August 11, 2024 • 21 mins
GRAB HERE YOUR WORKBOOK: ✨ 5 EMPOWERING STEPS TO AUDITION CLARITY & CONFIDENCE ✨
In this episode, we dive into the often nerve-wracking world of audition preparation. Learn how to approach auditions with clarity, confidence, and a genuine sense of enjoyment. Taylor shares practical tips, mindset hacks, and actionable steps to help you feel more in control and excited about your audition experience.
Highlight:
- Taylor's personal audition story and how she overcame the fear of the unknown.
- Introduction of the free "Ultimate Audition Prep Workbook" designed to guide aspiring musical theatre performers through the audition process.
- Key exercises to envision your best-case scenario, define clarity and confidence, and break down barriers holding you back.
What to Expect:
- A breakdown of the workbook’s five essential steps, including envisioning success, defining clarity, and transforming actions into confidence.
- Insights on how to shift your mindset from focusing on the outcome to embracing the process.
- Practical advice on taking daily actionable steps to become the confident performer you aspire to be.
This episode is packed with actionable advice and resources to help you show up as your best self in every audition room.
Book Reference: Atomic Habits by James Clear
🚀 Join the Performer's Mindset Hub for FREE:
Free community with tools to support your journey.
Click here to join now!
💻 Check out Momentum 2.0 Program:
Watch FREE From Graduate to Pro Masterclass & learn the 3 Steps To Becoming a Sustainable Musical Theatre Professional.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, welcome back to another episode.
I'm super keen to be talkingabout audition prep, how to go
into auditions with clarity,with confidence, with passion
and with a sense of enjoyment.
I know that auditions aresometimes super, super dreadful
and you're like, oh, I don'tknow.
It's just, there's somethingjust non-humane about auditions.
Right, we go in and we don'tknow what to expect.
(00:22):
We're singing, we're expressingourselves, and it all happens
within a few hours and thenyou're done and you're like
lying on the floor and you'relike super exhausted.
So I wanna help you not feel asmuch as that and actually feel
as though you've got somewhat ofa sense of control over what's
going on, over what's happeningin your body, what's happening
in your mind, so that you can goin and not only feel clear and
(00:44):
confident, but actually go infeeling excited, feeling ready
to actually absorb the materialand give it your best shot.
So let's get into the episode.
By the end of the episode,you're going to really have a
clear picture of what clarityand confidence means for you and
what it means to actually bringthat to an audition.
If you haven't already, you cango and check out a free
(01:07):
resource that I created about aweek ago called the Ultimate
Audition Prep Workbook.
This is going to be yourstep-by-step guide for aspiring
musical theater performerslooking to gain confidence and
clarity in the audition process.
So I'm going to be goingthrough that workbook today, so
if you haven't downloaded it,you can go into the show notes
and click on it.
Get it free right now, as we'llbe talking about that guide.
(01:30):
I wanted to really create thisguide to help performers out
there that are really strugglingin auditions and feel free to
comment in or message in.
Have you been feeling stressed,have you been feeling anxious
about auditions?
And, better yet, what do youwant to feel?
What are you aiming to gotowards Like?
Are you wanting to feelenergized?
Are we wanting to feel calm?
(01:50):
Are we wanting to feel centered, like we know what we're
capable of, we know what we canbring to the offer, to the stage
, to the audition, and actuallyenjoy the process.
Wouldn't that just feel good?
Wouldn't that feel amazing?
And it can definitely feel likethat.
So when I was actually startingout in auditions, I didn't
really know what to expect.
I remember rocking up to one ofthe first auditions I did,
(02:12):
which was for Cats, and Iremember staying in the car
going.
Oh, I could totally just stayin the car and not go out and go
into the auditions, and it wasreally strange because our
bodies and our brains just wantto protect us.
It doesn't want us to like gointo uncharted territory, so to
speak.
But I'm so happy that I justfelt the fear and went into it
(02:32):
anyway, because I then went andperformed in this show for a
very, very long time and it wasone of my favorite shows, if not
still my favorite show to dotoday.
But it's super, super importantto have those little mindset
hacks, those things that cankind of give us that little
boost of inspiration thatdoesn't come from the outside
world, that it comes from within.
(02:53):
So by the end of the episode, Ihope to give you a little bit
of that today and I'm excited tobring this workbook to you and
to performers all around theworld.
Let's get into it.
So number one is aboutenvisioning your best case
scenario.
So, straight away, we'rehacking through the brain and
we're focusing on exactly whatwe want to happen, because a lot
(03:13):
of the time when we're goinginto auditions, because our
brain and our body is trying toprotect ourselves, it envisions
the worst case scenario right?
Maybe this has been true foryou If you've gone into an
audition or even a class and youmay be thinking, oh, I'm no way
going to get this show, or I'mnot going to be great because of
X, y and Z.
Now, our beautiful brains andour bodies are so wonderful, but
(03:35):
they can also be really notnice to us and can't help us in
a lot of ways.
