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April 29, 2024 17 mins

Text The Late Bloomer Actor a Question or Comment.

Fresh off a night shift and still buzzing from an inspiring guest stint with Type Talent Training, I've decided to tackle the silent beast that haunts many of us actors: self-sabotage. We've all felt the cold grip of procrastination, the whispers of self-doubt, or the looming shadow of failure. But how often do we recognize these as the signs of self-imposed barriers? This episode peels back the curtain on the invisible forces at play, offering a deep dive into the mental hurdles that can hold us back from the spotlight. With insights from my own acting journey and the universal struggles actors face, this candid discussion aims to arm you with the strategies to break through these barriers.

As we unpack the psychological roots of self-sabotage and its impact on our careers, I share a personal tale from my bodybuilding  that sheds light on the parallels between physical and performance disciplines. It's a conversation that promises not only to uncover the ways we might unconsciously be our own worst enemies but also to inspire a shift toward resilience and self-awareness that could illuminate your path to personal and professional triumph.

And a quick note on Self Tape May starting on the 1st May, check out the link for information and free registration: Self Tape May

And follow the links for Castability for free sides to participate in Self Tape May as well. 

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This episode was recorded on RiversideFM - click the link to join and record.

This episode is supported by Castability - an Audition Simulator, follow the link and use the code: LATEBLOOMERACTOR for 30% of your first monthly membership.

And finally, I am a huge advocate for and user of WeAudition - an online community for self-taping and auditions. Sign up with the PROMO code: LATEBLOOMER for 25% of your ongoing membership.







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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
David John Clark (00:00):
Hello everyone and welcome to another
off-script episode of the LateBloomer Actor.
Now, hopefully, for thosewatching on YouTube, I don't
look too tired.
I've come off the back of anovertime night shift this
morning and was fortunate to bea guest with Type Talent
Training here in Adelaide intheir industry roundup, and I

(00:22):
was the guest there as an actorto speak to the new actors all
about acting, so that wasanother pleasure.
I've done that a couple oftimes with Type Talent here in
Adelaide and I'm very humbled tobe a guest and to help out new
actors on their journey, ontheir journey to wherever it may
lead them in the future.

(00:44):
What I wanted to talk abouttoday is self-sabotage.
Let's come straight out aboutit.
Self-sabotage, we all know it,we all do it.
Have you ever found yourselfstanding in the way of your own
success?
I certainly have.
As actors, we're no strangersto self-doubt and fear.
But what happens when thesefeelings manifest into actions

(01:06):
that hinder our progress?
Today, I'd like to explore theconcept of self-sabotage and how
it can impact our careers inacting.
Self-sabotage it's like aninvisible force working against
us, sabotaging our efforts andkeeping us from reaching our
full potential.
It can take many forms, fromprocrastination I do that all
the time and self-doubt I dothat all the time to negative

(01:28):
self-talk and a fear of failureyes, yes and yes.
And as actors, these tendenciescan hold us back in auditions,
rehearsals and even in ourpersonal lives.
But fear not, becauseunderstanding and overcoming
self-sabotage it's within ourgraph.
I've just done the last episodeof Late Bloomer.
Actor was focusing on mindsetcoaching with Rachel Baker, and

(01:53):
the next episode coming up inMay, goes a bit further deep
into well-being of actors andmindset training and everything
like that.
So it's a big topic.
And mindset training andeverything like that so it's a
big topic.
It's something that my wife isbig on and has been encouraging
me to look into it a lot,because for everything that

(02:13):
we're about to talk about, itcertainly has its place.
By shedding light on thephenomenon and learning how to
navigate around it, we canunlock new levels of success and
fulfillment in our actingcareers.
From a psychological standpoint,self-sabotage often stems from
deep-seated fears andinsecurities.
We all have them, from yourdaily jobs to your normal lives,

(02:35):
to no matter what you'repursuing, whether that be
athletics or acting.
In our case, we may fearfailure or rejection, rejection
leading us to sabotage our ownefforts because, but before we
we even have a chance to succeed, this fear can be paralyzing
and keeping us stuck in ourcomfort zones and preventing us

(02:55):
from taking the risks necessaryto grow as actors.
And and that's the thing isthat you you to take those risks
, and sometimes you go.
Well, that fear of failure,that fear of rejection, that
fear of being told no or justmaking a mistake and going
backwards, can be scary.
And think about the last timeyou hesitated to submit that

(03:16):
audition tape or you doubtedyour ability to nail a scene.
I'm certainly speaking from myheart here, because these are
all examples of self-sabotage inaction certainly speaking from
my heart here, because these areall examples of self-sabotage
in action.
We may procrastinate onlearning our lines or
second-guess our creativechoices, all because we're
afraid of falling short of ourown expectations.
The effects of self-sabotagecan be profound, both personally

