Yesterday, I spoke about how you feel and think affects how you come across to another person, and how it affects the outcome of interviews. I gave you 2 tips to start noticing what you are putting out there but paying attention to your thoughts and your emotions.
Today I want you to question whether the job you are chasing is what you really want?
A lot of the clients I’ve worked with, and for myself, doing a job that involves what they are passionate about is important.
One good thing that came out of my 6 years of engineering applications, interviews and rejections was that I realised it wasn’t really what I wanted to do. Ever.
The way I got out that cycle of bullshit was to go “Actually, I’ve always wanted to be an actress. F*ck it, that’s what I’m going to do”.
And this was definitely not an easy thing to do. To tell my parents and my friends that this is what I was going to do was a big deal.
I remember telling my mum in Westfield Shopping Centre in West London over lunch (after I had auditioned and got into drama school). I thought she would be the more understanding parent, so I told her first. She was far from happy. I remember how awkward I felt sitting there arguing in English (instead of Armenian) and the woman next to us pretending she couldn’t hear us.
But if my mum has learnt anything in my 35 years of existence is that once I have made a decision, I’m not the easiest person to talk out of that decision.
So, even though my parents weren’t hugely on board, I knew I had to follow my dreams and do what I had to do. This felt right. I had nothing to lose. A few months later I started my acting training.
I loved every minute of it. It wasn’t always easy but it was totally and completely worth it. It made me feel great. It showed me that I had what it took to go after my dreams. I got more work out of it than I ever did with engineering.
There are a lot fears around taking that leap of faith and I will touch on this tomorrow. But that leap of faith is important. Going after what you want and trusting it will all work out is an amazing place to be.
So ask yourself, will you really be happy doing what you are chasing?