So what we want to do is tohack into what we really want to
have happen.
That's the first exercise thatwe would do.
So what this would look like isyou would write down now you
know, your best case scenarioI've put in the workbook here.
Imagine walking into youraudition room feeling confident,
(03:57):
feeling prepared, picture everysingle detail of your perfect
performance, of how you sung,how you performed in the room,
and really just start to writeout what comes up.
Because what I've learned overthe years and many performers
I've connected with have saidthat you know we have a choice.
We can either think negatively,we can either think that
(04:19):
everything's going to goterribly wrong, or we can think
the best case scenario.
And if we have a choice, isn'tit nicer to just think the best
case scenario?
And I know maybe you'rethinking now, okay, taylor,
let's think of the best casescenario.
I do really well and I get intoa show and it's an amazing like
, yes, and what?
Of course that's amazing.
But sometimes maybe you'rethinking, okay, if I think best
(04:41):
case scenario, and what happensif I don't get in?
Well, my challenge to you ismaybe then thinking, okay, is it
better that I went into it witha positive mindset and I
actually felt good?
I felt a little bit moreconfident, a little bit more
calm than going into it feelingreally anxious and really
negative and down on myself.
So sometimes it's notnecessarily about the outcome,
it's not really about the goalof getting into the thing.
(05:03):
Ultimately, it's about becomingwhat you really want to have,
and that is, you know that,confidence.
It's about becoming someone whois confident, becoming someone
who enjoys the audition process,because if we focus then on the
process and the systems behindwhat we are doing, then you are
able to live what you'reactually looking for in the
(05:24):
future.
So I hope that makes sense.
There's a book that I'm readingat the moment Atomic Habits.
I'll put a little photo here,maybe, of it.
And yeah, definitely go checkthat out because it's really
reshaping my frame of mind toreally look at goals as not the
end point.
Really look at the process,what you're doing day to day to
actually get to that goal,because if you just receive the
(05:46):
goal, a lot of the time we justgo back to our old habits.
You know, if you think of alottery winner that wins all
this money, they say that 90% ofthese people end up coming back
to the exact same salary thatthey were on because of their
spending habits, their processand their systems.
So that's the first number.
And the first tool, or thefirst step rather, of the
workbook, is to just write outbest case scenario, write it out
(06:07):
in detail and just explore.
You know who is in the room,how do you feel?
What feedback, what type offeedback do you receive?
All right.
Number two define what clarityand confidence means for you.
This is super, super importantbecause sometimes in our brains
and sometimes when we're inmusical theater, we're very
(06:27):
vague.
We maybe don't think it, butsometimes I guess anything that
you're trying to improve youreally want to think of things
in specifics.
You've got to give yourselfsomething really specific to
actionably work on specifics.
You've got to give yourselfsomething really specific to
actionably work on, and what Imean by this is if you're
someone that maybe isn't astrong dancer and you're a
strong singer, just by sayingnot strong and strong is very
(06:48):
vague what you want to do.
If you're going to actionablyimprove on something, you need
to be specific in what you'renot good at, because I doubt
that you're terrible at everyform of dancing Maybe you're
really good at, because I doubtthat you're terrible at every
form of dancing.
Maybe you're really good atstyle, but it's the ballet
technique that you need toimprove, or vice versa.
So by getting really specificand really clear on what you're
(07:08):
looking to improve, you not onlyhighlight that area, but you
actually really begin tounderstand what you're needing
to improve and what thatactually means for you.
So in the second part of thework book, we go through and we
really define okay, what doesclarity and confidence look like
for you?
Because that is going to bedifferent for absolutely
(07:29):
everyone.
Number three is all aboutbreaking down the barriers that
are basically holding you back,because there is a few things
maybe happening in your liferight now where maybe you're
saying, okay, taylor, I'mshowing up, I'm doing the do,
I'm doing the auditions andnothing just seems to be working
.
There's something I just feellike I'm on a feedback loop or
something that is just like oh,I'm wanting to do.
(07:51):
Well, I'm wanting to impress myagent, I'm wanting to do all
these things.
All these conversations I'vebeen having with a lot of you in
the community have been comingup, and I want to just bring
some light to this third step,which is really identifying
those barriers or challengesthat are really holding you back
.
And nine times out of 10, it'sactually what's happening in our
(08:12):
brains or in our minds that areholding us back.
Because you can be the mosttalented performer singer,
dancer, actor but if you don'tbelieve that you are, or that
you believe you have thecapabilities to be in a show you
don't believe worthy enough, oryou don't believe that what you
have to offer is good enoughfor that specific show or that
(08:32):
genre you're going to tap out.
You're going to tap out yourskills.
You're probably not going toperform as well, because what we
actually tell ourselves everysingle day and who we surround
ourselves with is really areflection of our behaviors.
That will happen.
So I have a little three-stepsystem to kind of going into
this a little bit and the firstthing you need to do is have a
(08:54):
look at what is holding you back.
