Showing Up - The Key to Constructing Your Resume

I find it fascinating to listen to achievement stories shared by middle-aged and older people. In each story, I always walk away with a lesson to remember. At present, I am not part of those middle-aged individuals whom I lovingly listened to and as I look back on the years I realized that I have a lot of things to reveal than can be of help to those who are still beginning their careers in the entertainment business with a resume in hand. It does not matter what your aspirations are; whether you desire to be a successful actor, director, producer, writer, agent or any one of the many other positions that exist in this business, this is true for everyone. I labeled this theory the "showing up" theory. It is easy and succeeds nearly every time.

If you live near a large city (especially if it's Los Angeles or New York) then you know that there are many meet-ups, industry mixers and networking possibilities thus having a resume is important. You will notice that your business card collection and your address book starts to fill whenever you attend those kind of gatherings. Your contacts and associates will continue to grow if you stay in touch with those people you meet and your opportunities for success gets bigger. However, how can you place yourself in such scenario? You got there thru the theory of "showing up".

The Showing Up principle is by far, one of the most overlooked tidbits of wisdom. For example, I'm sure you all know and love the highly successful sitcom, "Friends". Nevertheless, are you aware of how this principle helped on of the cast in this sitcom?

The tale goes like this, there was an extra who got tired of working small time acting jobs, but despite this he still decided to show up for work one more time. The days were getting very long for this person, but he loved the work and figured he'd show up just once more. That day transformed his life. While he was at the back room the director of "Friends" started looking for someone who knows how to operate a cappuccino and machine, this extra raised his hand despite the fact that he actually has no idea how to use the device and he became part of the scene. That extra person soon earned the character name of Gunther, who owns the infamous coffee shop and he became a regular on one of the most well-liked TV shows of all time. What did he do? He merely reported to work and showed up even if he does not want to anymore.

The Showing Up principle is one that everyone can take part in, everywhere. Be close to those that are successful in whichever you are pursuing. As long as you can do it then you go to classes, events, film festivals, and premieres while having a resume at hand all the time may work to your advantage. It has usually proven out even in my personal existence. Who knows, may be your life will change just because you showed up.