Whenever I read about traveling, it always has to do with enjoying the journey rather than the destination. Most often when we get to the destination it’s nothing like we could have imagined. It’s amazing how this holds true not only when traveling but in life and following your dreams in general. I feel like I woke up one day and was like “FML, I am thirty…what the hell am I doing!? It seems everyone on Facebook has their shit together with their baby and dog pictures and I am still struggling to pay rent and eating ninety-nine cent mac and cheese (not ideal… though delicious). I thought I was supposed to be a working actress by now!??” Then I began to question, how does one know if they are actually living their dreams or not?
I feel like the first lesson in achieving your dreams is to stop comparing yourself to other people. Facebook is not real. There is no way every single person is having the best day of their lives EVERY DAY. In fact, I think it’s vital to take breaks from social media all together. It’s important to really understand that everyone’s path is different. Do not compare where other people are in their personal journey to your own, because that is not where you are supposed to be. You just have to accept and be proud of where you are. Your journey is what is going to shape you to be the best human being that you can be. It’s so easy to get frustrated when things don’t seem to be going your way, but that’s when you miss out on the good stuff. When you are thinking about the future or the past, you are missing out on all the delicious, amazing things happening at this very moment. When you are truly in the moment, your body is so perceptive to your feelings. Happiness should really be the ultimate goal for every human being. When we are in the moment we are able to listen to our inner voice or instincts. Our inner voice is always guiding us towards happiness.
That being said, I am HAPPY to make my first public announcement that I am diving head first into making my second feature film– a Sci-Fi thriller called Interpreters. I feel like this is a huge step on my journey toward living my personal dream.
I will be working with some of the most talented people I know (INCLUDING MY AMAZINGLY TALENTED SISTER AMBER BRACKEN) and we are embarking on the over-whelming journey of shooting a movie. Why, you might ask, wouldn’t I share this news much earlier? The true answer happens to be lesson number two in how to achieve your dreams-trust what people do, not what they say. I have painfully learned that the entertainment industry is riddled with a lot of talk and not a lot of action. I also know that type of behavior is not exclusive to the entertainment industry. It’s really easy to talk about our dreams, but it’s much more difficult to actually do something to make them happen. This lesson has been so valuable, and I wish I would have really understood this many years ago (though I am sure a much wiser adult must have told me this at some point). We can’t really depend on something happening until it’s truly happening, and we can only be responsible for ourselves. We have no control over the words or decisions of other people, and need to be 100 percent responsible for our own actions. Your dream life doesn’t happen by itself, you need to make it happen. We get to actively create our destiny and have a fucking amazing time along the way.
If you would have asked me 10 years ago where I thought I would be at age 30, it isn’t exactly where I am at currently. I still have to work a million part-time jobs to pay my bills; I am renting a two bedroom with the bathroom the size of a closet with three people; and I spend more time as a production assistant for infomercials about hair removal than I do acting. BUT when I stop and look back at the last ten years, MY JOURNEY, I realize that I am actively achieving my dreams. I have an amazing life. I just have to trust that what I put into the universe will come back to me…especially love. Every day I need to practice gratitude and love for all of my blessings because I actively get to make choices every day, and I choose to be happy. I have the power to choose to love my journey.
I am MAKING A MOVIE. Those words roll off my tongue and fills me with so much joy and yet, it’s like nothing I could have imagined. There is no big budget, no first class flights, no tropical weather, no fancy hotels, and no Brad Pitts. Instead, my dreams coming true consists of 15 hour days, minimum wage, Super 8 motels, and living in Redding, California for a month away from my boyfriend and family. It’s not glamorous and it’s definitely not making me rich. It requires so much sacrifice in many other areas of my life, but I am LIVING my dream in this very instant. My dreams aren’t happening right in front of my eyes, they are happening in my heart. I am living them right now and I can’t wait to share this journey. If you are actively pursing your dreams, don’t get frustrated if things don’t seem to be going as planned. Stop, put things into perspective, and you will realize you are in the perfect place on YOUR journey. Enjoy it!
Watch Out World