Just think, maybe right now isthere a few things that are
holding you back, is it onespecific thing?
And just take a look at that,and then the second thing you
want to do is question itsvalidity.
So what I mean by that is asklike, are these barriers real?
Is it something that is beingjust in the mind or is it
something that is reallyoccurring?
(09:15):
By kind of questioning okay,you know if it's a barrier that,
oh, I always do bad inauditions.
You know if that's a barrier ora challenge.
The question is it's validityAsk is that true?
Am I always terrible?
Or, if I am, what specificareas do you feel like you are
terrible and what's reflectingback to you that's giving you
(09:37):
that evidence?
Basically, by doing this andquestioning your thoughts, you
actually open kind of like a canof worms in the best way
possible, because sometimes weare just so stuck on a habit or
a way of thinking that we thinkthe truth.
So by questioning the way youare thinking, the way you are
presenting, reflecting, reallyhaving a good look at yourself
(09:57):
specifically, you're going to beable to progress much further.
You're going to be much clearerheaded and you're just going to
be a little bit more authenticbecause you're actually
acknowledging the specificthings that you're wanting to
improve on and wanting to moveahead on as well.
The third step for that wouldthen be to take action to
actually overcome these steps.
(10:18):
The number one thing weactually do is when we're not
specific, we don't actuallyhighlight what's going wrong, so
we just kind of leave it in thedark and then we get to the
next audition and we do theexact same thing.
And when we do the exact samething, we're just reiterating to
that habit that we are that way.
So by being specific and reallyopening out, it's kind of like
shining a spotlight on thesepotential barriers, asking is
(10:42):
this real?
And then taking an action stepto actually progress it.
You're like taking somethingthat was maybe hidden in the
dark, trying to hide from you,to actually super, getting it
into the light and then bringingit up and being like actually
no, we're not sleeping, we'renot chilling out down there,
let's go, we need to bring thatup to the light.
So, of course, when you'regoing through this if I'm
(11:04):
speaking a little quick andactually let's just take a
little breath and out.
We always get excited on thesepodcast episodes and anytime I'm
teaching and the coaching thatwe're doing currently in our
Momentum program, which is ourkind of like A to Z program of
helping performers not only withyour mindset, but we're
(11:24):
defining what goals are for youand actually how to achieve them
with actionable steps and thengoing into auditions and all
that fun stuff.
We're in our second month outof three, which has just been
awesome and we've been gettingsuch amazing advice and
testimonies from the studentsinside.
And we've just been awesome andwe've been getting such amazing
advice and testimonies from thestudents inside and we've just
been building a really coolcommunity.
And if you want to check out alittle bit more about that, I'll
(11:46):
add a little link in the shownotes too.
But we also have a beautifulmore offerings and programs
coming out very soon with thedive.
And, yeah, I just wanted toshare this workbook because it's
just one free resource out ofmany of resources and offerings
that we are building and we'recreating really for you as an
artist to make sure that you aregetting not only great advice
(12:08):
but you're getting actionablesteps to move forward.
Because when I was a little sidenote here I'm taking a little
side trip that when I wasstarting out in my career, I
really worked on myself.
I was reading the books not atthe start, trust me, but I was
always looking for ways toimprove myself, like the self,
looking at ways that, okay, ifthis isn't working, how can I
(12:31):
progress?
And just finding little tools,little habits, little even from
action things that people aredoing in the industry.
Just taking all these littlethings and adding it to your
toolkit.
And that's what I'm reallyhoping that the dive is going to
bring you is that you may notresonate with everything that we
talk about.
You know may not resonate withevery resource, but what I'm
(12:51):
really hoping is that if you arean aspiring musical theater
performer, all the things thatwe're giving out are actually
going to resonate with you in aspecific way, not only because
I've been creating them and I'vehad the career so far, but I'm
connecting with all of you asindividuals and the
conversations we're having, andnot only with us one-on-one but
(13:13):
as a community.
It's just so cool and I'mreally just bringing all of this
information and resources toyou free and all the other
wonderful paid offerings as well.
So number four out of five is totransform the actions into
confidence.
There's nothing that will makeyou more confident in life by
(13:34):
doing actions, by doing more ofthe actions of the thing.
Think of it like this when wasthe last time you went into a
class that you hadn't done inages?
Because maybe you've beenthinking, oh, I'm terrible at it
.
And then you go do it and thenyou surprise yourself.
You're like, oh, that actuallywasn't so bad.
Or maybe it's an audition thatyou did.
You thought you were going tobe terrible, but you've been
(13:54):
practicing, you've been puttingin the work on a specific song
or your technique in dancing, sothat when you went to the
audition you weren't surprisedand you actually had more
confidence in it by takingaction on the thing.
Great.
So I'm going to actually gothrough a beautiful statement
that you can always ask yourself.
I'm not going to go into depth.
(14:14):
If you wanted to do that, youcan download the workbook.
It's all there for you.
But a simple question I want toask you right now, as you're
listening to this, is there is aversion of you right now out
there that is waiting for you toshow up as your real self.
