"No one is entitled to anything. You have to earn it" -Sam Mendes

"I don't mind the dance that you have to do in order to get something made- the hoops you have to jump through, the fake smiles you have to adopt. You just have to. No one is entitled to anything. You have to earn it" -Sam Mendes

This quote is resonating with me hard right now (and no, not just because it has a circus reference but that is definitely a bonus)

I think one of the biggest problems Millennials have is an insane sense of entitlement. I'm a millennial but man oh man do I feel like a senior around some of them. I was raised to keep your head down, do the work and if I wanted something (money, food, license, a date) that I had to go out there and get it because "life isn't just handed to ya"

Everyone seems to get a participation award for everything these days. No one loses, but because of this no one really wins. Simply winning or losing is not necessarily the best system either, however, I do think working hard, failing sometimes and then eventually finding success after so much passion and effort offer huge life lessons. Learning how to get back on the mat after things didn't go the way you planned isn't always easy but you don't get a prize for showing up in life. It's and important step, showing up, but then the real work begins.

As an actor I am reminded of this every day. I received my degree from one of the best conservatories in the country and have worked some big jobs for being under 30. But success isn't always linear. In the case of my life, it isn't at all.

Pay scale is changing project to project along with the various demands on my body, mind and spirit and I'm still out there auditioning and being rejected. Often.

It's a lot of unpaid work to get to the paid projects, relentless passion and work ethic and even with all of that you still might not get what you think you want. It is a lifestyle, it is my life.

I'm sure everyone experiences a version of it in their own field. To put energy out, get rejected, fail and then crawl back for more but each time it happens you get to go back at it with more information. This process will lead you to success in ways you can't even imagine. But you have to show up and do the work- no one is going to "hand it to ya" This process teaches us empathy because we understand failure and it teaches us compassion because we all know the feeling of finding something you're great at and the hurt when you don't get what you want.

I am currently developing my first short film and a new series. I don't really know how to do either of these things but I do know how to work my tail off. I am grateful for the work ethic I have inherited and the tools I have to make it happen. Wish me luck on my future face plants, this post has been a huge release to encourage me to dive in and trust myself and the process so thanks for reading Steemians

xo