Back in December & January, I had a great deal of success in setting clear goals and then completing them. February and March dropped off somewhat, but there were still successes. My recaps for those months are filled with very satisfying “strikethroughs” of the items on my “Things I’ll Complete by the End of the Month” list. April at first seemed a failure, but with further study revealed itself to be a successful month in many ways. So it is with May. As I go through “line item by line item”, I realize that I accomplished more than I’d originally thought. The thing that has been hanging over my head is the fact that I still haven’t finished my home projects, but I never made “finishing my home projects” a priority for this month, so I can’t very well beat myself up for the fact that it didn’t get done. The theme for June will be finishing, I think. Yes, these home projects are occupying space in my brain and yes I know I must finish these things. I’ll figure out a way.
So what am I to make of the month of May overall? One thing that I think will have a lasting impact on me will be the concept of the 30 Day Challenge. I am about half way through with 30 day challenges in practice and exercise. So far they’ve been very positive experiences. I feel momentum building, especially with my practicing. These changes that I’m making also feel sustainable for the long term, which I really like.
Yes, I did have a drop off in my “Headshot Thursdays”. Yes, it does seem as though acting has taken a backseat this month to other things, and I’m not certain why this happened. I had a flurry of success with auditioning in April, though I didn’t get a role. Ultimately I think it’s better that I didn’t get a role, because I think the “30 Day” thing is something that I really needed to get. My method for consistenly submitting myself for roles is solid, though it could use some tweaking & evalutation. I know that when I am ready to submit myself consistently again I will have this tool at my disposal.
When I ask myself the question “Am I better off now than I was when I began this process?” I must answer yes. It can be difficult sometimes to admit that though, because the milestones that I’m using to track achievement aren’t necessarily the ones that the world at large would applaud. It’s difficult to go back to a class reunion and say “Yeah, I’ve been really successful clearing the detritus from my living space and my life over the past year”. “I’m working to establish the basic good habits that are going to help me achieve greater success in the future” doesn’t have the same flashy ring to it as “I’m doing this gig and that gig with this famous person” or “My most recent song is on the Billboard Top 100 and I’m splitting time between my brownstone in NYC and my beach house in Malibu”. Oh well, I guess. I’m in it for the long haul and I told myself that I’d never quit. This is where I am at this point and I’ll work with what I have. So be it.
Almost as a postscript, I do have to mention that I put on a very successful recital at school with my students. They did a tremendous job, and I was very proud of them. The feedback from the parents was also quite nice, and I have a strong foundation to have an even stronger studio next year. I’ve also just realized that I had some other posts in May that included some pretty cool concepts.
In retrospect, not a bad month.