There is a version of you ifyou can see it in your mind is
there.
It's waiting for you to show upas your best self.
(14:36):
It's waiting for you to kind ofhonor all of what you can be.
And so the one tool you can useright now to actually get
closer to this ultimate bestself or version of you is to ask
yourself a simple question If Idot dot dot, how would I dot
dot dot so this can be if I wasa musical theatre professional
(15:00):
that was on stage eight shows aweek, creating a beautiful
career and life for myself?
That's the dot dot dot, whateverit means for you.
Put in your desired goal, howwould I dot dot dot show up?
How would I spend my days?
How would I sleep?
You can even go into thecontext of what would I eat.
Who would I surround myselfwith?
(15:23):
By doing this statement, you'reactually going to collect right
now, actionable steps that youcan use to start becoming the
ultimate performer that youreally want to be the confident,
the clear-headed, the personwho just wakes up calm and ready
and energized, that doesn'tfeel overwhelmed, that doesn't
feel pressured, that honorsexactly where they are.
(15:43):
This version of you is able tocome into the light, and how we
do that is by asking us thatsimple question.
So just think right now.
You know, if you're not drivingor you're in a position where
you can close your eyes safely,please do take a breath in and a
breath out and just think toyourself right now.
(16:03):
Okay, if I am putting yourdesired goal whether that's a
musical theater professional,which many of us on here are
wanting to be you're gettinginto your first musical, you've
maybe got a lead role or you'rein the ensemble, whatever it is
for you.
If I put that desired goal inthere, just repeat that to
yourself.
(16:23):
If I was, or if I am, so, so andso, then ask yourself, how
would I show up today?
What would I be doing?
What's one thing I can do todaythat will help me become more
like that person, more like thatversion of yourself that you're
(16:43):
wanting so much?
And then what you're going todo is you're going to take that
one thing and just have thatguide you.
And something that I've beenstarting to do even myself and I
love teaching things that I'mcurrently learning in my life as
well is the power of one thing.
We're so overwhelmed withthinking that we need to do this
massive amount of action to geta massive amount of results.
(17:04):
But the real, true, honestaction that you're waiting and
looking for is in the day-to-day.
It's in the 1%, it's in theshowing up when you don't feel
like it, it's in what'shappening when no one is
watching.
So, whatever that 1% is for you, then you can start writing a
calendar three days, seven days,30 days just asking yourself
(17:26):
with that one goal, what's onething I can do today to progress
towards becoming that personNot towards actually achieving
the goal, but actually becomingthe person.
Because by actually becomingthat person you're increasing
longevity, you're increasingvitality in that area, whereas
if the goal is only just to getinto the show and you're not
(17:49):
becoming that person, howquickly you're going to come out
of that show?
Quite fast because you're notactually being the person.
Ultimately, that is going tostay there.
So you can take a little bit ofthat.
There's in the exercise, in theworkbook.
It shows you exactly how towrite all that out for yourself.
Go take a look and then youknow, with the number five of
(18:09):
the workbook we do exactly that.
We take, you know, the fewthings that have come up and
actually how to create threeactionable steps from that.
So you can go and check out theworkbook.
It shows you how to create astatement of what actions to
take from that goal to create it.
You know what's one thing I cando this month, what's one thing
I can do this week, what's onething I can do this month,
(18:35):
what's one thing I can do thisweek, what's one thing I can do
today, and I hope it's justgiving you a little bit more
clarity.
It's an amazing workbook I puttogether over a course of months
and it's just been awesome toolthat I've also been using
myself and along through mycareer to actually just go ahead
and start mapping out whatyou're really wanting to become,
what action steps are inalignment of who essentially
you're wanting to become in thefuture.
Because the fastest way to getthere is to start becoming that
(18:55):
person now and you know overtime that progression is just
going to build and then when youactually reach there, when you
actually get into the musical,you're not going to be surprised
.
You're going to be excited, butyou're not going to be
surprised because you've startedto actually become the person
you ultimately wanted to be somany years ago.
If you think of yourself rightnow, you are a version of past
(19:16):
self that you once wanted to be,whether that's good or bad.
Whatever you've put, yourprogress in the daily actions,
the things that you've shown upin the choices you've made have
got you to exactly where you aretoday.
So, by being really intentional,kind of a reflection of this
episode as a whole, start toenvision what your best self
(19:36):
looks like.
Write out what does that personlook like and really define if
you're wanting to go into anaudition with other things of
clarity and confidence Maybeit's with energy, maybe it's
with passion Really define whatthat is for you and start
bringing that into yourday-to-day life so that when the
audition does come around,you're not overwhelmed, you're
ready to go and you'reultimately living in a place
(19:59):
where you're starting to buildan awesome lifestyle around
yourself that really promotesexactly what you're ultimately
trying to become, which is thatawesome performer, that musical
theater performer that you'reall seeking to become, that's
clear-headed, that's confident.
