To Chase a Dream or Play it Safe- Part 2- Investing in Yourself

Even though there is some risk involved, one of the best ways
to distinguish yourself from your competition is to invest
in being more educated than they are. 

One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to follow their dreams is trying to save money by not investing in themselves or their careers. If they are trying to be an actor, they might take the time to do a web search for acting schools, take the time to find the best one, but then take one look at the price, and say, "I'm not going to pay that." The fact of the matter is however, if you are really serious about making it big, then even if it seems like a lot, you are much better off paying the price for a myriad of reasons.

The first reason you should study at prestigious places is that they serves as strong credibility markers. Having prestigious schools or training on your resume shows that you are serious about what you do and committed. The second reason is that top of the line training gives you access to experienced professionals who can recognize your strengths and point you in the right direction. Lastly, but certainly not least, the third reason you should invest in your training is because it gives you access to peers who who are following the same goals, and a strong foundation in your social network. If they are also willing to invest in their careers the same way you did, then they are every bit as serious about being successful, and can offer you a support structure, and speak for you in your field as your careers become mutually successful.

In my own experience, the most classic example of this was my decision to study stunts at the United Stuntmen's Association's International Stunt School in Seattle, WA. Internationally, it is the top school in the field, and the course that I took cost me a few thousand dollars. Add in the flight back to the states, and hotel and food, and it was not easy to cover. Speaking frankly, I had to get a new credit card and put most of it on that card to cover it. At the same time though, shortly after graduating from the school, I was offered a chance to audition for my first motion capture job, and all it took for me to get the job was for me to show them the stunt reel I made from my training. With that, I was in. That job turned out to be a major project, that by itself was enough to pay off the stunt school. Furthermore having that job on my resume lead to even more jobs (even just regular non-stunt, acting work), which lead to even more jobs. Now, this month was the first time ever in my career that I had to start turning job good work because I was simply booked solid. Furthermore, going back to the first point, most of the friends that I made at stunt school remain great friends to this day, and many others besides myself have gone on to have successful careers in all different areas of stunts and entertainment. This means that when we speak, we can swap ideas and experiences and more than anything, encourage each other to keep pushing- even when we hit the hard times.

The importance of investing in yourself does not just refer to money spent either. It also refers to time. A fairly successful actor friend of mine in LA once told me that coming in to LA cold, and with no connections will require a serious commitment of 10 years to really "make it". In my own experience, Ive found the same to be the case with Tokyo, so perhaps that goes for most big cities. This is true for a range of reasons. The first is that every industry (but especially entertainment) has a very particular culture and it takes you time to learn it. You make mistakes, you inadvertently burn bridges and you get taken advantage of it, but thats how you learn how to handle yourself. The second reason is because it just takes time to get good at what you do. I once heard an acting coach say that there is no such thing as a good actor under 40, and Ive also noticed that most martial arts masters are at their best around the same age as well. (Although not always). According to Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Outliers, this is because it takes 10,000 hours of concentrated effort to truly perfect a craft and become an expert in it. This is not to say that you can't make it without making these time or training investments (there are those who make it purely through the right connection) but the fact of the matter is, in doing so, you are more or less depending on someone to come along and give you your big break. Statistically speaking, this is rare indeed; particularly while trying to compete with crazy people like me, who are willing to take the risks of making those investments.

While it may seem like a tremendous pain or risk to invest in yourself or your career (financially or otherwise) the fact of the matter is, if you are really serious about making it big, you have to. You can not have great gains without great sacrifice.  From what I heard Britney Spears bankrupted her family before she make it big (as did Olympians Gabby Douglas and Ryan Lochte), and Ken Watanabe had equally large financial problems before he made it big as well. At the same time though, the reason we know who they are was because they made it. As always good luck to you in whatever dream you are following, and I hope this helps you find your way. I am not however advocating taking careless risks with yourself or your financial stability, and if you have any questions about how to manage these risks be sure to tune in to the next blog entry: Managing your risks.

Chuck

References:
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/gymnastics/story/2012-08-05/gabby-douglas-mom-bankruptcy/56804070/1

http://www.japan-zone.com/modern/watanabe_ken.shtml