Hello beautiful people!
Let’s make some pots!
How do we really make a difference in achieving our goals, in getting to the life of our dreams?
We just START. And then we keep going. Here, watch!
It’s not about TIME. You do not need more TIME to get things done. That’s never the case. Issues of time are actually issues of priorities.
Today’s work: Make ya’ damn pots. Just start. Really look at your priorities. Consider the lesson (one of many lessons, actually) I brought home from the retreat with Liz Gilbert: “What are you willing to give up to have the life you keep pretending you want?”
Commit to what you can start doing right now to kick your goals into high gear (which is necessary for getting to the next tier)? Break the work down into the *next* appropriate thing and do that. Even if it feels like the tiniest little thing, do it. It gets you on the path. It gets inertia warming up. It gets you making your 1000 pots, putting in your 10,000 hours… it’s ALL time well spent. Priorities well established.
Not gonna label this “extra credit” because I totally want you to do this no matter what: Congratulate yourself for making it this far! Even if you have so much more you want to accomplish, really sit with yourself and feel the pride that comes with having committed to — and then having done — so much work ON YOURSELF! When’s the last time you took such good care of YOURSELF?!? Ahh… so delicious! Remember to breathe. Put your hand on your heart and breathe again.
Journal about your experiences and epiphanies. Take yourself on a playdate. Eat some icecream. Make a wishlist of what you still want to make happen with the amazing help of our support and encouragement. Share below what you’re most excited about experiencing as you test out how much of what we’ve done in these 100 days is now a part of who you are and how you do things at your very core!
Ooh, I’m so excited! We really *are* about to meet that next-tier YOU we pledged to get to know, all those weeks ago! Cannot! Wait! 🙂 *****squeeeeeee*****
’til tomorrow… stay ninja!
Wow, first comment!
I’m a woo-woo person, yet OCD about my organization. I’ve kept up with the days by saving them and going back and dealing with them one by one. I didn’t do the 30 day challenge. However, I’ve had about 3 self-tape auditions since I past that day. My self-tapes are so much better, I scared even me! With the little bit of tech knowledge that I have, I have made my tapes on my phone and successfully transferred them to my agent and to the casting director. Last weekend, I had a callback! Now, I still had some issues with Skype, and then Zoom, but this time it was with the producer. She was very patient with me, and even though I still couldn’t get a full visual (and she was NOT on Facebook), she kept talking to me. So I’m on hold for her through June! So excited!
So much of what you brought up in this course resembles what work I have done with my therapist, that I was able to stack that day’s paper on my desk so I can go back to it and move forward! I’m kinda private with a lot of it so I didn’t share with the group, but believe me, Bonnie: this stuff works! I’m already past the no copy-credit thing: Everything in the past 2 years has been paid work. I’m working on this being not only my next tier, but my next market.
Everything is shut down now, but I’m quite calm about it. My woo-woo plus my military training kicked in long time ago. I want my fellow actors to know that the creatives are busy finding other ways to create content. Facebook has suddenly filled my page with several of my friends, singing, dancing, posting self-tapes and such. I want to set up another page, so I’m not doing that right now, but I am looking to see what works, and what does not. I am creative in other ways, so I’m stitching, and writing lately. The journal is definitely getting a better workout, and I’m sure I can get content from it as it settles in my brain.
Wow, what a ramble. Hang in there, ninjas. Thank you, Bonnie, you WILL BE in my awards speech!
Cynthia
Cynthia, you’re a goddess. What a wonderful first comment to this new page! 🙂 Way to go and congrats on all this progress! 🙂 Inspiring!
Thank you Cynthia for your inspiring words! This is really GREAT!!
I for myself can’t believe how much I learned during these ‘few’ days! At the beginning of this course I was so damn overwhelmed not knowing what a showbible or even a brand is! Now I am handling my showbible on Evernote like a pro and do a brand-interview practise twice a week. I have a great structural daily and weekly plan as well as a future board and so on…..
There is so much clarity and creativity in my life now due to GIGFTNT!! – and as if this wasn’t already enough, the whole work is soooo much fun (it almost doesn’t feel like work)
Thanks to Bonnie and all the other awesome ninjas!!
Kisses : )
Look at yooooooooooou! This is so great, Bianca! I am celebrating you so hardcore!! 🙂 Yay!
Oh Bianca what a boss! So many fantastic new habits you’ve added to your life. Well done lady! Lots of clapping hands emoticons 🙂 x
Loving the positives – particularly with tech and the wording used! Well done Cynthia and keep up the good work! 🙂 x
Wow. Just WOW. The minute you said “Make ya damn pots” I teared up. This was one that I just needed to hear today. THANK YOU.
