Enjoy the Journey

I don’t usually post very vulnerable posts on my blog, but I feel like my experience this past week and a half could be inspiring to those who read this.  Since closing a fantastic run of “Elf the Musical” at The Marriott Theatre on January 3, 2016, doubt, fear and questions began to bounce around in my head.  And the over-bearing “What am I going to do next?” question was ever present.  For the past 7 months, I have been fortunate enough to have had employment in my major field of study (musical theatre) since I graduated college.  But I was never able to line something up for after “Elf.”  Ever since, I was a kid and I knew that my dream was to be a performer, doubt, fear, and questions about how I would support myself as an adult, never phased me.  I didn’t care about all of those questions that people asked me about how I was going to make a living.

I was purely focused on refining my craft and getting better every single day.  But now that I don’t have the foundation and the support of school, these questions began to filter in as the reality of being an actor began to sink in.  As someone who gets stressed very easily, who likes stability, and routine, it’s rather ironic that I chose the performing arts as my career path.  But as I relayed these fears and doubts to my father over the holidays, he reminded me about a very simple saying: “It’s not about the destination . . . it’s about enjoying the journey.”  This quote has been playing over in my head since “Elf” closed.  Life is a journey filled with achievements, incredible moments of time, but it’s also filled with hardship and trials.  But it’s the journey, how we overcome the hardships and celebrate the achievements and joyous moments in our lives that make us who we are.

To have a career in the entertainment industry, you must be in it for the long run.  Some actors book a Broadway show and yet, they still aren’t happy or they think of it as just another job.  But this is a career.  To have a career in theatre you must constantly fight.  (Trust me, I’ve had many a meltdown).  The fighting, the perseverance, and the meltdowns, they all make you stronger.  You learn from the trials and you come back wiser and stronger for the better.

If you have a dream and a goal, and you have the passion and determination for that goal to come true, I have no doubt that you WILL achieve that goal.  So for those of you working as a performing artists out there and have been feeling doubt, I say to you: Enjoy the Journey and Believe in Yourself.  Stay Positive.  Stay Focused.  And Be YOU.  One day, there is going to be a person who will see the talent, light, and passion within you and that one opportunity will lead you to your dream.

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