Dot, dot, dot, whatever it meansfor you, and I'm just so
excited to hear what you've comeup with.
(20:20):
So if you're anyone that'sgoing through this workbook, you
can again go check it out inthe show notes, where you can
write it out.
Take your time to fill it out.
We have some exciting thingscoming up with the dive, with
other programs to give you moreopportunities to do auditions,
and some other exciting thingsalong the way.
I've just got my cat here, ifyou're watching in on the
(20:40):
YouTube.
Bye, darling, and we'll see youon the next episode.
Feel free to check out ourother resources at
wwwthedivecomau, and if youfound that this episode has
helped you in some form or way,please share it with a friend,
as we are all about connectingas a community and supporting
one another.
Until next time, I'll see youthen.
All right, welcome back to another episode.
I'm super keen to be talkingabout audition prep, how to go
into auditions with clarity,with confidence, with passion
and with a sense of enjoyment.
I know that auditions aresometimes super, super dreadful
and you're like, oh, I don'tknow.
It's just, there's somethingjust non-humane about auditions.
Right, we go in and we don'tknow what to expect.
(00:22):
We're singing, we're expressingourselves, and it all happens
within a few hours and thenyou're done and you're like
lying on the floor and you'relike super exhausted.
So I wanna help you not feel asmuch as that and actually feel
as though you've got somewhat ofa sense of control over what's
going on, over what's happeningin your body, what's happening
in your mind, so that you can goin and not only feel clear and
(00:44):
confident, but actually go infeeling excited, feeling ready
to actually absorb the materialand give it your best shot.
So let's get into the episode.
By the end of the episode,you're going to really have a
clear picture of what clarityand confidence means for you and
what it means to actually bringthat to an audition.
If you haven't already, you cango and check out a free
(01:07):
resource that I created about aweek ago called the Ultimate
Audition Prep Workbook.
This is going to be yourstep-by-step guide for aspiring
musical theater performerslooking to gain confidence and
clarity in the audition process.
So I'm going to be goingthrough that workbook today, so
if you haven't downloaded it,you can go into the show notes
and click on it.
Get it free right now, as we'llbe talking about that guide.
(01:30):
I wanted to really create thisguide to help performers out
there that are really strugglingin auditions and feel free to
comment in or message in.
Have you been feeling stressed,have you been feeling anxious
about auditions?
And, better yet, what do youwant to feel?
What are you aiming to gotowards Like?
Are you wanting to feelenergized?
Are we wanting to feel calm?
(01:50):
Are we wanting to feel centered, like we know what we're
capable of, we know what we canbring to the offer, to the stage
, to the audition, and actuallyenjoy the process.
Wouldn't that just feel good?
Wouldn't that feel amazing?
And it can definitely feel likethat.
So when I was actually startingout in auditions, I didn't
really know what to expect.
I remember rocking up to one ofthe first auditions I did,
(02:12):
which was for Cats, and Iremember staying in the car
going.
Oh, I could totally just stayin the car and not go out and go
into the auditions, and it wasreally strange because our
bodies and our brains just wantto protect us.
It doesn't want us to like gointo uncharted territory, so to
speak.
But I'm so happy that I justfelt the fear and went into it
(02:32):
anyway, because I then went andperformed in this show for a
very, very long time and it wasone of my favorite shows, if not
still my favorite show to dotoday.
But it's super, super importantto have those little mindset
hacks, those things that cankind of give us that little
boost of inspiration thatdoesn't come from the outside
world, that it comes from within.
(02:53):
So by the end of the episode, Ihope to give you a little bit
of that today and I'm excited tobring this workbook to you and
to performers all around theworld.
Let's get into it.
So number one is aboutenvisioning your best case
scenario.
So, straight away, we'rehacking through the brain and
we're focusing on exactly whatwe want to happen, because a lot
(03:13):
of the time when we're goinginto auditions, because our
brain and our body is trying toprotect ourselves, it envisions
the worst case scenario right?
Maybe this has been true foryou If you've gone into an
audition or even a class and youmay be thinking, oh, I'm no way
going to get this show, or I'mnot going to be great because of
X, y and Z.
Now, our beautiful brains andour bodies are so wonderful, but
(03:35):
they can also be really notnice to us and can't help us in
a lot of ways.
So what we want to do is tohack into what we really want to
have happen.
That's the first exercise thatwe would do.
So what this would look like isyou would write down now you
know, your best case scenarioI've put in the workbook here.
Imagine walking into youraudition room feeling confident,
(03:57):
feeling prepared, picture everysingle detail of your perfect
performance, of how you sung,how you performed in the room,
and really just start to writeout what comes up.
Because what I've learned overthe years and many performers
I've connected with have saidthat you know we have a choice.
We can either think negatively,we can either think that
(04:19):
everything's going to goterribly wrong, or we can think
the best case scenario.
And if we have a choice, isn'tit nicer to just think the best
case scenario?
And I know maybe you'rethinking now, okay, taylor,
let's think of the best casescenario.
