Opportunity Knocks (You Around)

A friend of mine just posted that the world belongs to those who say "I can!" I think she's right as attitude can make or break almost any opportunity.

It's been really hard to find time to write again - a fact made increasingly ironic by my day job as a writer/communications manager and my other side-job with my personal copywriting business - but I'm also glad to report that a lot of that difficulty has arisen from remaining busy in acting as well.

In the past couple months, I've cut new voice overs for a couple of my best clients, did a reading as part of a pitch for a major project and had a leading role in a segment for an educational video. It's really awesome to finally get to the point where all the actual booked gigs are paying and the contacts being made are both enjoyable and productive. When not busy with work, I've also been volunteering to assist The Everything Film Show and am really happy to see that more people are starting to check the show out.

In looking through the list of recent activities, I have to smile at how many of them could just as easily have been seen as lemons instead of lemonade. Getting a request for an extended project with less than a 24-hour turn-around? A mixed blessing. Shooting just hours before a long-scheduled Super Bowl party? A little dicey, but also fun. And both examples would have been very easy to turn down had I focused on the possible negatives. Optimism doesn't come easily for me, but there is something to be said for it when it can avoid an anchor holding you back.

The best gigs are often hard to nab and inconvenient. Very seldom do you hear of castings far in advance and have time to adjust everything to conveniently mesh with your schedule; I've never had that happen and take pride in my ability to adjust and be a road warrior as needed. Had I focused on all the obstacles, I would have missed the opportunities.

Am I turning optimist? Doubtful. But at least I'm focused enough at present to keep the distractions out.