(03:39):
and professionally.
It can lead to missedopportunities, strained
relationships and a diminishedsense of self-worth.
When we sabotage ourselves,we're not only holding back or
holding ourselves back, butwe're also denying the world the
chance to see our true talentsshine.
And they're there.
We know they're there.
Now let me share a personalstory that taught me valuable

(04:02):
lessons about self-sabotage andhow it applies to our acting
careers.
I've been a bodybuilder since Iwas still at high school, so I
think my first competition wasas a scrawny 16-year-old,
someone that was veryintroverted, very shy.
So hey, let's get intobodybuilding and stand up on

(04:22):
stage in front of hundreds ofpeople in posing trunks and show
the body that I didn't reallyhave.
But I know firsthand theimportance of discipline and
dedication.
But All these years I'vecompeted several times but
despite my best efforts, therewere times especially currently
in the last 18 months with mytraining that I couldn't resist

(04:44):
the temptation to cheat on mydiet Slice of cake here, a bag
of chips there, or for me latelyit's been chocolate.
I don't know whether that's anage thing or just the sweet
tooth coming out of it.
It may have provided temporarysatisfaction, but it's
ultimately set me back inachieving my fitness goals.
Now, that's not putting asidethe positives of what I've done.

(05:05):
I've lost a lot of weight andpeople say, oh mate, you're
doing fantastic.
But when you know what yourgoal is and where you wanted to
be, you know when you're behindand you know when you're not
pushing through the next level.
I've been in a plateau, so tospeak, which is not all because
of my cheating.
I'm not cheating every day,it's age and learning, the body

(05:30):
needs to do different things.
But it does come down to aboutpushing through and finding a
way.
And what's worse is that I wouldoften lie to myself and
convincing myself that one cheatmeal wouldn't hurt or that I
deserved a break from the strictregime and some chocolate here

(05:51):
and chocolate there.
And then you get all the littlethings of oh well, bugger it.
I've had some chocolate, I'vehad some chips, I've ruined the
day.
I might as well just enjoy therest of the day.
And before you know it, you'vethrown down, uh, an extra two
and a half thousand calories andyou're halfway through a bottle
of red wine, or the secondbottle, maybe.
But deep down, deep down.

(06:13):
I knew that these actions weresabotaging my progress and
undermining all the hard workthat I've, that I've put in so
over.
I've realized thatself-sabotage was the biggest
obstacle standing between me andmy current fitness goals.
So it's not until I confrontedthis behavior head on and start
to hold myself accountable thatI'm able to now start to push

(06:37):
through those plateaus and makesome real progress and see the
results, that I'm able to nowstart to push through those
plateaus and make some realprogress and see the results
that I want.
So the first step in overcomingself-sabotage is awareness.
We must recognize when we'reengaging self-sabotaging
behaviors and understanding theunderlining motivations behind
them.
By shining a light on thesepatterns we can begin to break

(07:00):
free from their group, so tospeak.
Then we come back to what I wassaying at the start about
mindset.
We must shift our mindset fromone of fear and self-doubt to
one of confidence andempowerment.
Instead of focusing on ourshortcomings, we should
celebrate our successes andacknowledge the progress we've
made, no matter how small,because every small step is a

(07:23):
step forward.
But a step backwards, just bythe very nature of it, is a step
backwards.
But you know those stepbackwards tend to often be
bigger.
So two steps back, one stepforward, sort of thing.
So you do that for a year andall of a sudden you haven't
really gone anywhere or you'vegone backwards, heaven forbid.
So accountability is key incommitting self-sabotage,

(07:48):
whether it's seeking supportfrom mentors or joining a
mastermind group or simplyfinding a trusted friend, or
your partner or your wife oryour husband, or your boyfriend
or girlfriend, or your dog.
Having someone to hold usaccountable can help keep us on
track and motivated.
It's also important to practiceself-compassion and forgiveness

(08:10):
.
We're only human and we'rebound to make mistakes along the
way.
So, instead of beatingourselves up over our
shortcomings, we should treatourselves with kindness and
understanding, knowing that eachsetback is an opportunity for
growth.
So, lastly, setting boundaries.
It's crucial in protectingourselves from external

(08:31):
influences that may trigger thisself-sabotage, whether it's
saying no to toxic relationshipsor creating a distraction-free
environment for work,establishing boundaries that can
help safeguard our mental andemotional well-being.
I was on heavy there.
Put some thought into that one.
Today we've explored theinsidious nature of