🙂 I’m so glad I added this to the curriculum. Thank you, Renae!
Goddamn but I fucking loved this. And that last “hand on your heart and breathe” part? I add to that a statement: “I’m here, and I’m listening.” *Breathe.* And then I listen. It is a great laser focuser, just, woo-wise. This course has taken me farther in my building from an almost entirely absent enoughness into something I can see and almost touch. So damned grateful. <3
AWESOME!! On so many levels. Awesome. Thank you, Kellye, and congrats on building so much enoughness just by showing up for yourself. Simply beautiful to behold!
My biggest thing was (and still is) mindset and enoughness and showing up daily with love and kindness. I was doing a great job until Day 74 when life threw some lemons and I didnt use them to make a damn good lemonade. So old bad habits kicked in and I even wanted to quit the course and restart from zero *again*… But then I had a gentle talk with myself saying that that behaviour didn’t serve me anymore. And sure maybe I fell a few days behind and forgot some of the good habits… But I could get back up and try to catch up again and see what I could do, a little bit more each day until I was caught up with both my new good habits done daily and the GIGFTNT Days. I haven’t gotten quite there yet, but in choosing to do more of the good stuff each day, I’m ever closer! Today is technically Day 90 for me, but I’m happy to be here with all the other ninjas and focusing on what I can change and as Bonnie posted today on twitter… Its all about being responsive and not reactive.
Old me would never have been able to be this kind and understanding with myself before. I would have used the self-hate whip to hurt myself and would have stopped showing up until I found courage to restart the course again. So that alone is such a massively positive outcome and change that when Bonnie asks us to congratulate ourselves, I get very emotional and proud to be here today.
Thank you Bonnie and team for this course and community and thank you to all the ninjas (old posts and new) for all the amazing shares, tips and support!
Sooooo much love in my heart right now! <3 xxx
I can identify with so much of what you say here. “The self-hate whip” is real. This course has gone so far in helping me retire that damn thing though. Glad to be taking this journey with you Flaviana! Hope to see you on the call later! xoxo
So so so excited for you and all this growth, Flaviana. It’s really spectacular to witness. KEEP CELEBRATING. You are HERE. That’s so so so enough!!
Oh Kellye I am *SO* happy that you identify with my struggles but mainly, and most importantly, the positive changes and steps forward! We’ve got it! Wohoo! So happy that our time for change has come! I am also glad that we are in this together and keep celebrating our new found enoughness in Zoom! Much love to you <3
And a MASSIVE thank you and love to you Bonnie. <3 <3 <3
Ahh this is GOLD! As someone who suffers perfectionism paralysis quite often, the “make ya’ damn pots” story really hit home!!! Even though I’ve been “behind” for the entire course, this is my 18th day in a row of showing up here, and that alone feels good! Some days I even did 3-4 “days” worth of lessons. I have mannny days I need to return to, but I’m actually ok with that, whereas the old version of me would have used the “incompleteness” of a previous day to beat myself up.
The mindset work has been so beneficial and I’m so grateful for all your expertise Bonnie and your no bs approach to this journey we’ve all chosen (or that’s chosen us)! 😉 You are an angel!
Kambra, how awesome! 18 straight days is quite a streak!! 🙂 Sending you so much love for how you’ve shown up for yourself. It’s really beautiful.
I love making pots. Make pots all day long. What I am starting to finally enjoy is talking about my pots, sharing my pots. So I am doing a little of both today. Gah, I LOVE being a writer.
Right? Isn’t it just the most fun? WE CREATE WORLDS FROM WORDS!
Joyous!!
Tee hee!
How interesting. This is the second time in a week I’ve been presented with this story… along with a memory that floated by from my acting coach (same idea, different medium). Okay universe, I hear you. But first, ice cream. In the pot. Lol!
FABULOUS!
That Liz Gilbert reminder is beautiful. I bookmarked that page on your experience, thank you for that!
I need to make space. Simple.
I also need to trust what is there for me…waiting. Many big things I feel are coming…not easy…but that is life, which is why I write.
Congratulating myself…I started to feel emotional. Really happy for these days, I can’t believe it…
That’s so good. Keep congratulating yourself! Being happy for these days is a BIG thing.
Love “Issues of time are issues of priority,” !