I do really well and I get intoa show and it's an amazing like
, yes, and what?
Of course that's amazing.
But sometimes maybe you'rethinking, okay, if I think best
(04:41):
case scenario, and what happensif I don't get in?
Well, my challenge to you ismaybe then thinking, okay, is it
better that I went into it witha positive mindset and I
actually felt good?
I felt a little bit moreconfident, a little bit more
calm than going into it feelingreally anxious and really
negative and down on myself.
So sometimes it's notnecessarily about the outcome,
it's not really about the goalof getting into the thing.
(05:03):
Ultimately, it's about becomingwhat you really want to have,
and that is, you know that,confidence.
It's about becoming someone whois confident, becoming someone
who enjoys the audition process,because if we focus then on the
process and the systems behindwhat we are doing, then you are
able to live what you'reactually looking for in the
(05:24):
future.
So I hope that makes sense.
There's a book that I'm readingat the moment Atomic Habits.
I'll put a little photo here,maybe, of it.
And yeah, definitely go checkthat out because it's really
reshaping my frame of mind toreally look at goals as not the
end point.
Really look at the process,what you're doing day to day to
actually get to that goal,because if you just receive the
(05:46):
goal, a lot of the time we justgo back to our old habits.
You know, if you think of alottery winner that wins all
this money, they say that 90% ofthese people end up coming back
to the exact same salary thatthey were on because of their
spending habits, their processand their systems.
So that's the first number.
And the first tool, or thefirst step rather, of the
workbook, is to just write outbest case scenario, write it out
(06:07):
in detail and just explore.
You know who is in the room,how do you feel?
What feedback, what type offeedback do you receive?
All right.
Number two define what clarityand confidence means for you.
This is super, super importantbecause sometimes in our brains
and sometimes when we're inmusical theater, we're very
(06:27):
vague.
We maybe don't think it, butsometimes I guess anything that
you're trying to improve youreally want to think of things
in specifics.
You've got to give yourselfsomething really specific to
actionably work on specifics.
You've got to give yourselfsomething really specific to
actionably work on, and what Imean by this is if you're
someone that maybe isn't astrong dancer and you're a
strong singer, just by sayingnot strong and strong is very
(06:48):
vague what you want to do.
If you're going to actionablyimprove on something, you need
to be specific in what you'renot good at, because I doubt
that you're terrible at everyform of dancing Maybe you're
really good at, because I doubtthat you're terrible at every
form of dancing.
Maybe you're really good atstyle, but it's the ballet
technique that you need toimprove, or vice versa.
So by getting really specificand really clear on what you're
(07:08):
looking to improve, you not onlyhighlight that area, but you
actually really begin tounderstand what you're needing
to improve and what thatactually means for you.
So in the second part of thework book, we go through and we
really define okay, what doesclarity and confidence look like
for you?
Because that is going to bedifferent for absolutely
(07:29):
everyone.
Number three is all aboutbreaking down the barriers that
are basically holding you back,because there is a few things
maybe happening in your liferight now where maybe you're
saying, okay, taylor, I'mshowing up, I'm doing the do,
I'm doing the auditions andnothing just seems to be working
.
There's something I just feellike I'm on a feedback loop or
something that is just like oh,I'm wanting to do.
(07:51):
Well, I'm wanting to impress myagent, I'm wanting to do all
these things.
All these conversations I'vebeen having with a lot of you in
the community have been comingup, and I want to just bring
some light to this third step,which is really identifying
those barriers or challengesthat are really holding you back
.
And nine times out of 10, it'sactually what's happening in our
(08:12):
brains or in our minds that areholding us back.
Because you can be the mosttalented performer singer,
dancer, actor but if you don'tbelieve that you are, or that
you believe you have thecapabilities to be in a show you
don't believe worthy enough, oryou don't believe that what you
have to offer is good enoughfor that specific show or that
(08:32):
genre you're going to tap out.
You're going to tap out yourskills.
You're probably not going toperform as well, because what we
actually tell ourselves everysingle day and who we surround
ourselves with is really areflection of our behaviors.
That will happen.
So I have a little three-stepsystem to kind of going into
this a little bit and the firstthing you need to do is have a
(08:54):
look at what is holding you back.
Just think, maybe right now isthere a few things that are
holding you back, is it onespecific thing?
And just take a look at that,and then the second thing you
want to do is question itsvalidity.
So what I mean by that is asklike, are these barriers real?
Is it something that is beingjust in the mind or is it
something that is reallyoccurring?
(09:15):
By kind of questioning okay,you know if it's a barrier that,
oh, I always do bad inauditions.
You know if that's a barrier ora challenge.
The question is it's validityAsk is that true?
Am I always terrible?
Or, if I am, what specificareas do you feel like you are
terrible and what's reflectingback to you that's giving you
(09:37):
that evidence?
Basically, by doing this andquestioning your thoughts, you
actually open kind of like a canof worms in the best way
possible, because sometimes weare just so stuck on a habit or
a way of thinking that we thinkthe truth.
