Set Clear Acting Career Goals!

Chances Are, You Won't Be "Discovered"!

Setting Clear Acting Career Goals

Having said that, one of the most important things an actor can do is set clear acting career goals to increase her possibility of success.

Successful companies don’t just wake up in the morning and decide what they will do that day. They have short-, medium-, and long-term goals. The goals are specific and clear. The bigger the organization, the more difficult it is to ensure that everyone knows what the company is setting out to achieve.

For you as an actor this means that your acting career goals must be clear and easy to understand.

Good goals and objectives have the following characteristics:

·Set S.M.A.R.T. goals:

o S: Specific

o M: Measurable

o A: Achievable

o R: Realistic

o T: Timely

In my book, Acting Career Start-Up: Four Key Factors For Success, I tell the reader the story about what I did over a three month period last Spring/Summer when I came back to New York to study and work.

I had very clear goals at the outset of that period. They were:

· Take the next level of my Meisner technique training at the Ward Studio in NY for the duration of the three-month period.

· Book an industrial and/or commercials through my agents and through online and off-line sumissions. (Beginning immediately)

· Find and take a TV hosting class by June 25 that concentrates specifically on ear/telepromter usage.

· Get new color headshots and half-body shots by 15 June that I could use both for acting, print work as well as for my consulting business websites and broshures.

· Finish writing my book by July 30.

· Give input for the revamping of my business Web site www.jolten.com (Jolten Educational Events and Entertainment) by June 15 according to specific criteria that I won't list here.

5. Planning

Having specific and clear acting career goals is one thing, having a solid plan is another thing and following the plan in order to transform your goals into reality is still another.

Once companies have clarity of vision, a mission, and clear objectives, they use that information to put together a very detailed plan, just like you can do for yourself in the third section of my book, Acting Career Start-Up: Four Key Factors For Success. Not only is the plan detailed and specific, it also ensures that each individual in the organization knows what his/her exact role is, why they are doing it, and when they must do it. They know an action is on the plan because it will help ensure that the company vision will be reached. There is commitment to the plan’s achievement at all levels of the organization. It must be clear, solid, and everyone is held accountable for the actions for which he/she is responsible.

They put together a strategic, long-term plan and then a yearly business plan to ensure they will stay on track over the five-year period. These plans are living, which means they are constantly reviewed, monitored, and modified if necessary to stay the course.

By now, I hope you’ve already started working on your plan. Keep it alive!

If you need help, here are some resources you might want to look into:

Acting Career Start-Up: Four Key Factors Of Success: This will provide you the base for learning how to create a plan for anything from A-Z. When you finish reading the book and going through the exercised that are specific and that you personalize to your needs and goals, you will have your own plan and know what you want out of your career, why you want it, what you need to do, who can help you, when you need to get it done and how you will do it! Can't beat that! A mere $20 investment.

6. Scorecard

One of the key elements to success in achieving your acting career goals is the continuous monitoring of efforts and of your plan.

Many multinational companies for example use a process for monitoring their results called “the scorecard.” This is basically a report card on how the company is doing with regard to its plan. There are periodic meetings, usually once a quarter, during which a group of senior managers sit around a table, discuss how they are doing against the plan, and grade their efforts. Questions are often asked as to what is working and what is not, why they are or are not on track in some areas, and what they must do to improve on poor results and maintain the good results they are getting.

To increase your chances of success, you must frequently monitor your acting career goals to see to it that you remain on course.

Did you know that, because of winds, atmospheric conditions, an airplane pilot must adjust the course of a the plane every few seconds to make sure it heads directly to its destination? If he/she wouldn't do that and would do it, say, every few minutes, it would take much, much longer to get to the destination.

Having said that, if you don't check your plan regularly, doesn't mean that you won't achieve your goals, but it could mean that it could take you longer to achieve your acting career goals. It could also mean that you might continue doing something that isn't quite right or that isn't getting you the best possible results.

Want an example? See the story I tell about the time I went through 12 auditions without getting a call-back (Go to the section: What's Working And What's Not). If I had continued to do what I was doing and hadn't taken time to analyze my situation, I would have probably continued to get the results I was getting: no call-backs! I had little time available that summer and had no choice but to set clear acting career goals.

I encourage you to do the same!

Go now and set your acting career goals. Good luck!

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