I always believed practice makes perfect. I am definitely in the acting of making pots those days. Submitted my demo and resume to an agent in Italy, since I am fluent in Italian, and she loved my stuffs, so yay me! I am also doing a worksop with a British CD, but I am freaking out because I didn’t do exactly what she asked for, I twisted it a little, thinking she’d liked that I’d be more creative. She didn’t like it, and now I feel bad. I see that all those years, I was doing nothing for my career, to avoid the feeling of disappointing someone, which resemble strangely of how I’d try to please my mother without ever succeeding, only being more criticized. Looking for approval, that’s the problem. The lesson for me here, is it’s ok to fail, it doesn’t mean I am bad. A+ for doing it, awareness is key to see if I am sabotaging though trying to be perfect. Get up back on the horse, practice makes perfect. I don’t like that word though, perfect! it’s too much pressure, just do it! Lol
I was in a mind-body healing workshop this week in which the convo turned to how the voice of the mother (or father or other caregiver; it varies, person to person of course) becomes the loudest inner-voice we each have. And its power is massive because we practice it so much. Usually because it got installed when we were so young that NOT adhering to that person’s wishes/needs/demands meant death/harm/lack of safety and we were not yet developed enough to be able to fend for ourselves. So, here we are — long since developed enough to fend for ourselves, yet running on loop that inner-voice that keeps us safe and small.
Just having this convo starts the healing though, so that’s good. 🙂
No stress about the British CD not liking your spin on things! Is she “in your third” (go back to Day 14 to know for sure)? If she is, she’ll get over it and still love you. If she’s not, what does it matter? You weren’t going to win her over no matter what you did. Allllll good.
Yes absolutely, thank you Bonnie, you rock! Xoxo
As always, these days are pulling together stuff I’ve been reading elsewhere. Yes, universe, I see you! I recently read a series of emails from Matt Ragland (who I think is the person who invented the bullet journal). He wrote a 3-part series about getting your reps in. It was broken into the 10 Rep Rule for Getting Started, 100 Reps for Momentum, and 1000 Reps for Mastery.
After yesterday’s work, I made the branded template that I’m going to use to share testimonials. I made 7 attempts before creating one that I love. I’ve just shared my first testimonial this morning. It is my first rep of sharing to establish trust on Instagram. You can see it here if you are interested: https://www.instagram.com/p/CM1ycPyDIeR/
I’ve scheduled myself to share a new testimonial every other Thursday through the end of the year to get my reps in. I also started scheduling other Instagram posts and will be trying out batching 2 weeks of posts at a time.
**What are you willing to give up to have the life you keep pretending you want?**
I remember reading this post when you first put it up, Bonnie. I don’t remember what I decided in response to this question. That was my spaghetti muscle that I wasn’t focused on building up.
After our coaching call, I’m still struck by how much I try to give of myself at my day job simply because I am very practiced at being the “good girl.” That is what I want to give up to have the life that I want. I’ve spend 84 days now putting myself literally first in my day and since that muscle is getting stronger and stronger, I’m going to keep doing that. I want my own business to get my best attention and my day job to get the attention that it needs for continued employment.
FUCKING YES! I am doing a full-on happy dance for this commitment to SELF FIRST, Jennifer. And I love your testimonial template! Excited for all the momentum and muscle-building!!!
Oh, and BTW, even if the good girl at work never really retires, just getting that volume turned DOWN a bit (so it’s not the default mode all the time) is going to have massive ripple effects. You know this, of course.
Soooo true
Lookin’ good on the template! Energetic with the shot of pink, but still reserved with the warm grey. I know you were working with the balance of colors back there to get that cozy nook feel, and I say good job!!
Thanks, Stephanie!
Oooo, yes. Love love love. Make your damn pots, McTeigue. It also seems like a good antidote for the primordial low-enoughness demon struggling for relevancy as I’m trying to cross through this energetic portal to the next tier.
So true, Past McTeigue. Lmao.
How did I neglect to say how much I love this song (and appreciate that this song was included)? SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE is one of my favorites and I have never heard the Barbara version omg. But yes — starting to see my self tape practice as making lots and lots of pots. I simultaneously have more knowledge and skill about how to put together a good one than ever before, and have never been less judgemental about the product. I can watch myself back and see what works and see where I can improve next time in a way that feels more fun and less precious.
Truly one of my favorite versions of one of my favorite songs, so thank you for mentioning your love for it too.
Love that your consistency with self-taping has already paid off so well. Only more of that ahead!
Ope! This is me with tiktok! For the longest time I was putting off creating content because I wanted really good content but didn’t feel I had any ideas. This past week I committed to posting something every day and found the inspiration came from the doing instead of the doing coming from the inspiration. My account has grown by over one hundred followers in the last few days alone! And my most popular videos are the ones that took the least amount of time, ironically.
