'Just Do It' - Being the 'Homework Girl'

I like the Nike ad. I like what it stands for more importantly. It's simple, effective, and straight to the point. 'Just do it'. Three simple words. Yet, do you find that most of us find ourselves guilty of always trying to complicate what is actually really simple? 

For example: I have a dream + I want to make this dream come true = 'Just do it'. 

So why do we overcomplicate or overly think some things, or more dangerously, allow other people sometimes, in making us believe that we can't, or that it's impossible. (Ew, ew, ew. I don't even like typing those words. Read them back again for a sec. 'Can't' or 'Impossible' - doesn't it instantly give you a downer effect? Right, shake it off! lol) So what started off as a simple equation has now, as a result, become an 'impossible algebraic like equation' to solve. 

Everyday, I receive many lovely facebook or twitter messages, quite a few of them, asking me how I got into music and/or acting, and that some of you want to do the same but 'don't know how.' And I must admit, I'm a little surprised and puzzled when I read the 'I don't know how' bit.  I say this respectfully of course, but it's just that I come from a very normal, working class family, who had absolutely no connections in music or film and tv. (Guys, I was born in the Himalayas, there were not a lot of opportunities over there, and being a family of four who immigrated with not much in their pockets, to the 'big western world', I had to start from scratch, just like most of us do.) So how did I do it? How did I follow the simple equation of 'Just do it'? Well, here's where my equation started at: 

No connections in music or tv and film + burning desire to be an actress and a recording artist = the 'Homework Girl'

I was 5 years old when I came up with this equation in my head. Not in those exact words, haha, but to that effect. So what does a 'Homework Girl' do? When I was 6, I saw in my local newspaper, a 'cattle call' (meaning open auditions), for cute kids for tv commercials. I snuck into my parents bedroom, where the phone was, and called the casting director and made an appointment for myself. To make a long story short, I ended up doing some commercials as a child. But this is where my career started, and the lesson here is the power of 'initiative'. If you want something bad enough, you'll make it happen. I didn't over think it. I just did it. Simple as that. From there on, I researched all the best schools for music and acting. If the tuition was high, I looked into what scholarships were available. Throughout my teens, I read biogs of other singers or actors, and found out where they studied, and all the while, I took notes, just like some of you do when you're doing your homework in school. I struck a deal with my parents, that if I  got good grades in school, they would agree to pay for my music lessons and acting lessons. Fair deal. So I trained, and I practiced every day. Can't get lazy with your craft, especially when there are millions of talented peeps out there in the big world. You have to strive to be the best you can be and you cannot be afraid of some blood, sweat, and tears along the way. Translation: paying your dues the right way, not taking any short cuts for the long term goal, making mistakes but learning from them, understanding the beauty of constructive criticism, and knowing how it can help you move forward, not waiting for the phone to ring, and being a proactive dreamer, oh and let's throw in the rejections, and more rejections. lol You really have to want to be an actor or musician for the love of it. Any other reason is not worth it - trust me. I'm not in this for the fame or the money. It's taken me many years, grinding away, to get to this point and I still have a journey ahead of me to get to the next point. But I feel blessed for whatever opportunities have come my way so far. There are many starving artists out there that don't even get a look in. Whenever I'm faced with a tough day, I just have to remember that momentous day when my older sis, made me watch Xanadu, with Olivia Newton John, and how I was bitten the moment I saw her light up the screen. That's when my calling started. I was 4 years old, and that calling has never left me, even during the more challenging times on this journey that I'm still on. :) That moment will be forever etched in my mind, as a truly euphoric moment, and that feeling, I've kept in my heart, and that's what keeps me going - that's what has stopped me from ever thinking of giving up. 

So if you have a dream, whatever it may be, and you have that same euphoric feeling that takes over you, chances are it's your calling. The question is, do you have the courage to follow through with it? Do you have enough faith in yourself to see that calling through? Only you can answer that. :) If you do, then be the homework girl or the homework boy. Do your research, work hard, learn from others whose work you respect, and are inspired by, and 'Just do it'. You'll be amazed at what YOU can do. 

Yours Always, 

The Girl In The Pink Glasses xo