(08:56):
self-sabotage and its impact onour acting careers.
Or, if you're not an actor andyou listening this, thank you
for listening if you're not anactor the impact that it has in
your life in general, whateverendeavors you're focusing on,
from understanding itspsychological roots to
overcoming it throughself-awareness and
accountability, which we'vetalked about, we've we've

(09:18):
learned valuable lessons thatcan propel us towards our
successes.
So, as we go forth on ouracting journeys I like that as
we go forth on our actingjourneys, may the 4th coming up
next month for Star Wars.
Sorry, I'm going off on atangent there.
Remember to confront yourself-sabotage head-on and refuse

(09:39):
to let it hold us back.
And I think what I just saidbefore about looking at the
small steps forward, so allthose little small steps become
one big step forward quickerthan you probably realize.
But those steps backwards, theyjust bam, bam, bam and they
just build on each other andmake it worse and worse and

(09:59):
worse.
So cultivate this positivemindset, I think, seek support
from others and practiceself-compassion and then you can
break free from the self-doubtand move forward.
So, looking back on my ownexperiences with self-sabotage,
I'm grateful for the lessonsthey've taught me and the growth

(10:21):
they've inspired.
So by looking at this andacknowledging and addressing
these tendencies, I've been ableto now push through my
milestones and back on myjourney, hopefully, and that's
why I've reached out with thisepisode.
I've been able to now pushthrough my milestones and back
on my journey, hopefully, andthat's why I've reached out with
this episode, I feel, because Iwas looking within myself at

(10:42):
what I was doing on thebodybuilding side of things and
then going well, have I beendoing it in my acting journey
and not as much, as you know,cheating on my diet, have I been
doing it in my acting journey?
And not as much as you know,cheating on my diet?
But I wanted to talk about thatin the acting perspective
because it may be just a littlebit here or a little bit there
or whatever that, especiallywhen it comes to auditions, we

(11:06):
all know.
You get that moment whereyou're a bit scared about it and
you tend to wait until the lastminute to learn your lines.
And whether it's successfuluntil the last minute to learn
your lines and whether it'ssuccessful in the end or not,
you don't know whether you havesabotaged your process because
of your procrastination on thatand for whatever those reasons
are that you're procrastinatingor having that self-sabotage

(11:28):
happening in the background.
We don't know and that's whyyou should look at it.
So thank you for joining me onthis quick journey through the
depths of self-sabotage.
I encourage you to reflect onyour own behaviors and and
commit to overcoming it in youracting careers and finding a way
through it or around it or overit.
Together, we, we can, you know,sort of embrace our potential

(11:55):
and rise above these obstaclesthat stand in our way, because
the obstacles are always goingto be there.
They're there to test us, Ithink, and to push us and to
grow us.
I think that's the biggestthing, because if it was easy,

(12:15):
everyone would do it and then itwould be a pretty boring world
really, I think.
So until next time, keepstriving for greatness, guys,
and thank you very much forlistening in.
This has been another Offscriptepisode, something I've just
quickly thrown together.
I wrote this up on Night Shiftso I had a bit of a chance to

(12:36):
put some thought into it becauseI wanted to make it.
You know, I just wanted to makeit something thought-provoking
and make us look into ourselvesand if it was something you felt
was an issue in your actingcareer or in anything an issue
in your acting career or inanything that you might find a
way to address it and learn fromit.

(12:58):
So next month I've got JasonMoore on board.
He's a local Adelaide actor anda trained counsellor and
mindset coach and he's got somegreat things to talk about in
this area.
He works with actors as well aspeople from all walks of life,

(13:19):
so he's got a great gamut ofexperience, so to speak.
So this will be sort of a leadinto it.
But in the meantime, beforethat episode, if you feel that
you need to look it up, I'm surethere's plenty online.
You've also got links from ourlast episode to get some

(13:41):
information there or to reachout to rachel as well, who's
just started a secondarybusiness because it's a great
love of hers that she'sdeveloped through her podcast as
well.
So certainly look that up.
So while I've got you here, guys, um, we've got self-tape may
coming up, um, which is run byaudrey moore and audrey helps
actors podcast in america.

(14:01):
She's been on the show, uh,last year.
So, uh, this is growing andgrowing every year.
I've done it a couple years ina row now.
So we have to try and do 16self-tapes for the month of May.
That's one every two days.
So it's simulating what actorsin America more so are going
through in their acting careers,with consistent auditions.

(14:25):
So have a look at that.
I'll put the links in the shownotes for you.
I think it's very worthwhile.
It's about encouraging tocommit and it's a great tool to
overcome all this self-sabotagebecause it commits you to doing
it and pushing you through thoseroadblocks, so to speak.
So have a look at that.
And again, thank you very muchfor listening on the show.

(14:47):
It's been a pleasure and wewill see you on set.
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