How To Succeed By Saying ‘No’

We are currently looking for a new apartment in LA. Consequently, I have been given a pile of application forms and been forced to stare my current situation right in the face. Fact: I am currently (technically) unemployed (despite some promising callbacks). Fortunately, my ever-supportive husband has a financially stable full-time job that means that my non-existent employer information box is still acceptable. However, it made me feel like I should be working whilst going to auditions and callbacks/ waiting for Broadway to call.

This spurred on a few sessions of poring through ads on Craigslist in the Jobs section, which in turn, led me to apply for an office job. I have changed some details of the ad but the gist went something like this:

‘Receptionist/ Assistant needed to answer calls, manage mail, type documents and….work on bookings with world-famous fire-breather’.

I got an interview date and a link to the website (which wasn’t quite as glamorous, or famous, as I had hoped). When I told my husband, he said that he wasn’t ready for me to get an office job and that I was a working actor and should be focused on going to auditions. I thought about this for a while and have decided against the interview.

I wanted this job so I could feel like I was doing something, earning a steady (even if small) income and essentially, so my employment box could be filled up on an application form.

The best advice I came up with was to not be afraid to SAY NO to a certain opportunity if:
• It doesn’t get me closer to my current goal
• It hinders me from what should really be my priority
• It diverts my focus from what I want/ need to achieve the next step in my career

Saying ‘No’ could open doors to opportunities that are right. Why invest time and energy into something that actually diverts you from your career goals? My aim is to focus on my priorities and work out the next step. On Monday, I will do something I have been meaning to do since I first moved to LA: Re-register at Central Casting (I tried a couple of weeks ago but they cut off the line in front of me due to volume of people). In New York, background work was my survival job, offering flexibility in order to be able to attend auditions/ callbacks whilst earning SAG-AFTRA pay (after all, I am still paying my dues). Bring on the early call times and jewel-toned wardrobe!

So don’t be afraid to say ‘no’ sometimes. Don’t accept anything less than what you want.