Showing Up – The Key to Building Your Resume

I find it fascinating to listen to achievement stories shared by middle-aged and older individuals. In each story, I always walk away with a lesson to go by. Now that I am “one of those folks” I see that looking back into my “bag of tricks”, I have a lot of accumulated wisdom that could probably aid those that are starting their walk into the doors of the entertainment business with resume in hand. You dreams or the positions you intend to fill do not really matter and this is true for everyone else. I called this principle the “showing up” theory. It is not hard to do and it is effective most of the time.

If you reside near a big city (especially if it’s Los Angeles or New York) then you know that there are many meet-ups, industry mixers and networking possibilities; hence, having a resume ready is important. You will notice that your business card collection and your address book starts to fill up whenever you attend those kind of gatherings. If you are smart and stays connected with those who you’ve met, then your circle of business associates is ever-growing and therefore your chances for success have widened. Nevertheless, how can you put yourself in such situation? You got there thru the principle of “showing up”.

The Showing Up theory is by far, one of the most ignored tidbits of wisdom. For example, I’m sure you all know and adore the highly successful sitcom, “Friends”. However, are you aware of how this theory helped on of the cast in this sitcom?

The tale goes like this, there was an extra who got fed up of working small time acting jobs, but despite this he still made a decision 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 would show up just once more. Fortunately, that day he made a decision to show up changed his entire life and career. As he was standing up in the back of the room, the director of “Friends” yelled, “Does anyone know how to operate a cappuccino machine?”  One of the extras raised his hand (although he had no idea how to operate one) and he was used in the scene. That extra person soon gained the character name of Gunther, who owns the famous coffee shop and he became a regular on one of the most well-liked TV shows of all time. Just what did he do? He simply reported to work and showed up even if he doesn’t want to any longer.

The theory of Showing Up is the kind of principle anyone can use, anytime and anywhere. Be around those that are successful in whichever you are pursuing. Attend classes, events, film festivals and premieres with your resume in hand whenever is possible. It is a proven technique and I myself have encountered it. One day, just because you “showed up” your life will totally transform.