A Success 10 Years in the Making

It's been said that every over night success is about 10 years in the making...As some of you know, I am an actress. I just got home from working two days on set for a SAG national commercial. The commercial is 30 seconds long and I have one line. Yet, my one line in this commercial is the biggest thing I've ever booked and will easily pay me the most.

It seems like such a small accomplishment and achievement, yet it is 10 years in the making. A lot of times we look to others' success but we don't see or know the hard work behind it.

Here are some of the sacrifices that I made over the past 10 years: I spent 2 years in Des Moines, Iowa driving to Minneapolis and Kansas City (3+ hours one way) for a 10 minute audition. I moved away from my family and friends to Los Angeles. I worked jobs that didn't pay the greatest so I could have flexibility when last minute - sometimes same day - auditions came through. I juggled and I struggled. I continuously paid for acting classes, headshots, a website, etc. I moved to Atlanta. I had my confidence shattered after a long dry streak.

This booking has taught me so much about success. It's taught me that there is so much behind closed doors that we don't see. It has taught me that with persistence, eventually you will get to where you want to go if you don't give up. 10 years of hard work for 5 seconds on camera. And it was worth it all.