I read an interview with Christina Hendricks from Mad Men. What she said stood out so much that I tore out the page in magazine and saved it. Apparently she had to be convinced to pursue acting as a career. She said,
“There were so many actors. Why do they need one more?”
Of course now she doesn’t agree with this narrow mindset she used to have. At one point she said she “just thought [she] would work in a hair salon and do community theater.” Now she’s an Emmy-nominated actress on a wildly popular series, has played great roles in films, and graces the covers of magazines.
As an actor in LA, it is easy for me to get discouraged when I think about how many actors are out here trying to make it, when I go on audition after audition and don’t book roles, when I have doubts that I’m right where I’m supposed to be.
You could say the same for any industry though. As a insert job description in insert city, it is easy to get discouraged when you think about all the competition, when you don’t get that promotion, when you lose faith that you are on the right path.
Life is full of challenges. Every day. All around us. But as Andrew Carnegie said,
“Anything in life worth having is worth working for.”
What has the Lord laid on your heart to do? Whether it be the President of the United States or a stay-at-home mom, what you do matters. What you are working toward matters. You matter.
Ever see Back to the Future? Your life affects the lives of everyone around you. Whether you want it to or not.
In his devotional, Simply Sacred, Gary Thomas says,
“Your life is part of God’s overall tapestry. Don’t settle for anything less. A single thread is just a thread, but remove that single thread for a beautiful tapestry and the first thing you notice is the missing thread.”
We can’t focus on the noise around us. We can’t focus on the negatives, on the struggles, on that “what ifs?” Focus on you. Focus on your journey. Focus on being where God wants you to be.
Stay the course. You’ll never know what could happen if you don’t try. Do you think Christina Hendricks wishes she was working at a hair salon doing community theater? Me neither.
