Golden Opportunities

I was reading a book about being a better you.  Self-improvement is a goal of mine (couldn’t hurt to become a BETTER me, right?).

I was reading and all the things were common sense or cliché: money doesn’t buy happiness (but it does buy my husband that big screen TV that he has been obsessing about) older people are happier (because they get the social security I’ll never get and don’t have to work), blah, blah, blah.

Boredom was setting in until I read, “are you taking advantage of all the opportunities offered to you?”  It made me think of my friend, we will call her M.  M is fabulous.  She is one of the most amazing people I have ever met.  A poet, performer, speaker, and author, she should be here in la la land with me making movies and doing readings and book signings.  But she isn’t.  I sat there and thought how it was really too bad she didn’t market herself more.  It was too bad she didn’t really push herself to do more social media marketing of her brand.

Then I read the question again.  “Are you taking advantage of all the opportunities offered to you?”  Oh.  This was about me, not M.

Redness flooded my cheeks and I knew the answer.  No, I do not take advantage of all the opportunities offered to me.  I am too scared or embarrassed to say to the person next to me, ‘hey, I’m a writer too, how did you get published?’  Or ‘how are you getting your short produced?’  Instead I sit quietly and let these golden opportunities pass me by.

Since moving here in June, I have worked on four movie projects, two features, one second unit feature and one short.  I did not network on a single one of them.  Its not in my nature, it doesn’t come easily to me.  But shit, it shouldn’t come easily!  If it did everyone would do it!

So now I have two new goals

1.)  be less judgey

2.)  be more proactive and push for what I want instead of waiting for my future to fall into my lap.

Are you taking advantage of all the opportunities offered to you?