Looking for how I can do the same for my career as well. I am experiencing a great deal of resistance to doing things like finding an agent; I’m feeling like I need to wait until I find the perfect agent or have the perfect reel or I’ll end up with the wrong person.
I feel like my low enoughness has been festering under a blanket of false confidence. As in, I am telling myself all the higher tier things, and I believe them… but the quiet moments bring that underlying low enoughness back to the surface.
I know I have the skill, talent, and training to have the career I want. Maybe I’m just scared of my own potential because having the dream is safer than fully pursuing the dream.
YES!! We get that backwards all the time! It’s the action that drives the inspiration SO much of the time with this stuff. Love that you got going!! 🙂
I’m needing to do some MASSIVE self-care at the moment, but I’m excited to start making stuff soon.
Checking on you: Have you done some massive self-care? Or even minor self-care?
I’m celebrating that I recently had a BIG “time to start sabotaging” dip and instead of beating myself up for it and going further into the sabotage, I let myself ride the wave, take a rest, and am back on the horse again starting where I left off instead of starting completely over. I observed where I was, why I felt that way, and then moved past it. What a relief to know I don’t have to completely fall apart anytime things get hard! My heart knows that, but my head had to learn it. Thanks to you and this course and a lot of hard work, my head is starting to know that.
PERFECT!!!! Ah, this is so glorious!!
For me something I had incorporated into me was adding the mantra of “I am enough” whenever I catch myself doubting or being negative. I think I am innately confident/positive, but my parents are not and I realized I often think like my parents do. I have been catching myself in the act and then repeat my mantra, “I am enough” while tapping at the same time. It definitely helps. I don’t care if people see me tapping too so it’s been happening everywhere. And my new relationship with money was the bomb. I lose the worry about money and stop all the low enough ness around buying things. It felt like a whole paradigm shift and it is awesome. I am a lucky bitch!
Yesssssssss! 🙂 This is so good, Sadie. In Expansive Capacity, we’re actually working on how our coping mechanisms are in our DNA… so ANY time we can do things like stop that cycle of “thinking like our parents do” we are growing and we are expanding into the next tier versions of ourselves more and more. 🙂 Great work!!
You so spooky! actually it is just excellent curriculum creation.
Perfect timing. I am gaining inertia and I love the pot story especially as rudimentary/beginner potter. There’s a common story in ceramics about the student and the teacher and creation. The conversation is about the clay, who decides what the clay is to be, the clay or it’s potter (creator), what happens when something goes wrong – do you add more clay or water or do you clean the wheel and begin again? so many great metaphors and analogies there..any hoo my point is this- daily focus and inspired action, doing the little things, Oh and the answer may not be clear but the clay is not the creation, the clay is the expression of the creation and therefore when the student tells the teacher when asked what they are creating today and replies with “I will let the clay tell me what it wants to be” The clay is everything and nothing both inert and filled with potential but it is not anything more than clay without its loving caress from the potter, the water and the pressure, the shaping and the squeezing, then it becomes a creation but it still isn’t complete without the fire, the transformation from dry shaped clay to vessel only comes after firing. And here’s the thing too about pottery, when you glaze and colour you do it before firing, so the finished vessel is so beautiful compared the dry painted pot- the fire gives it shine (some cases) sets the colour and integrates it into the clay….hmmm
anyway, Yes I truly celebrate this far. I find I am calmer, get less rattled less often, I rest when I need to with out apology, I celebrate all the wins from clean socks to a surprise audition to hey that’s a fun idea & I want to try that out.
🙂
Yessssssssssss. And thank you for the kind words about the curriculum. I’m so grateful you receive it so fully and do so much with it. 🙂
I actually emailed this into the team a few days ago.
“Hi!
Team GIG!
Just wanted to say thank you!
I was recording my Thank You To The Academy last night, that I posted in day day 80.
It literally makes me want to cry when I sit and breathe in all of the changes I am accomplishing, and have accomplished through your guidance Bon.
And the whole Bon Team!
I finally found my LOG LINE!
It’s in my new signature.
Latinx, 30+ Actor Momma On A Mission to Create The Hollywood We Want , ONE MOM ROLE AT A TIME”
.
Some days I feel that anxiety rushing in that comes from my own impatience with …. well, everything.
Then some days my heart and head are literally feeling just FULL of tools, knowledge, love, and inspiration.
Today I’m going to work on a scene I have a CMail for. I’m also going to dabble a bit more in my targeting. I have a cover letter started for a target agency as well.
