Turning Financial "Shoulds" into "Musts"!

We all have a list of things we "should" do - balance our check book, take that class, read that book, call that casting director – yet somehow most of these things remain undone. We know that our life would improve if we were to complete these tasks, and we know that we feel a constant level of concern around not doing them. Yet, somehow, they keep getting pushed off.

The reason, I believe, for our procrastination in areas where we know it is hurting us is fear: fear of not succeeding (what if I call that casting director and they blow me off; or if, even worse, they are rude to me?), fear of what we will find (what if I balance my accounts and find out that I am living above my means each month? I would have to actually address the issue, instead of sticking my head further into the sand), and so on. The problem is that, fundamentally, the fear we feel at the thought of addressing the issue is less than the pain we currently feel by avoiding it.

We’ve all done it. In terms of your finances, it is terrifying knowing that you are falling short $500 per month on your living expenses. It is far easier to ignore the issue, and continue to live in the fantasy world of "when I get my big break, then it will all be OK," than it is actually go to work solving the problem. (For help with this, email us at mailto:info@abundancebound.com with "Chart of Expenses in the subject line. We will send you a detailed excel spreadsheet to get you started on the process.)

With regards to your acting career, it is easier to have the mentality of "I’m so good, they should be looking for me" than it is to pound the pavement, make those phone calls, take those classes and so on.

Now, does that mean that we shouldn’t take the time to establish and write down our goals, both financial and creative? Of course not. But as long as we are living in the space of "I really should do those things" we will never get any closer to actually achieving them, or getting the benefits that come with their accomplishment. Anthony Robbins, a renowned speaker and author, says:

"If you don’t take action on something you want, you are merely stating a preference."

In other words, you can say that you want to be a lead on a nighttime drama, or have enough passive income to cover all your living expenses, or be featured regularly on SNL. If you aren’t out there actually meeting those casting directors, or learning about investments, or honing those comedy skills, your words are virtually meaningless.

We have all heard, at one time or another, that knowledge is power. It isn’t. If it were, librarians and academics would run the world. What is really the case is that applied knowledge is power. We can know everything we need to do to change our situation, but, until taking action becomes a must, we will do nothing and therefore, achieve nothing.

No-where is this clearer than in our finances. Consider these examples. Anyone that has been reading these newsletters for long knows the importance of establishing a wealth account and developing the habit of paying yourself first every single month. Have you actually done it? Every month Abundance Bound runs a completely FREE teleseminar offering plenty of extremely useful financial information for artists. Typically, about 25-50 people register to participate in these calls. Yet, every month, only about 25% of those registered actually show up.

Are we suggesting that not taking action to improve your relationship with money makes you stupid or lazy? No. But you need to be absolutely clear that your financial situation will only change when you decide that making that change is completely non negotiable. Your life will only become what you want it to be when you stop talking about what you SHOULD do and get into action on what you MUST do.

So the question to ask yourself is this: what has to happen for you to be happy, healthy, wealthy and successful? And of those things, what do you directly control? Now establish a strategy and plan of attack for accomplishing each of those things, along with a clear understanding of the resources you need to achieve your goals. Accountability has to be a part of this, as well as coaching from someone who has already walked the path you are setting out on, or you will likely stumble at the first obstacle, or spend years finding the right way of doing things (both of which can be avoided with the right resources).

Do you want to shoot a short to showcase your talent as an actor? Then you must write a script, get someone to shoot it, cast the supporting talent and find good locations. Bringing on a producer who as gone through it all before will make that process 100 times easier. Are you sick of struggling with money? Then you must take action to change that situation, be it attending a free teleseminar or being coached by a successful relative about real estate investments. Want to make an easy transition from acting school to a steady acting career...? You get the idea.

The key is to make it a must: when something is a must, human beings can do extraordinary things; and extraordinary is what we all want from our lives.