an audition it may be butterflies in the stomach, or sweaty palms. Perhaps you have never considered what is happening in your body or what is the cause of such an effect? To break this down, let’s continue with the audition/ butterflies in stomach scenario as an example.
BELIEF (I’m not good enough) gives rise to →
EMOTIONS (I feel judged) → which give rise to →
THOUGHTS (I’m not going to get the part) which cause→
ENERGY DISRUPTION which creates →
SYMPTOMS (the butterflies)
Notice the chain reaction triggered by an negative belief. Unfortunately the “I’m not good enough” belief is among the most pervasive on the planet. Few are the people walking around not experiencing some level of inadequacy. The progression of this chain reaction can be so ingrained in its neural network that it can be triggered in an instant all without your conscious awareness.
EFT is a great and simple way to restore the free flow of energy through the body regardless of the symptom you are experiencing. It can be done anywhere. EFT can also be used to uproot long held beliefs that no longer serve you.
I hope this helps your acting,
David
The Power of Tapping in a FLASH
I just had the most amazing EFT tapping session that I would love to share.
I intuitively began working through what I suspected was a tired old belief that had been long hidden in the recesses of my mind. During my second round of EFT my subconscious gave me an enormous gift. Gratefully, this is NOT uncommon. This gift came in the form of a flash (for lack of a better term) of emotion through my body. This “Flash” instantly revealed how my old belief showed up and felt in my body. I believe my subconscious sent me this gift so I could understand just how much this trapped negative emotion, based on said belief, affected me. I had most likely been suppressing this feeling for my whole life. I experienced it as a wave of heavy emotion rolling over and through me. Initially I grieved, weeping for my own forgiveness for believing such nonsense. Then, like with any storm, it was all gone. That energy ran its course as I tapped. Peace ensued. Now love can replaced what was anger. The world just got a little lighter. I guess we do have the power to heal ourselves. Thanks to all who have helped me find this for myself.
Namaste
David O’Donnell
Do you even believe in it?
In what you ask? The dream of course. You know – of living the creative lifestyle. Upon hearing that most creative’s would say of course. But is it that simple? I mean to contradict everything that society beats into our minds from early childhood? Let us not pretend that the notion of the starving artist is dead. Last I checked it is alive and well. I of course am as guilty as the next for perpetuating this nonsense as I have just done. A big frown for me. But it is a legitimate concern, worthy of some introspection to see if you really – fundamentally – energetically – believe that what you are doing is possible. Of course it’s not a problem if you are harboring some disbelief. You ‘ll be happy to know that the sooner we identify the places where we are energetically out of line with our goals the sooner we can make corrections and get back on the right path.
So now the moment of truth.
Take a second and ask yourself. Do I believe?
Let your answer resonate in the affirmative through every cell!
~or~
Let the feeling of doubt trickle in leaving you wondering.
For the latter or any variation, I suggest some tapping to alter the feeling. Try and find where it comes from.
To the folks experiencing the former get off this site you don’t need to be here! I mean it’s fun and all but you have mastered this.
To your creative success,
David
Feel Good about your Acting Career!
Duhhhh! I know it sounds like a master of the obvious comment gone wrong but, it has actually been very helpful to me. For example, if everytime you think of your acting career and it sounds a bit more like – “ohh no… why did I tank that audition”, or “why won’t my agent call me…”, you are making negative energetic withdrawals from what I will heretofore call your Energetic Acting Career Bank Account (EACBA for confusion). Yes you have a bank account for that so shhhhhh and keep reading. Where were we? Yes. OK. So everytime a negative or self defeating thought comes to you it makes a withdrawal and everytime you add some good ole fashion mojo like – “gosh golly i’m talented” you get a credit. Too many withdrawals and not enough deposits and you know what happens. Seems pretty simple but upon a bit of introspection you may see if your ratio of negative vs. positive, helpful vs. hurtful is off. DOn’t be alarmed by this idea and try to fix it all at once. As you may know we do not come necessarily from a forgiving society. We tend not only to be unforgiving with others but even moreso with ourselves. Guilty as charged am I – that is why I personally am working on developing a forgiving mind.
May your bank account overflow with good energy and opportunity,
dod
E-dging O-ut G-od…controlling the EGO in your life.
The ego LOVES to amplify our fears and the ultimate fear is a phobia.
The ego loves to make you feel inferior…
The ego wants you to have a closed mind and heart…
The ego will tell you that you do not deserve prosperity and success…
Tame your ego claim your life.