.
I purposely haven’t read the template in the hot sheets yet. I have been writing, and rewriting from the heart and then I’ll compare to the template and clean it up.
.
I’m also applying for a really sweet 10-15 hour a week gig that would soooooo be in my bliss zone, as it’s work from home, remote, and could easily be adapted around my hours as an actor/teacher, while putting my money mindset at ease with that $ rolling in weekly for something I truly believe in.
.
You actually know the person Bon. I would not be so bold as to put you down as a reference, but if I were that person I’d call you anyway simply based on knowing I’m working with you.
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So wish me luck.
.
Sometimes that’s one of the things that gets in the way of my “pots”.
There are a certain amount of hours in each day where I’m faced with the wall of, OMG need more $ to cover essentials, future retirement, kiddo,… blah blah.
I remember long ago when acting became my “job” I got sucked into the “I need the $ from it” feeling.
Working on my money mindset in life to get things back to where I just do this because I’m F’ing great at it, and I love it. And the money will comes when it comes because I don’t “need” it.
.
So, anyway…although it’s not necessarily “actor” related. It’s a huge POT. Finishing that application today as well.
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As always. Thank you for everything you do.
I’ve let a lot of ideas live only in my mind, and that’s really quite worthless.
I came to this realization about some of my (now old) musical compositions (that I am fully within my expertise to get out of my head and onto paper or even recordings). I now also notice it with lots of sketch and script ideas that I toss around. So. This story about the two sections of pottery class hits home. Even as a young songwriter, I remember hearing from multiple teachers and mentors, “You’ve got to write 100 pieces of crap songs to get to the good stuff – don’t put the pressure on the first to be the best.”
This is good.
What can I commit to? Well, it’s been truly amazing to show up for myself so happily and willingly in the 30-Day Challenge (and I fully intend to incorporate self-taping into my Daily Habits!) After attending a good friend’s premiere over the weekend, I couldn’t help but start committing to the page some of those script ideas bouncing around in my brain (YAY!!!) I also have a contract on my wall, stating that I commit to play and sing music daily. O-K. I agree with others in the comments above: small, actionable creative steps daily.
What my heart hurts for right now in life (especially in light of “the life you keep pretending you want”) is MORE MUSIC. So I commit here to honor that contract already hanging on my wall. At least one intentional, mindful “something” of music-making each day. I am gracious with myself and kind to myself, but I will also hold myself to this standard in love.
In terms of Wishlisting (and this feels awkward for me to share, but here goes):
– Write and produce the web series I have in beginning steps of development
– Get the film collaboration in dev. off the ground with my collaborators
– Finish recording and producing my debut full-length music album
– Show up to my yoga mat more consistently day-to-day
– EFT & Mirror Time every morning
– Build up and support my “chosen” family 🙂
– Work up to landing an on-brand series regular role on a targeted sitcom
I have so many dreams, but I deeply believe that these listed here are closer than I realize, if only I will take on the daily commitment of… MAKE THE DAMN POTS. JFDI. LIZ.. YOU KNOW YOU WANNA. 😉
And while I’m here, let me count the ways that these 100 days have become “a part of who you are and how you do things at your very core!”
– actually trusting my SELF, instincts, Brandprov, branding, research, and skill sets
– owning up to my career, presentation, SCHEDULE, art, and creativity
– showing up for myself first thing in the morning (choosing from a smorgasbord of options, from yoga practice or EFT to Mirror Time, prayers, and/or journaling)
– speaking authentically to others from my place of power through experience that growth, change, abundance, joy, and happily upholding boundaries are possible
I could just go on and on and on…
Time for that playdate avec ice cream – and under a Taurus moon, no less!
This is a big theme for me, in general. Putting in those 10,000 hours. Pre-100 day me would get overwhelmed by the pot story, and 100-day me still is a little bit…but I have so many more skills than I did before. I have such a greater understanding for how this industry works than I did before. I have so much more clarity when it comes to what is IN MY CONTROL, and what is not.
I’m finally feeling what “healthy sustainability” can feel like in this world. I still have much to do, still have areas that need some extra time and love as I re-teach, re-parent, re-learn certain things around money, expectations, and performance. But I’m experiencing this calmness, this serenity around the work that I’ve not felt before, this comfort in knowing that I can handle what is coming (because it’s coming, I can feel it).
I feel calmer than I’ve ever felt, specifically with the biz. The calmness makes me uncomfortable…but I want to grow to love this feeling, because this feeling is what I want to infuse into my new foundation and approach to the industry and to my life as a whole.