“Know what we get to do today? We get to be actors.”

“God, I hate auditioning!”

How many times have you heard this? Maybe even said it yourself? Despite auditioning being a major part of the job, many actors I’ve talked to really dislike it. Here’s a secret: We don’t have to hate it! But it’s going to take some work on your end. I’m not asking you to love it. I’m asking you to be open to the idea of changing your mindset.

There’s a couple of ways to do this:

1) Focus on the positives. If you hate auditioning, you’re entering the environment with a negative mindset. There are probably plenty of positives around you that you don’t even realize. Think about a bad day that you had. I’m willing to bet you found every tiny thing that was wrong with your day. (This has been me more times than I could count). If you’re on your way to the audition thinking about how much you hate auditioning, you’re going to continue to find negatives. Let’s change that. Instead, start with some positives. How’s the weather? Are you going to get to see some friends there? Maybe try thinking about where this could lead you – whether it’s a big step or a small one.

2) Think of audition days as “a day you get to act.” I’m a big baseball fan. Baseball involves a lot of ups and downs. Take Daniel Nava for example.

Photo credit: Jim Rogash/Getty Images North America

Nava is an outfielder for the Boston Red Sox. He’s 31 years old and just received his first World Series ring. Then the 2014 season started. Nava wasn’t doing so well. Guess where they sent him? Back down to the minors. While I’ve never met Nava, I’m willing to bet he wasn’t too pleased with his demotion. Obviously this isn’t the same as auditioning. Regardless, it’s a part of the job that many baseball players face.

I want to share one of my favorite movie quotes of all time. It’s from the movie, “The Rookie,” starring Dennis Quaid. It’s based on a true story about a pitcher named Jim Morris. I’ll spare you the full synopsis, but in a nutshell Morris is in the minor leagues.  He isn’t sure if he’ll ever make the big leagues. But he has a moment where he realizes he’s still playing baseball.

And that’s when this part happens:

“Know what we get to do today, Brooks? We get to play baseball.”

I think about this every time I go to an audition. “I get to act today.” Now, even if I don’t get the part, it’s still a day where I get to act.

Whether it’s auditioning or other areas that you don’t particularly enjoy, see how you can change your mindset. If you’re open to this concept, you’ll find yourself much happier 🙂