Forgiveness and the Actor
When things are not going as planned (e.g not enough auditions, work, or money in the bank) it’s easy to blame externals – our agents, our head shots or the lady slowing down the 10 items or less line. Yet this is just another machination of our tricky, scheming ego. You see, the ego welcomes guilt, it loves to make us wrong subconsciously. Unfortunately, oftentimes we are the last person we will blame consciously. Who wants to take responsibility for anything negative? Do you see how this keeps us in a cycle of guilt/blame, guilt/blame? The problem is always out of our conscious reach and so the cycle continues. That gets me to the title of today’s blog – Forgiveness and the Actor. How is forgiveness important you may ask? It is forgiveness of self that breaks us free from the guilt/blame cycle. When we can alleviate this feeling of guilt that leads to things like self sabotage, disconnection, anger, depression etc. we can begin to create the circumstances we want in our lives. Believe it or not you may want yourself to fail (at life, at acting etc.) because you are ridden with subconscious guilt. Failure on your terms is your self induced punishment. It’s not just a cliche that we are our own worst enemy. So I say forgive everyone. If not for them do it for yourself. Ask yourself if there is some reward forthcoming for holding on to grudges. Perhaps it is some Hollywood moment of revenge. Revenge is good right? That’s what they teach us in the movies. You may want to rethink that one. You will soon learn that it just feels amazing to let go. Like cutting loose a dresser we have been unknowingly dragging around. There is a great book Goodbye to Guilt by Gerald G. Jampolsky check it out. May you forgive yourself and your neighbor soon ( well maybe not that slow lady). In the meantime get to tapping.
to your acting and life success
Acting's Juicy Moments
What keeps an actor from creating the “Juicy Moments in a scene? You know the ones where you’re out on the limb of an impulse yet driven by your deepest truth? I imagine there are as many answers as there are actors. Here’s my 2 cent take. The answer: One cent of Fear and one cent of anxiety. The twin towers of trouble. The usual suspects that separate us from the moment, our ultimate truth – not to mention those silly non-dramatic attainments of peace, joy and happiness. It shouldn’t come as a surprise. Anxiety and Fear are you bodies reactions to stressors that occur in nature. They protect us from danger. Unfortunately in modern society the danger is usually no longer physical like a hungry Saber tooth hunting you. Instead, it’s a ghost. Maybe a distant memory or a non-serving belief. Whatever the case, it acts like a broken record spinning in you subconscious mind. Reminding you subconsciously how your not quite good enough or smart enough or good looking enough etc. etc. etc. How could you enjoy a moment at a party if the record was scratching creating a horribly unpleasant noise? How can you enjoy a moment of your life if the subconscious record is skipping creating a cacophony you just can’t quite put your finger on. What to do? Follow the signs. They always lead you back to the problem. Becoming aware that you are anxious or fearful serves as an important first step. Once beyond it you quickly become aware of the triggers. The thoughts, the feelings that disrupt your energy. Once you identify them, it’s time to let EFT work its magic. Tap away until the symptom (nail biting, queasy stomach, headaches, needing to drink alchohol) falls away. But it’s not really EFT’s magic at all. It’s you tapping into your infinite wisdom to heal yourself. Once you can release your anxieties and fears that keep you from the moment it is easier and easier to connect with yourself and others. Juicy moments of connection will flow in abundance.
Be alive! Act with vision!
David
EFT applied in an Australian Theater
The EFT motto is “Try it on everything” In this case EFT had its fingerprints on an entire theatrical production in Australia. This is very exciting to think about the possibilities for the advancement of not only art but the livelihood of all involved.
Here’s the link:
http://www.emofree.com/Fear/stage-anxiety-fear-fright.htm
Sabotage and the Actor.
You may be in fact your own worst enemy. Did you realize it is possible to have cancer and not way to get better? Is it possible that on a subconscious level you don’t really want to succeed as an actor or otherwise. I call it the silent saboteur. It is the subconscious broken record playing in the background of your life. It acts as the imaginary ceiling to your being. You see your subconscious mind is not interested in change of any kind. What it wants is for things to stay the same. It wants you to be safe. Yes, even if everything seems terrible in your world. To your subconscious mind at least it is predictably so. It is for this reason that one must recognize all that lurks beneath the surface in order to charter new territory in your conscious existence. What does this mean? If your life seems stuck in a rut. There are most likely broken records playing that are keeping you there despite all your conscious efforts to change and grow. One way to identify these so called broken records is to become aware of anxieties you may have in your life. Maybe they trigger you to bite your nails, eat chocolate, smoke a cigarette, have sex or any number of everyday tranquilizing activities. Try and become aware of how you felt before, during, and after the negative behavior. These will no doubt be sign posts leading you to the root of the anxiety. Some will go back to childhood. Maybe there you were told you were not good enough. Regardless, this record must be stopped or reality will keep showing you how this is true. Get it? I recommend using EFT as the tool to address everything, issue by issue, until peace and success are all you know. Until that time let us enjoy the ride back to our center!
good vibes to all,
David