So by questioning the way youare thinking, the way you are
presenting, reflecting, reallyhaving a good look at yourself
(09:57):
specifically, you're going to beable to progress much further.
You're going to be much clearerheaded and you're just going to
be a little bit more authenticbecause you're actually
acknowledging the specificthings that you're wanting to
improve on and wanting to moveahead on as well.
The third step for that wouldthen be to take action to
actually overcome these steps.
(10:18):
The number one thing weactually do is when we're not
specific, we don't actuallyhighlight what's going wrong, so
we just kind of leave it in thedark and then we get to the
next audition and we do theexact same thing.
And when we do the exact samething, we're just reiterating to
that habit that we are that way.
So by being specific and reallyopening out, it's kind of like
shining a spotlight on thesepotential barriers, asking is
(10:42):
this real?
And then taking an action stepto actually progress it.
You're like taking somethingthat was maybe hidden in the
dark, trying to hide from you,to actually super, getting it
into the light and then bringingit up and being like actually
no, we're not sleeping, we'renot chilling out down there,
let's go, we need to bring thatup to the light.
So, of course, when you'regoing through this if I'm
(11:04):
speaking a little quick andactually let's just take a
little breath and out.
We always get excited on thesepodcast episodes and anytime I'm
teaching and the coaching thatwe're doing currently in our
Momentum program, which is ourkind of like A to Z program of
helping performers not only withyour mindset, but we're
(11:24):
defining what goals are for youand actually how to achieve them
with actionable steps and thengoing into auditions and all
that fun stuff.
We're in our second month outof three, which has just been
awesome and we've been gettingsuch amazing advice and
testimonies from the studentsinside.
And we've just been awesome andwe've been getting such amazing
advice and testimonies from thestudents inside and we've just
been building a really coolcommunity.
And if you want to check out alittle bit more about that, I'll
(11:46):
add a little link in the shownotes too.
But we also have a beautifulmore offerings and programs
coming out very soon with thedive.
And, yeah, I just wanted toshare this workbook because it's
just one free resource out ofmany of resources and offerings
that we are building and we'recreating really for you as an
artist to make sure that you aregetting not only great advice
(12:08):
but you're getting actionablesteps to move forward.
Because when I was a little sidenote here I'm taking a little
side trip that when I wasstarting out in my career, I
really worked on myself.
I was reading the books not atthe start, trust me, but I was
always looking for ways toimprove myself, like the self,
looking at ways that, okay, ifthis isn't working, how can I
(12:31):
progress?
And just finding little tools,little habits, little even from
action things that people aredoing in the industry.
Just taking all these littlethings and adding it to your
toolkit.
And that's what I'm reallyhoping that the dive is going to
bring you is that you may notresonate with everything that we
talk about.
You know may not resonate withevery resource, but what I'm
(12:51):
really hoping is that if you arean aspiring musical theater
performer, all the things thatwe're giving out are actually
going to resonate with you in aspecific way, not only because
I've been creating them and I'vehad the career so far, but I'm
connecting with all of you asindividuals and the
conversations we're having, andnot only with us one-on-one but
(13:13):
as a community.
It's just so cool and I'mreally just bringing all of this
information and resources toyou free and all the other
wonderful paid offerings as well.
So number four out of five is totransform the actions into
confidence.
There's nothing that will makeyou more confident in life by
(13:34):
doing actions, by doing more ofthe actions of the thing.
Think of it like this when wasthe last time you went into a
class that you hadn't done inages?
Because maybe you've beenthinking, oh, I'm terrible at it
.
And then you go do it and thenyou surprise yourself.
You're like, oh, that actuallywasn't so bad.
Or maybe it's an audition thatyou did.
You thought you were going tobe terrible, but you've been
(13:54):
practicing, you've been puttingin the work on a specific song
or your technique in dancing, sothat when you went to the
audition you weren't surprisedand you actually had more
confidence in it by takingaction on the thing.
Great.
So I'm going to actually gothrough a beautiful statement
that you can always ask yourself.
I'm not going to go into depth.
(14:14):
If you wanted to do that, youcan download the workbook.
It's all there for you.
But a simple question I want toask you right now, as you're
listening to this, is there is aversion of you right now out
there that is waiting for you toshow up as your real self.
There is a version of you ifyou can see it in your mind is
there.
It's waiting for you to show upas your best self.
(14:36):
It's waiting for you to kind ofhonor all of what you can be.
And so the one tool you can useright now to actually get
closer to this ultimate bestself or version of you is to ask
yourself a simple question If Idot dot dot, how would I dot
dot dot so this can be if I wasa musical theatre professional
(15:00):
that was on stage eight shows aweek, creating a beautiful
career and life for myself?
That's the dot dot dot, whateverit means for you.
Put in your desired goal, howwould I dot dot dot show up?
How would I spend my days?
How would I sleep?
You can even go into thecontext of what would I eat.
Who would I surround myselfwith?
