Almost 300 years ago Native Americans and European colonists first broke bread in what came to be known as the first Thanksgiving.

Since this is Boost My Star and not a sixth grade history class, trust that what happened that day had far reaching implications and it affects your acting career in ways most actors never consider.

See, most actors are in a different mode this time of year. It’s basically the official start of the holiday season and that leads most to set their professional goals aside and celebrate the fruits of their labor.

Successful actors take time to celebrate as well but they do things very differently than everyone else in the industry and they are able to make huge career strides because of it.

Before I get to how they do it and how you can do it too, I have to ask you a question...

Are you committed to being a full time, professional actor? Take a moment and really think about it...

This time of year is a perfect time to reflect and really be honest with ourselves. It’s a time when we sit around the dinner table with friends and family (perhaps fewer of them this year) and go over the things that we are thankful for.

Most people barely scratch the surface and don’t really go much further than saying they are thankful for their health, their family, etc.

Let’s circle back to what this all means to you and your acting career.

Do this with me now...

Close your eyes and imagine yourself having thanksgiving dinner with your future self. What are the things you share with her?

What does she share with you?

If you can’t share anything concrete, regarding your career, that you are thankful for then it’s time to consider whether you are making the kind of progress you should be making.

Successful actors do a similar exercise practically everyday, because it’s important to keep things in perspective. It serves to keep you accountable and moving towards your goals.

It also serves to change the way you approach the industry.

When you can make a real switch from being bummed out about not booking something and instead be truly, completely grateful for even having the opportunity to get in the room, your entire vibe changes and things start happening for you, instead of to you.

Being thankful for every opportunity will lead to more of them. We can get esoteric or mystical about it another time if you'd like. For now, let's leave it at: people like to work with ​pleasant people they like.

When you’re coming from a place of gratitude and graciousness, instead of wanting or needing something, your counterparts are put at ease and the dynamic of the relationship changes.

Casting directors will get that feeling that there’s just something about you and they will look for ways that you can continue to work together.

That’s not to say that you will book everything you read for, but when you can forge a solid relationship, they will seek out projects for you even when they have nothing to gain from your success.

So, practice this daily. Learn to detach yourself from the outcome and instead of going out and trying to book something, just be grateful that you even get to read.

If you are struggling to get to the next level in your career, be thankful that you get to spend even just a few hours on set.

Maybe you feel that you should be playing leading roles in studio pictures at this stage in your career, but you're stuck still doing one liners.

Play your heart out and express gratitude to everyone, every step of the way.

Sometimes, you will feel like it’s overkill and you may even get some strange looks. That’s ok!

Would you rather be remembered as the person who was overly gracious, rather than not being remembered at all?

Successful actors, leave a mark and make an impression on everyone they work with. They seek out people and squeeze everything possible out of every opportunity.

I spoke with an actor who got face time with an A list director, even though she was only an extra in a couple scenes.

She paid attention to what was going on around her and noticed that the director loved hot coffee.

There was a constant stream of PAs bringing one cup after another and taking away the cups that had cooled off.

So, after her scenes wrapped, she went over to craft services, poured a hot cup of coffee and walked it over to the director.

She handed him the coffee, complimented his work, and thanked him for the opportunity to be a part of the production.

A few days later she got a call from her agent saying that the director was looking for “the girl with the coffee.” She went from being one of dozens of extras, to having a few lines and a couple minutes of screen time in a major studio film.

She’s continued to make huge career progress ever since.

That’s what successful actors do. They make things happen instead of waiting for the “right time.”

Exercising gratitude is an easy way to do this and takes the guesswork out of what to do or say to people, you may otherwise never approach, and who otherwise may never notice you.

Think about it: when was the last time you were upset because somebody said “thank you" for something?

Hopefully never!

We went in a little bit of a different direction this week because success in the industry goes way beyond just being the most talented actor in the room.

Many, many things have to line up just right. More often than not, you have to line them up yourself.

Sometimes that requires stepping out of your comfort zone and doing things differently. Instead of enrolling in another class or redoing your headshots for the umpteenth time, step back and see if there’s another way to get to where you want to go.

See what’s missing and evaluate what has been stopping you from making the kind of progress you deserve to be making.

Often, I’ve seen the most promising actors try to get by on talent alone and ​fail miserably, because they never put any kind of focus into building their industry reputation. Here's how I can help with that.

As we kick off the holiday season, you can count on me to continue bringing you intel on what it takes to succeed in the industry and make it as an actor.

Stay tuned because this time, from now until the end of the year, can lead to the biggest career breakthroughs you’ve ever imagined.

Why?

Because at the top levels, the industry never stops. Even when practically everything else stopped earlier this year, the wheels of the industry kept turning.

It’s a vital part of society. Even during the great depression when people stood in bread lines that went on for blocks, they still scraped together a few nickels every now and again to “catch a picture.”

That means there will always be a need for more content and more actors that can bring characters and stories to life.

Someone has to do it, so why not you? ​You owe it to yourself to give yourself every advantage possible to be successful.

So, enjoy the rest of the year and celebrate this holiday season, but don’t let it go to waste.

The people you need to reach, the ones that can move your career forward in a meaningful way will in many cases, be easier to reach than ever.

We’ll get into the nuts and bolts next time, and I’ll share with you some simple and incredibly effective ways that you can send your career skyrocketing.

As I mentioned before, ​your industry reputation and credibility will have a huge impact on your success so I created this to help with that.

Start there and feel free to get in touch anytime. I’m always only an email or a comment away and i’m happy to help however I can because I truly want to...

See you at the top,
Scott