(15:23):
By doing this statement, you'reactually going to collect right
now, actionable steps that youcan use to start becoming the
ultimate performer that youreally want to be the confident,
the clear-headed, the personwho just wakes up calm and ready
and energized, that doesn'tfeel overwhelmed, that doesn't
feel pressured, that honorsexactly where they are.
(15:43):
This version of you is able tocome into the light, and how we
do that is by asking us thatsimple question.
So just think right now.
You know, if you're not drivingor you're in a position where
you can close your eyes safely,please do take a breath in and a
breath out and just think toyourself right now.
(16:03):
Okay, if I am putting yourdesired goal whether that's a
musical theater professional,which many of us on here are
wanting to be you're gettinginto your first musical, you've
maybe got a lead role or you'rein the ensemble, whatever it is
for you.
If I put that desired goal inthere, just repeat that to
yourself.
(16:23):
If I was, or if I am, so, so andso, then ask yourself, how
would I show up today?
What would I be doing?
What's one thing I can do todaythat will help me become more
like that person, more like thatversion of yourself that you're
(16:43):
wanting so much?
And then what you're going todo is you're going to take that
one thing and just have thatguide you.
And something that I've beenstarting to do even myself and I
love teaching things that I'mcurrently learning in my life as
well is the power of one thing.
We're so overwhelmed withthinking that we need to do this
massive amount of action to geta massive amount of results.
(17:04):
But the real, true, honestaction that you're waiting and
looking for is in the day-to-day.
It's in the 1%, it's in theshowing up when you don't feel
like it, it's in what'shappening when no one is
watching.
So, whatever that 1% is for you, then you can start writing a
calendar three days, seven days,30 days just asking yourself
(17:26):
with that one goal, what's onething I can do today to progress
towards becoming that personNot towards actually achieving
the goal, but actually becomingthe person.
Because by actually becomingthat person you're increasing
longevity, you're increasingvitality in that area, whereas
if the goal is only just to getinto the show and you're not
(17:49):
becoming that person, howquickly you're going to come out
of that show?
Quite fast because you're notactually being the person.
Ultimately, that is going tostay there.
So you can take a little bit ofthat.
There's in the exercise, in theworkbook.
It shows you exactly how towrite all that out for yourself.
Go take a look and then youknow, with the number five of
(18:09):
the workbook we do exactly that.
We take, you know, the fewthings that have come up and
actually how to create threeactionable steps from that.
So you can go and check out theworkbook.
It shows you how to create astatement of what actions to
take from that goal to create it.
You know what's one thing I cando this month, what's one thing
I can do this week, what's onething I can do this month,
(18:35):
what's one thing I can do thisweek, what's one thing I can do
today, and I hope it's justgiving you a little bit more
clarity.
It's an amazing workbook I puttogether over a course of months
and it's just been awesome toolthat I've also been using
myself and along through mycareer to actually just go ahead
and start mapping out whatyou're really wanting to become,
what action steps are inalignment of who essentially
you're wanting to become in thefuture.
Because the fastest way to getthere is to start becoming that
(18:55):
person now and you know overtime that progression is just
going to build and then when youactually reach there, when you
actually get into the musical,you're not going to be surprised
.
You're going to be excited, butyou're not going to be
surprised because you've startedto actually become the person
you ultimately wanted to be somany years ago.
If you think of yourself rightnow, you are a version of past
(19:16):
self that you once wanted to be,whether that's good or bad.
Whatever you've put, yourprogress in the daily actions,
the things that you've shown upin the choices you've made have
got you to exactly where you aretoday.
So, by being really intentional,kind of a reflection of this
episode as a whole, start toenvision what your best self
(19:36):
looks like.
Write out what does that personlook like and really define if
you're wanting to go into anaudition with other things of
clarity and confidence Maybeit's with energy, maybe it's
with passion Really define whatthat is for you and start
bringing that into yourday-to-day life so that when the
audition does come around,you're not overwhelmed, you're
ready to go and you'reultimately living in a place
(19:59):
where you're starting to buildan awesome lifestyle around
yourself that really promotesexactly what you're ultimately
trying to become, which is thatawesome performer, that musical
theater performer that you'reall seeking to become, that's
clear-headed, that's confident.
Dot, dot, dot, whatever it meansfor you, and I'm just so
excited to hear what you've comeup with.
(20:20):
So if you're anyone that'sgoing through this workbook, you
can again go check it out inthe show notes, where you can
write it out.
Take your time to fill it out.
We have some exciting thingscoming up with the dive, with
other programs to give you moreopportunities to do auditions,
and some other exciting thingsalong the way.
I've just got my cat here, ifyou're watching in on the
(20:40):
YouTube.
Bye, darling, and we'll see youon the next episode.
Feel free to check out ourother resources at
wwwthedivecomau, and if youfound that this episode has
helped you in some form or way,please share it with a friend,
as we are all about connectingas a community and supporting
one another.
Until next time, I'll see youthen.
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